Robotics-Pdf.Pdf

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Robotics in Japan

January - 2015

Peter Van der Weeën Akoni KK

EU-JAPAN CENTRE FOR INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION - Head office in Japan EU-JAPAN CENTRE FOR INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION - OFFICE in the EU Shirokane-Takanawa Station bldg 4F Rue Marie de Bourgogne, 52/2 1-27-6 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0072, JAPAN B-1000 Brussels, BELGIUM Tel: +81 3 6408 0281 - Fax: +81 3 6408 0283 - [email protected] Tel : +32 2 282 0040 –Fax : +32 2 282 0045 - [email protected] http://www.eu-japan.eu / http://www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu / http://www.een-japan.eu

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TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Executive Summary ...... 3 2. Market Analysis...... 8 2.1. Market Overview and Key Segments...... 8 2.1.1. Market Size ...... 10 2.2. Industrial robots for the manufacturing industry...... 13 2.2.1. Scope ...... 13 2.2.2. Key Players ...... 17 2.2.3. Trend and Opportunity ...... 20 2.3. Service robots for industrial and personal use ...... 21 2.3.1. Scope ...... 21 2.3.2. Key Players ...... 24 2.3.3. Trend and Opportunity ...... 27 2.4. RoboTech -Components for the Robot Industry ...... 29 2.4.1. Scope ...... 29 2.4.2. Key Players ...... 32 2.4.3. Trend and Opportunity ...... 35 3. Market Standards, Laws and Regulations ...... 36 3.1. Safety Requirements ...... 36 3.1.1. Centre for Service Robot Safety Verification ...... 36 3.1.2. ISO 13849-1:2006 ...... 36 3.1.3. Easing of the 80W regulation ...... 37 3.2. Regulatory Organisations ...... 37 3.2.1. METI & NEDO ...... 37 3.2.2. NEDO, AIST, JARI ...... 37 3.3. Government Initiatives ...... 38 3.3.1. Robot Revolution Realization Council ...... 38 3.3.2. Robot City - Kitakyushu ...... 38 4. Trade Fairs and Related Organizations ...... 39 4.1. Major Robotics Related Trade Fairs ...... 39 4.2. Robotics Related Events ...... 41 4.3. Robotics Related Organizations ...... 41 5. Bibliographical References ...... 43

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www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu 1. Executive Summary When talking about robots, Japan is probably one of the first countries that come to mind. Several decades ago Japan was the first country to seriously delve into robotics research, and the country has remained a dominant force in the field’s research and manufacturing sectors ever since. For the past 40 years Japan has been responsible for producing the vast majority of the world’s robots and the country has an operational base of more than 300,000 robots.

In this report we break the Robotics market down into the following three major sections:

 Industrial robots for the manufacturing industry  Service robots for industrial and personal use  RoboTech – Components for the Robot Industry

Also the agricultural industry employs a wide range of robots, e.g. for fruit harvesting and milking, however the market share is relatively small and has been omitted in this report.

Market Size and Projections

Based on research by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) we can see that the overall robotics industry is currently valued at around 1.6 trillion JPY (12 billion EUR) and is expected to almost double in size to 2.85 trillion JPY by 2020. As the technology advances new products are expected to appear on the market fuelling further growth of 10-15% a year over the period 2020-2035.

Robots versus Ageing Population

Japan’s latest robots are being designed to take care of its greying population. With a strong emphasis on robotics, Japan has delivered a sizable contribution to the digital health revolution. However Japan’s creation of robots for the healthcare industry originates only partly from its drive towards maintaining a EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation 3

www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu technological edge. Another important reason is that its society is aging faster than any country in the world, which poses a threat to its economic prosperity.

Severe labour shortage leads the need for robots in the nursing field

To some degree, robots are seen as a substitute for foreign labour. Immigrant caregivers already fill many jobs in hospitals and nursing homes in western countries, but they are rather scarce in Japan due to immigration restrictions. The government has decided to expand a six-year-old guest-worker programme for nurses and care workers from the Philippines and Indonesia, but this is unlikely to address the existing labour shortage. Since the programme began in 2008, no more than 1,562 applicants have been admitted. The government is meanwhile pushing hard to speed up development and adoption of nursing technology. To stimulate the reduction in the cost of nursing care robots it has started offering 2.4 billion JPY in subsidies to developers who aim to build care robots priced less than 100,000 JPY (about 700 EUR). Industrial robots for the manufacturing industry

Robots offer strength, high speed, high endurance and precision. Until five years ago, the automotive industry accounted for 70% of the global market for robots, according to Morten Paulsen, machinery analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, but since 2012 that share has fallen to around 50% as the demand for nonautomotive applications has increased more rapidly. Nowadays industrial robots are widely applied in the manufacturing of automobile parts, electrical and electronic appliances, chemicals, machinery and metal processing.

