Canada's Robotics Industry
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CANADA’S ROBOTICS INDUSTRY With a 35% annual growth CANADA’S POSITION IN THE GLOBAL in robot orders from 2010-2015, Canada leads ROBOTICS VALUE CHAIN the North American rise The global robotics market is experiencing a push among large manufacturing, oil & gas, strong upswing in demand, with 2014 seeing automotive and electronics companies in in demand for robots, global robot sales increase by 29% (YoY) to Canada to reduce manufacturing labour with strong growth in the 229,261 units–by far the highest level ever costs has resulted in venture capital-funded recorded for one year.2 The automotive and start-up investments in Canada, and automotive, Unmanned electronics industries are the main drivers investments by key foreign companies in of this growth. Growing global demand for the Canadian marketplace. Canadian and Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and silicon-based products such as in-vehicle foreign robotics companies are also currently space segments1 electronics, together with new production working with the Canadian Armed Forces technologies, have brought about an (CAF), with increasing use of robots by first increased need for flexible automation and responders, within law enforcement agencies boosted investments in retooling of factories and on projects such as nuclear automation in these industries. and space exploration. In other sectors, such as distribution and Foreign investment in the robotics sector defence, bandwidth growth and command has seen a steady upswing in Canada, with & control capacity have resulted in new global incumbents such as ABB, Amazon delivery methods–leading to increased and General Electric making sizeable robot sales in these sectors. Health care is investments for their robotics divisions another sector which is seeing innovative in this country, paralleling the efforts of advances and an increased demand for local Canadian innovators such as MDA, Robotics is the branch of mechanical engineering, medical/assistive robots. Clearpath Robotics, Bionik Labs, D&D electrical engineering and computer science that deals Automation, Kinova Robotics and Provectus with the design, construction, operation and application Canada has been at the forefront of this Robotics. of robots, as well as computer systems for their global robotics investment cycle. A major control, sensory feedback and information processing. THE ROBOTICS ECOSYSTEM IN CANADA INDUSTRY PERSONAL AND INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS FACTORY AUTOMATION SERVICE ROBOTS APPLICATIONS HEALTH CARE DEFENSE AND SECURITY AEROSPACE AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS DOMESTIC 1 Canadian Industrial Machinery (CIM). Industrial Robot Orders Break All Records. 2 International Federation of Robotics. World Robotics 2015: Industrial Robots. 2 ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION: KEY BUSINESS ATTRACTION FACTORS IN CANADA Canada is a hotbed of automation potential. The pace of robotics adoption among key Canadian manufacturers is speeding up, and Canada offers robotics companies one of the best test and development regulatory environments in the world. 35% 32% Another important factor is well-established AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH robotics-centred university and technical IN CANADA’S ROBOT IN CANADA’S ROBOT training with over twenty Canadian universities and technical colleges offering ORDERS (COMPARED TO SHIPMENTS (COMPARED TO programs in robotics, mechatronics, 26% IN NORTH AMERICA) 21% IN NORTH AMERICA) computer control methods, hydraulics FROM 2010 TO 20153 FROM 2010 TO 20154 and pneumatics. This ensures that foreign investors will have readily available talent for their development efforts in Canada. $201 20+ CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES million AND COLLEGES OFFERING ADVANCED ROBOTICS VALUE OF CANADA’S COURSES AND TECHNICAL OVERALL ORDER OF CERTIFICATIONS 3,222 ROBOTS IN THE FIRST HALF OF 20155 $36 13th CANADA’S GLOBAL million RANKING IN TERMS OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND “ROBOT DENSITY,” OR THE ENGINEERING RESEARCH NUMBER OF MULTIPURPOSE COUNCIL OF CANADA INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS PER FUNDING, FOR A 5-YEAR 10,000 PERSONS EMPLOYED 7 PERIOD, ALLOCATED TO IN MANUFACTURING ROBOTICS R&D CONDUCTED BY ACADEMIC AND BUSINESS INSTITUTIONS6 3 Canadian Industrial Machinery (CIM). Industrial Robot Orders Break All Records. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 6 NSERC. Government of Canada Invests in High-Quality Jobs and Growth. 7 IFR Statistical Department. World Robotics: Industrial Robots 2015. 