Automate 2025 convened in Detroit final week. Supply: The Robotic Report
DETROIT — On the peak of commerce present season, Automate 2025 supplied alternatives to see the state of business and industrial automation. From robotic arms and cellular platforms to grippers, sensors, and software program, in addition to instructional and technical workshops, there was one thing for everybody on the occasion.
Thanks once more to the many individuals who met with The Robotic Report and WTWH Media’s workforce at Automate 2025. Listed here are 10 tendencies culled from these conferences, strolling the 2 exhibit halls, and sitting in on periods.
1. Reveals continue to grow, regardless of financial headwinds
With an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 attendees, 850 exhibitors, and quite a few periods, Automate 2025 skilled a 40% improve in registrants because it was final held in Detroit in 2023, based on Jeff Burnstein, president of the Affiliation for Advancing Automation (A3).
That’s much like the expansion of different commerce reveals and conferences, together with Manifest, ProMat, and our personal Robotics Summit & Expo. As well as, the quite a few networking occasions round these occasions have additionally grown, because the individuals who use, promote, construct, and design robots look to attach.
The transition of U.S. automakers to electrical and autonomous automobiles has slowed, and there have been no car chassis being swung round by giant robotic arms as in previous years (reportedly as a result of robots couldn’t be bolted into the ground).
Whereas current stories from A3 and Work together Evaluation discovered slowing gross sales of business automation and layoffs over the previous 12 months, they and different business observers such because the Worldwide Federation of Robotics (IFR) famous that progress has continued.
The consensus is that the market will enhance later this 12 months or early in 2026, relying on geopolitical and macroeconomic situations (extra on that under). Ahead-thinking firms are evaluating and adopting know-how now to maintain their aggressive edge.
Automate has actually grown because it cut up from being each different 12 months and co-located with ProMat. Subsequent 12 months, will probably be in Chicago, and in 2027, the present will transfer to Las Vegas.
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2. Know-how change is incremental
Some of the frequent questions that Automate attendees and exhibitors requested reporters is, “What did you see that’s new?” There have been some new merchandise and incremental enhancements this 12 months, however no brand-new type elements or purposes.
One of many greatest bulletins at this 12 months’s occasion was Common Robots’ launch of the UR15, its quickest collaborative robotic arm but.
Given A3’s focus and membership, it was no shock to see a number of imaginative and prescient-guided robotic purposes, from welding and ending to meeting. And being in Motor Metropolis, there have been some attention-grabbing demonstrations of recent duties that may now be automated, corresponding to clipping automotive physique components, exactly plugging in wiring harnesses, and dealing with of smaller and extra diversified machine components.
From left: Editor Mike Oitzman, Teradyne’s Ujjwal Kumar, Engelberger Award honoree Stu Shepherd, and editor Eugene Demaitre at Common Robots’ exhibit in Detroit. Supply: The Robotic Report
3. Industrial and collaborative robots proceed to converge
Cobots — or extra correctly, force- and power-limited robots — are designed to be lighter, simpler to program, and to cease upon contact with obstacles for security causes. Nonetheless, lots of the purposes they’re used for, corresponding to machine tending, are nonetheless caged on account of vital workspace and workflow assessments.
Cobots from Common Robots, ABB, Doosan, FANUC, KUKA, and Techman Robotic have turn into extra succesful over time, with rising precision and payload capacities. As an illustration, Normal Bots this month launched a 30 kg (66.1 lb.) robotic arm with collaborative options.
Bigger cobots, corresponding to Doig’s Pallet EZ utilizing D:PLOY with OnRobot, are appropriate for duties corresponding to palletizing.
CeiliX had one of many extra attention-grabbing shows, with a robotic arm suspended from rails. Its novel characteristic is that it may transfer diagonally due to a novel gripping system.
On the industrial automation facet, firms corresponding to Epson Robots, Sensory Robotics, and SICK are enabling industrial automation to sense when an individual enters a sure space and decelerate or cease.
Yamaha demonstrated bin selecting, whereas FANUC had a big robotic simulating auto physique welding. Yaskawa, one of many greatest robotics distributors on the earth, was absent from this 12 months’s present.
Talking of massive weapons, Kawasaki had arguably the most important robotic arm on the present, shifting a big monitor, whereas ABB robots moved metal plates.
Kawasaki had one of many largest robots at Automate 2025. Supply: The Robotic Report
4. It’s all concerning the ecosystem at Automate 2025
Teradyne Robotics, the mum or dad of Common Robots (UR) and Cell Industrial Robots (MiR), had one of many greatest cubicles at Automate 2025. Not like the extra crowded shows of, say, ABB or FANUC, it selected to unfold out its companion reveals to mirror its open strategy to its ecosystem. UR cobots had been additionally in at the least 30 different cubicles.
This 12 months, almost each massive automation supplier confirmed the breadth of their choices, with Zebra Applied sciences incorporating Photoneo’s notion know-how and ABB absolutely integrating ASTI‘s cellular robots.
The worldwide robotics ecosystem was additionally well-represented at Automate 2025, together with showcases by the Pittsburgh Robotics Community and Taiwan Excellence, gatherings with Canadian and Danish firms, and huge delegations from South Korea and Japan, amongst different international locations.
