IFR Report: Top Robotics Trends Heading into 2020
國際機器人聯合會報告：邁向2020年的機器人大趨勢

From 2020 to 2022 almost 2 million new units of industrial robots are expected to be installed in factories around the world. New technology trends and market developments enable companies to react to changing requirements. The International Federation of Robotics shows top trends to innovate.

從2020年到2022年，預計全球工廠將安裝近200萬臺新的工業機器人。新技術趨勢和市場發展使公司能夠對不斷變化的需求做出反應。國際機器人聯合會（IFR）指出了主要的創新趨勢。

“Smart robotics and automation are vital to deal with new consumer trends, demand for product variety or challenges from trade barriers”, says Dr. Susanne Bieller, General Secretary of the IFR. “New technological solutions pave the way for more flexibility in production.”

IFR秘書長Susanne Bieller博士表示：“智能機器人和自動化對于應對新的消費趨勢、產品多樣化需求或貿易壁壘帶來的挑戰至關重要。新技術解決方案為提高生產靈活性鋪平了道路。”

Simplification, Collaboration and Digitalization are key drivers that will benefit robot implementation.
簡化、協作和數字化是采用機器人的關鍵驅動因素。

Robots get smarter   
機器人變得更聰明

Programming and installation of robots become much easier. How this looks in practice: Digital sensors combined with smart software allow direct teaching methods, so-called “Programming by Demonstration”. The task that the robot arm is to perform is first executed by a human: He literally takes the robot arm and hand-guides it through the movements. This data is then transformed by the software into the digital program of the robot arm. In future, machine learning tools will further enable robots to learn by trial-and-error or by video demonstration and self-optimize their movements.

機器人的編程和安裝變得更加容易。實際情況應該是：數字傳感器與智能軟件相結合，可以采用直接的教學方法，即所謂的“演示編程”。機器人手臂要完成的任務首先由人來完成:他實際上抓住機器人手臂，用手引導它完成動作。然后通過軟件將該數據轉換為機械臂的數字程序。將來，機器學習工具將進一步使機器人能夠通過反復試驗或視頻演示來學習并自我優化其運動。

Robots collaborate with workers
機器人與人協作

Human-robot collaboration is another important trend in robotics. With the ability to work in tandem with humans, modern robotic systems are able to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. The range of collaborative applications offered by robot manufacturers continues to expand. Currently, shared workspace applications are most common. Robot and worker operate alongside each other, completing tasks sequentially. Applications in which the human and the robot work at the same time on the same part are even more challenging. Research and Development (R&D) focuses on methods to enable robots to respond in real-time. Just like two human workers would collaborate, the R&D teams want them to adjust its motion to its environment, allowing for a true responsive collaboration. These solutions include voice, gesture and recognition of intent from human motion. With the technology of today, human-robot collaboration has already a huge potential for companies of all sizes and sectors. Collaborative operations will complement investments in traditional industrial robots.

人機協作是機器人技術的另一個重要趨勢。具有與人類協同工作的能力，現代機器人系統能夠適應快速變化的環境。機器人制造商提供的協作應用程序范圍不斷擴大。當前，共享工作區域應用程序是最常見的。機器人和工人并肩工作，依次完成任務。人與機器人同時在同一地方工作的應用更具挑戰性。研發主要致力于使機器人能夠實時響應的方法。就像兩個人協作一樣，研發團隊希望他們根據環境調整動作，從而實現真正的響應式協作。這些解決方案包括語音、手勢和人類動作意圖識別。借助當今的技術，人機協作對于各種規模和行業的公司都具有巨大的潛力。協作運營將補充對傳統工業機器人的投資。

Robots Go Digital  
機器人邁向數字化

Industrial robots are the central components of digital and networked production as used in industry 4.0. This makes it all the more important for them to be able to communicate with each other - regardless of the manufacturer. The so called “OPC Robotics Companion Specification”, which has been developed by a joint working group of the VDMA and the Open Platform Communications Foundation (OPC), defines a standardized generic interface for industrial robots and enables industrial robots to connect into the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The digital connectivity of robots with e.g. cloud technology is also an enabler for new business models: Robot leasing for example - called Robots-as-a-Service - has advantages that might be especially attractive for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): no committed capital, fixed costs, automatic upgrades and no need for high-qualified robot operators.

工業機器人是工業4.0浪潮中使用的數字化和網絡化生產的核心組件。對于他們而言，無論制造商是誰，能夠彼此通信就顯得尤為重要。由VDMA和開放平臺通信基金會（OPC）聯合工作組開發的所謂的“ OPC機器人技術規范”定義了工業機器人的標準化通用接口，并使工業機器人能夠連接到工業物聯網(IIoT)。機器人與云技術的數字連接也是新商業模式的推動因素，例如，機器人租賃（所謂的“機器人即服務”）具有對中小型企業特別有吸引力的優勢：不需要投入資本、固定成本、自動升級，也不需要高素質的機器人操作員。