3 CANADIAN HEALTH CARE IS CANADA HAS ADVANTAGEOUS GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED AS A REGULATIONS FOR THE ROBOTICS INNOVATOR: NORTH TESTING AND DEVELOPMENT AMERICA’S FIRST “FULLY OF UNMANNNED AERIAL DIGITAL” HOSPITAL IS IN VEHICLE (UAV) SYSTEMS ONTARIO, AND USES ROBOTS Approval times for commercial UAV testing are FOR PATIENT CARE measured in days12 in Canada, compared to the United States, where commercial drone testing The Humber River Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, licences can take months, is generally prohibited uses automated kiosks where patients can enter and companies must seek an exemption from the their information into robotic arms that administer ban. 8 medication. Service robots have been tested Drone operators in Canada also do not need a in Calgary for three years, and are being used 9 pilot’s licence (a requirement in the US), and UAV for child care in Alberta. Saskatchewan has 11 testers in Canada can obtain their own private medical robots in clinical practice—more than restricted airspace to test out-of-sight flights.13 anywhere else in Canada.10 THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADIAN MANUFACTURERS CANADA HAS AN INNOVATION- ARE GOING THROUGH A FOCUSSED APPROACH TO MULTI-YEAR ROBOTICS SUPPORTING THE ROBOTICS INVESTMENT UPCYCLE VALUE CHAIN Canadian firms in a wide range of industry verticals are investing heavily in innovative The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research production technologies to take advantage of Council of Canada’s (NSERC) Canadian Field new processes and retooling of factories that Robotics Network has an annual budget of emphasize flexible automation. $2 million and consists of a network spanning eight universities and 14 partner organizations. With a 35% increase in robot orders from Canada in 2015,14 foreign investors in this country The government of Canada has also deemed are seeing a rise in demand for a wide range robotics a priority area for economic stimulus of industrial robotics applications, including funding, allocating $110 million to the Canadian articulated, collaborative, parallel and paint Space Agency, to principally fund development of robots. rover and robotic arm prototypes.11 8 CTV News. First “fully-digital” hospital in North America to open in Toronto. 12 CBC News. Amazon tests delivery drones at a secret site in Canada—here’s why. 9 CBC News. MEDi robots being used to comfort Alberta Children’s Hospital patients. 13 Ibid. 10 CBC News. 5 ways robots are delivering health care in Saskatchewan. 14 Canadian Industrial Machinery (CIM). Industrial Robot Orders Break All Records. 11 Space.com. Canada Funds Space Robot Projects Amid Competition. 4 ROBOTICS ACTIVITY IN CANADA GREENLAND ALASKA (USA) YUKON NORTHWEST NUNAVUT TERRITORIES NEW BRUNSWICK NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR BRITISH COLUMBIA ALBERTA MANITOBA SASKATCHEWAN QUEBEC Vancouver / Richmond Saskatoon PRINCE EDWARD ONTARIO ISLAND Calgary Québec City Winnipeg Ottawa Halifax NOVA Montréal SCOTIA Toronto UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Waterloo London British Columbia Saskatchewan Quebec • British Columbia is home to Richmond- • Saskatchewan is seeing the growing • The province of Quebec is a base for based MDA, the robotics firm behind commercial utilization of robotics in the several world-class robotics laboratories Canada’s space shuttle remote manipulator healthcare industry: 11 medical robots with extensive ongoing R&D activity system, or Canadarm. and portable devices are in use in in this space: Laval University robotics • Favourable regulations, optimal clinical practice in the province—more laboratory, École Polytechnique de weather and wide-open testing than anywhere else in Canada. Montréal robotics laboratory, ÉTS grounds have made British Columbia • Saskatchewan is already using Remote Robotics and Command Laboratory, an optimal UAV testbed for global Presence technology, an advanced McGill Centre for Intelligent Machines companies like Amazon. robotics telemedicine platform and University of Sherbrooke IntRoLab that enables health care providers robot lab. Alberta to instantly connect with a patient • Montréal is the base for both global • Alberta’s oil and gas industry is seeing remotely, and perform real-time robotics incumbents and local vendors increasing use of robotics, such as assessment, diagnosis and patient such as ABB, Fanuc, Motoman and Suncor Energy Inc.’s self-driving management.15 Kuka Industrial Robots. trucks, which are being used in Fort • Advanced manufacturing is hard at McMurray’s oil-sands sites. Ontario work at General Electric’s Bromont • Ontario’s manufacturing strength has • Medical robotics has seen sizeable aviation facility, where robots are driven the growth of local robotics commercial advances in Calgary’s building components for some of the automation companies such as hospitals: Alberta’s Children’s Hospital world’s most efficient jet engines. One Clearpath Robotics, ABI Automation is the first in Canada to use service million added person-hours of capacity and Independent Robotics Inc. robots designed to help patients deal was achieved with the help of robotics. with the anxiety of medical procedures. RECENT ROBOTICS INVESTMENTS IN CANADA • New York-based RRE Venture Capital invested $14 million in • Amazon