Techman Robotic presents as a part of Taiwan Excellence occasion at Automate 2025. Supply: The Robotic Report
5. Part suppliers and integrators nonetheless key to adoption
There have been loads of part applied sciences and integration companies to study at Automate, together with movement management choices from Harmonic Drive and Elmo Movement Management.
As well as, Sonair debuted its ADAR sensor, which provides 3D ultrasonic notion to lidar and cameras for robotic security. Orbbec confirmed its Gemini 435Le, which supplies improved stereo imaginative and prescient for robots.
Festo confirmed off new controls, Kübler talked about its new encoder, and Beckhoff provided modular merchandise for cabinet-free automation, amongst different know-how shows.
Corridor E, downstairs from the primary Halls A by way of D, featured many smaller and newer robotics firms, corresponding to ESTAT Actuation, whose braking know-how guarantees to make robots lighter, safer, and extra energy-efficient.
6. Cell robots transfer in a tighter market
With extra of a give attention to manufacturing than provide chain, it’s not shocking that there have been extra robotic arms, SCARA robots, and delta robots at Automate 2025 than autonomous cellular robotic (AMR) suppliers.
There have been nonetheless noteworthy AMRs to see, together with Cell Industrial Robots’ bigger platforms, Nidec‘s cleansing system, and ATI’s tuggers. TriOrb has developed an omnidirectional platform utilizing three balls as an alternative of wheels.
A number of AMR bulletins across the present targeted on sensing, corresponding to or ABB including visible SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) to its Flexley Mover robotic.
SEER Robotics promised simple integration and administration of AMRs with its “Construct your individual robotic fleet inside days” theme. In the meantime, ForwardX demonstrated palletizing, very slender aisle (VNA), and rack-moving methods, in addition to its OmniFleet software program.
ForwardX demonstrated AMRs and fleet software program at Automate 2025. Supply: The Robotic Report
7. Cell manipulators get forward of humanoid robots
Final 12 months, A3 hosted a panel on humanoid robotics, however this 12 months, Agility Robotics‘ Digit was among the many few humanoids on the present ground. Behind excessive plexiglass partitions, Digit confirmed its capability to take totes from a conveyor belt to an AMR, albeit in a smaller exhibit than Agility’s sales space at ProMat.
Within the meantime, the variety of cellular manipulators has grown, with Teradyne’s MC600 and robots within the cubicles of RealMan, KUKA, and extra. The mixture of cobot or gentle industrial arms with AMRs is out there now or within the close to future, in contrast with humanoids, that are doubtless nonetheless years from widespread use.
8. Software program, information, and AI seen as robotics enablers
Software program suppliers and integrators have a troublesome process at commerce reveals, as a result of their shows usually aren’t as visible as these of full resolution distributors. That stated, almost each exhibitor at Automate 2025 touted the significance of connecting the evolving robotics software program stack to enterprise methods, amassing the correct information, and utilizing that information for simulation and coaching AI fashions.
Mujin defined how its methods will be educated with its “no-code” strategy. Inbolt mentioned its imaginative and prescient system, which is meant to allow real-time choice making, whereas Geisel Software program introduced its Symage artificial information picture generator.
Schneider Electrical launched its industrial “copilot,” which integrates with Microsoft Azure.
“PolyScope X integrates with Teradyne’s AI Accelerator equipment developed with NVIDIA to construct purposes,” famous Jane Heffner, vice chairman of gross sales for the Americas at Teradyne Robotics. “Goal purposes embrace harsh environments in metals and equipment, adaptable and exact operations in electronics, and high-speed bin selecting in logistics.”
Realtime Robotics launched and demonstrated Resolver, a cloud-based system that it stated can coordinate a number of robots in a workcell to keep away from collision, assist builders, and speed up cycle instances.
Realtime’s Optimization software program avoids collisions in multi-robot workcells. Supply: Realtime Robotics
9. Tariffs high of thoughts for a lot of at Automate 2025
The present U.S. administration remains to be in negotiations with China, Europe, and others about tariffs, so few folks had been keen to talk on the document about how their companies are being affected. Uncertainty round world commerce has affected client spending, plans for reshoring manufacturing, and availability of supplies for automated tools.
“igus desires to broaden U.S. manufacturing, however we’ll must pay tariffs on imported tools,” stated Felix Brockmeyer, CEO of igus Inc. “We’ve got 15 machines we need to herald, and no person desires to desert the U.S. market.”
“Everyone is aware of that the U.S. has to compete with China, and that creates an enormous alternative for automation,” stated Robert Little, chief of robotics technique at Novanta.
Jan Hennecke, enterprise unit supervisor for robotics and automation at igus, mentioned reasonably priced automation at Automate 2025. Supply: The Robotic Report
10. Sustainability, labor augmentation are nonetheless targets
Whether or not present governments could favor or downplay environmental sustainability, rising vitality effectivity and decreasing materials waste are all the time priorities for producers and robotic suppliers. From igus’ efforts to recycle and reuse its movement plastics to a whole subject path at Automate, each native and world organizations are pursuing sustainability.
Whereas a couple of audio system and exhibitors talked about utilizing automation to switch full-time equivalents (FTEs), many extra talked about utilizing robotics to reinforce and upskill more and more scarce expertise in factories and warehouses.
For extra about Automate 2025, tune in to the most recent episode of The Robotic Report Podcast and comply with our ongoing protection. We’ll have extra interviews to share.