Typical applications of robots include but are not limited to e.g. welding, painting, assembly, pick and place (such as packaging, palletizing), product inspection, and testing. Today industrial robots are capable of lifting hundreds of kilograms of payload and positioning that weight with accuracy to a fraction of a millimetre. Sophisticated control algorithms are used to perform positioning tasks exceptionally well in clearly structured environments.

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The sub-sectors covered in the Industrial Robots section are:

Automobile Manufacturing robots; Electrical/Electronic Appliance Manufacturing robots; Cargo/Transportation robots; Arc & Spot Welding robots; Single Axis and Cartesian robots; Electric slider and Tabletop robot; Palletizing & Take Out robots; SCARA and Vertical Articulated robots; Glass Substrate Transfer and Wafer Transfer robots

Market Size and Projections of the Industrial Robots sub-sector

The Robotics industry as a whole is expected to grow fast in the next 20 years and for the sub-sector of industrial robots the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) are projecting a steady growth of 5% per year between 2015 and 2020 and beyond.

Every trend has often a counter-trend. In the manufacturing environments we have witnessed a growing reliance on robots to replace human workers as these are generally speaking more cost effective. However, most recently we can also notice a counter movement where companies have started replacing robots with humans again. Toyota is one of these companies and they have started promoting craftsmanship at their manufacturing plants again.

Experienced craftsmen used to be called "gods", or Kami-sama in Japanese, and it was generally known that they could make anything. These "gods" are now making a comeback, even though Toyota is the company that long set the pace for manufacturing efficiency in the auto industry.

Toyota's vision is that the company needs to sharpen the manual skills of their workers and further develop them, so they can figure out ways to improve production lines and the car-building process. Service robots for industrial and personal use

Simply put, Service Robots assist human beings by performing a job that is dirty, dull, distant, dangerous or repetitive, including household chores. They typically are autonomous or operated by a built-in control system, with the option to manually override certain behaviour.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has suggested a tentative definition for “service robot”: A service robot is a robot which operates semi- or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well being of humans and equipment, excluding manufacturing operations.

The sub-sectors covered in the Service Robots section are:

Medical Robots; Nursing Care Robots; Rescue Robots; Facility Inspection Robots; Floor Cleaning Robots; Communications / Entertainment Robots; Reception / Guidance Robots; Educational Robots; Mobility and Power Assistant / Amplification Suits; Lawn Mowing Robots; Humanoid Robots

Market Size and Projections of the Service Robots sub- sector

The service robots industry is expected to expand at a rate of 20 to 25% per year over the next 10 years, an incredible

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www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu growth story. Medical and nursing care sectors are expected to grow the fastest out of necessity, given Japan’s greying population and shortage of caregivers.

With the introduction of nanotechnologies the manufacturers are able to drastically miniaturize the robots, making them suitable for home applications. Especially adding the “emotion” factor to humanoid robots makes them far more versatile and opens up new possibilities around education for toddlers, children and adults.

Similar to Aldebaran from France, delivering the know-how for Pepper, also other European companies can play a key role in this area, e.g. in the field of language training, a 500+ billion JPY (3.7 billion EUR) market!

Another exciting outcome of the miniaturization driven by nanotechnology is the development of microscopic robots that can be injected into the human body. Experiments are already under way (also in Europe) to use externally generated magnetic fields to guide these minuscule devices in the human body. The researchers expect that one day in the not too distant future we will be able to put a mechanical surgeon inside a blood vessel and send it out into the heart for a medical examination and even small-scale surgery. RoboTech – Components for the Robot Industry

Commonly called “RoboTech”, is the field of high-precision servomotors, cables, many different types of sensors and other components or products used to build and maintain robots.

A robot includes several main parts such as the controller, arms, end effectors, motors and sensors. The controller is the "brain" of the robot arm and allows the parts of the robot to operate together. It can also allow the robot to be connected to other systems. Robot arms can vary in size and shape. It is the part that positions the end effector. With the robot arm, the shoulder, elbow, and wrist move and twist to position the end effector in the right position. The end effector connects to the robot's arm and functions as a hand. This part will usually come in direct contact with the material the robot is manipulating. Some examples of such effectors are welding torches, magnets, and grippers, but also e.g. a vacuum pump. Some robots have an Automatic Tool Changer, allowing them to change end effectors and thus can be used for different sets of tasks. The engine or motor of a robot moves the links into their designated positions. The links are the sections between the joints. Industrial robot arms generally use hydraulic, electric, or pneumatic motors. Sensors allow the robot to receive feedback about its environment. They can give the robot a certain sense of sight, sound, temperature, (gyro) direction.

