Bosch accelerates development of humanoid robots

The German group Bosch aims to accelerate the development ofautomation and of humanoid roboticsa market considered to have high potential in a difficult phase for the automotive sector. For the world’s leading automotive supplier, the robotics represents a strategic lever for diversifying activities beyond traditional sectors, which also include industrial machinery, construction technologies and electronic tools.

The historic division automotive of the group is affected by the transformations underway in the sector, where the car is increasingly comparable to a computers on wheels and price pressure, especially from Chinese competitors, is constantly increasing. “With the advent of humanoid roboticsthe demand for components and solutions Bosch is growing,” CEO Stefan Hartung said in a statement.

The sensor market

According to a study by the research company Yole Groupcited by Boschthe market of MEMS sensors (microelectromechanical systems), a segment in which the German group occupies a leading position, should exceed 19.2 billion dollars by 2030, with an average annual growth of 4%.

Innovations presented in Berlin

During an event organized in Berlin to present the company’s latest innovations, Hartung underlined the key role of these components in improving the sensitivity and the robot precision.

How robots work

“Thanks to these sensors the robot can determine, just like a human being, whether he needs to tighten his grip more or not, whether he is handling a resistant object or whether he needs to act delicately because it is an egg,” he explained. “The human being has approximately four million sensors tactile. If robots equipped with the same number of sensors were built, four years of the world’s current sensor production would barely be enough to equip 12.500 robot“he added.

Automation and competitiveness

According to Bosch, the push towardsautomation should strengthen the competitiveness of the group’s German plants and help offset the growing shortage of skilled labor.

Collaboration with Neura

Bosch has been collaborating with the German startup since January Nerves for training your humanoid robots. The project involves the involvement of thousands of employees 350 siti of the group in the world, equipped with suits equipped with sensors for collect data intended for the development of robotic systems.