Tech tango: Slow robot deployment, not accidents, worries Indian industry

“You can kill me, but cannot defeat me,” says a robot named Kunjappan in the 2019 Malayalam movie, Android Kunjappan Version 5.25. The message is unambiguous: Robots are here to stay. Whether it was this film or earlier movies in the genre, such as the Terminator series, Ex Machina or Enthiran (Robot, starring Rajinikanth), in popular culture, robots tend to be seen as entities determined to eliminate humans.

In real life, though, they are mere tools deployed to maximise or optimise output for human benefit — except for the rare occasion when they turn on humans, not by design but by mistake.
 

This is precisely what happened last week when a robot crushed a man to death in South Korea. The machine had likely mistaken the 40-year-old factory worker for a box. The worker was inspecting the robot’s sensor at a vegetable packaging plant when the incident occurred.
 

Such freak incidents have been reported from Indian factories, too. Back in 2015, a 23-year-old worker at an auto component manufacturing factory in Manesar near Gurugram died after an industrial robot gripped him, crushing his ribs and abdominal region.
 

Robotics experts insist accidents such as these are usually a result of human error. Working with robots, they say, demands strict adherence to safety protocols. 
 

“Safety is very important and cannot be compromised when you adopt these high-end technologies,” says Gurugram-based Pradeep Shoran, vice president (Sales and Marketing), Kuka India. Kuka is an Augsburg (Germany)-headquartered manufacturer and supplier of industrial robots. “These are programmable machines, and once they have been programmed, humans are not allowed to go inside the working area when the machine is in operation,” he adds.
 

Industrial robots, he adds, are meant to be operated behind fences. “Accidents can happen if the safety instructions are ignored. We are always sensitising our customers as the robots are meant to work 24x7, 365 days.” There are mainly two types of robots in India — industrial and service (which are largely humanoids). 
 

The country is, however, way down in the pecking order when it comes to robot deployment. And more than the accidents, which are rare, this is an area of concern for the industry.
 

According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), India installed 5,353 robots in 2022. Compare that to China, which installed 290,258. 
 

Industry experts say governments at the Centre and states need to bring in policies to give a fillip to the sector, the way the Telangana government has done.  
 

In May this year, Telangana became the first Indian state to introduce a Robotics Framework that would create an ecosystem to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship, research and development. It also proposed to set up a ‘Telangana Robotics Innovation Centre’ and a ‘Robo Park’ to provide testing facilities, and co-working and co-production options.
 

“Telangana’s strategic focus on pivotal sectors — agriculture, healthcare, consumer robotics, and industrial automation — within its robotics framework is underpinned by a multifaceted vision aimed at fostering economic growth, innovation, job creation and global competitiveness,” said Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary, Information Technology and Industries, Telangana. 
 

In agriculture, he explains, robotics addresses tasks such as planting, weeding and harvesting. The state also aims to create a healthcare robotics hub that would attract investment and turn Telangana into a centre for medical innovation. Ranjan says the proposed Robo Park and robotics accelerator will help expand the robotics industry not just in Telangana but on a national scale. 
 

India currently holds the 11th position globally in terms of robot installations, trailing behind China, Japan, the United States, Korea, Germany, Italy, Chinese Taipei, France, Mexico and Singapore. In operational stock, it ranks 12th. 
 

Phani Kumar, founder of Circuitgrid Robotics, a Hyderabad-based designer, assembler and distributor of robots, says, “For humanoid robots, restaurants and schools are the predominant consumers. We are receiving a lot of demand from them.”
 

However, in India, the industrial sector stands as the primary driver for robotics orders, he adds. “To foster growth in demand and the sector as a whole, more states need to introduce policies that support the industry," Kumar says.
 

Despite the challenges, India holds promise since it is among the top countries to have installed welding robots, primarily in the automotive industry. Last year, installations reached 1,640, surpassing figures from France and Italy. 
 

However, industry experts like Shoran point out a current gap: there are no domestic manufacturers of industrial robots in India. Consequently, all requirements are fulfilled through imports, incurring higher costs due to import duties (approximately 10 per cent, along with clearing charges), goods and services tax (GST) and logistics expenses.
 

A large chunk of the robots in India operate in the automotive industry, followed by plastic and chemical products units.
 

Of the total robots installed in the country last year, 1,475 were in the automotive sector, 409 in plastic and chemical products, 330 in metal and machinery, and 277 in electrical or electronics. IFR predicts a relatively modest growth rate for robot installations in India in 2023. However, expectations are that there would be a significant acceleration toward the end of the decade.
 

The automotive industry, being the largest consumer, has announced several investment initiatives, primarily geared towards enhancing production capacities for electric vehicles and batteries. Additionally, India’s steel industry has outlined plans for expanding its capacity, while multiple projects are underway in the electronics sector.
 

However, “many of these projects are still in the early stages and will not create demand for industrial robots before the end of this decade,” notes IFR’s “World Robotics Report”, which was released earlier this year. Additional stimulus, it adds, can be expected from the production-linked incentives scheme, which is currently set to run until 2025.
 

The machines will, for now, occupy only a section of the factory floor, and humans would be well-advised to steer clear of that section while they’re at work.