The sub-sectors covered in the RoboTech section are:

FA Cables; Servo Motors; Close Control Reduction Gear; Sensors; Robot Vision Systems; Automatic Tool Changers

Market Size and Projections of the RoboTech sub-sector

The RoboTech sector is expected to grow by around 20% per year over the next 5 years and also after that the market is projected to expand at a fast pace, a very bright prospective for companies active in this field.

The shift towards nanotechnologies allows smaller and far more accurate sensors. Especially in terms of vision technology, which is partly hardware and partly software driven, the technology is advancing quickly.

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The miniaturization of servo-motors and other components allows the construction of robots with more elastic, visco-elastic and other types of joints, resulting into robots that can “walk” in a more natural way through the additional degrees of flexibility.

As the service robot market opens up to consumer products there will be a strong need for lower cost components. Companies that find the right balance between quality, durability and price for their products will see a growing number of opportunities to expand their business, also in Japan.

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2. Market Analysis

2.1. Market Overview and Key Segments When talking about robots, Japan is probably one of the first countries that come to mind. Several decades ago Japan was the first country to seriously delve into robotics research, and the country has remained a dominant force in the field’s research and manufacturing sectors ever since. As Fig 2 points out, for the past 40 years Japan has been responsible for producing the vast majority of the world’s robots. Recently one can notice that the balance has been shifting, and it may not be long before South Korea, China, Germany, and other countries start to lead for the cutting edge of robotic innovation. Japan, however, is likely to remain a strong Figure 1 Honda's Asimo leading an orchestra contender for the foreseeable future.

Figure 2 Industrial Robots - New units sold and operational stock (2012)

In this report the Robotics market is broken down into the following three major sections:

 Industrial robots for the manufacturing industry  Service robots for industrial and personal use  RoboTech – Components for the Robot Industry

Also the agricultural industry employs a wide range of robots, e.g. for fruit harvesting and milking, however the market share is relatively small and has been omitted in this report.

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Robots versus Ageing Population

Japan’s latest robots are being designed to take care of its greying population.

With a strong emphasis on robotics, Japan has delivered a sizable contribution to the digital health revolution. However Japan’s creation of robots for the healthcare industry originates only partly from its drive towards maintaining a technological edge. Another important reason is that its society is aging faster than any country in the world, which poses a threat to its economic prosperity.

Twenty-five per cent of the Japanese population, or almost 32 million people, are older than 65. According to the WHO World Health Statistics 2014 report, the life expectancy of the Japanese men and women remains amongst the highest in the world. In combination with the very low birth rate of 1.2 births per woman, the country is unable to keep up with the rate of people entering old age. There are not

enough (young) people to take Figure 4 Honda’s Stride care of the growing number of Management Assist system seniors, or to contribute to the Japanese economy as a viable workforce. Through robotics, Japan is trying to create a digital health solution to take care of Figure 3 Example of a "helper robot" its greying population.

Severe labour shortage leads the need for robots in the nursing field

To some degree, robots are seen as a substitute for foreign labour. Immigrant caregivers fill many jobs in hospitals and nursing homes in western countries, but they are rather scarce in Japan due to immigration restrictions. The government has decided to expand a six-year-old guest-worker programme for nurses and care workers from the Philippines and Indonesia, but this is unlikely to address the existing labour shortage. Since the programme began in 2008, no more than 1,562 applicants have been admitted. The government is meanwhile pushing hard to speed up development and adoption of nursing technology. To stimulate the reduction in the cost of nursing care robots it has started offering 2.4 billion JPY in subsidies to developers who aim to build care robots priced less than 100,000 JPY (about 700 EUR). Figure 5 Imagining the work environment of the future (Src: NEDO white paper 2014)

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2.1.1. Market Size Based on statistics released by the Japan Robot Association, the robotics industry stood at 730 billion JPY in 2006 and fell to 280 billion JPY after the Lehman Shock in 2009. By 2012 it had grown again to 530 billion JPY. About 70% of this market can be accounted for by the automobile and electric appliance and machinery sectors. Between 60 and 70% of the products are exported, especially towards North-East Asia (China).

Figure 6 Robotics industry market size (1980-2012)

Year-to-year comparison of the domestic sales volume

Since 2006 the domestic market has consistently seen shipments of more than 5,000 robots per year, even during the Lehman Shock economic downturn when volume suddenly dropped by almost 30%. Since then we have witnessed a very strong recovery of the industry with unit volume tripling year on year.

Figure 7 Comparison on the yearly domestic sales volume EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation 10

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Projections 2010-2035

In 2010 the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), in collaboration with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) presented their predictions for Figure 8 The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development the growth of the Robotics industry in the Organization (NEDO) delivers regular updates on the Robotics industry next 25 years. At the time they took 1 trillion yen as a base line for 2010 (Later on the actual number was revised to 0.6 trillion yen). The expectation was that the industry would grow with 60% to 1.6 trillion yen (11.3 billion EUR) by 2015.

Further projections aim at 2.9 trillion yen in 2020 and 9.7 trillion yen in 2035, a very bold and aggressive prediction, indeed. In the sections 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 below these projections are revised and further detailed across the Industrial/Service/RoboTech industries.

Figure 9 Market size projections for the Robotics industry

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Domestic versus Overseas market

Since the beginning the Japanese Robotics industry has been supplying to both domestic and overseas customers. In the first half of the past decade (2001-2005) we notice that almost half of the yearly production is sold overseas. However since then the export business has expanded rapidly, partly because of the production shift from Japan to factories in low-cost Asian countries. Nowadays the domestic market demand covers no more than a third of the overall production in Japan. As such the USD/JPY and EUR/JPY exchange rate fluctuations have an important impact on the global competition.

Figure 10 Trends in export of industrial robots by geographic region

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www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu 2.2. Industrial robots for the manufacturing industry

2.2.1. Scope Robots offer strength, high speed, high endurance and precision. Until five years ago, the automotive industry accounted for 70% of the global market for robots, according to Morten Paulsen, machinery analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, but since 2012 that share has fallen to around 50% as the demand for nonautomotive applications has increased more rapidly. Nowadays industrial robots are widely applied in the manufacturing of automobile parts, electrical and electronic appliances, chemicals, machinery and metal processing.

The sub-sectors covered in this section are:

 Automobile Manufacturing robots  Electrical/Electronic Appliance Manufacturing robots  Cargo/Transportation robots  Arc & Spot Welding robots  Single Axis and Cartesian robots  Electric slider and Tabletop robot  Palletizing & Take Out robots  SCARA and Vertical Articulated robots  Glass Substrate Transfer and Wafer Transfer robots

Automobile Manufacturing Robots

In the auto sector, robots traditionally were employed almost exclusively in welding and painting but have since seen an increase in usage in downstream applications such as the engine block, windshield and seat installation.

Global auto makers and other companies in the automotive supply chain purchased 78,000 units in 2012, a strong increase after the Lehman Shock depression, and an EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation 13

Figure 11 Robots are used increasingly for windshield installation (source: Toyota) www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu estimated 60% of these robots were sourced from Japanese manufacturers. The Japan Robot Association reports local automotive-related sales of 43.5 billion JPY (308 million EUR) in 2012, up 33% over the previous year and accounting for one-third of domestic shipments.

The key robot suppliers are Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Nachi-Fujikoshi, amongst others. According to market reports, Fanuc is the main supplier to Nissan, General Motors and PSA Peugeot Citroen, and is the No.2 supplier to Honda. Yaskawa is the main supplier to Honda and has a minority share with Nissan. Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Nachi-Fujikoshi are the main suppliers to Toyota with Kawasaki holding an estimated 60% share. Kuka is reported as the main supplier to leading German brands like Volkswagen, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Electrical/Electronic Appliance Manufacturing Robots

In the past decades robotics and automation have been used to make assembly processes in the manufacturing industry more efficient. Advanced technologies like 2D or even 3D vision to locate parts and guide robots and then force sensing to determine how parts go together can significantly increase the productivity of robots. Even in countries like China the robots are starting to replace low-cost labourers.

The use of robots, capable of smooth transfers and assembly, for flat-screen TV assembly reduces glass breakage and ensures stable quality during the production.

These trends are transforming our assembly lines and clean rooms.

Figure 12 An automated large flat-screen television assembly line (source: Hirata)

Figure 13 Clean room cell using SCARA robots to inspect and assemble high-precision electronic components

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Robots for Molding Machines

Plastic is a polymer material that can be moulded into any desired shape by applying heat and pressure to it. Plastic that has thermal plasticity becomes soft and malleable when heated so it is easy to process. Injection molding is a process where plastic that has been melted at high temperatures is injected into a mold and cooled to form the molded product. Dedicated robots that take the plastic out of the mold are called take-out robots. Often these robots take the molded products out of the mold, and transfer them to the next process or stock them in containers for shipping.

Figure 14 Yushin SVR-B50 take-out robot Transportation robots

On March 12, 2013 Hitachi unveiled "Ropits", a robot vehicle that can pick up and drop off passengers autonomously.

Also described as the Robot for Personal Intelligent Transport System, the tiny, single-seat Ropits is a single-person autonomous vehicle meant to travel on sidewalks rather than roads, similar to Segways. Developed for elderly and disabled drivers, the vehicle is equipped with GPS to find its way and relies on cameras and 2D/3D laser distance sensors to avoid pedestrians and other obstacles. Gyro sensors help it stay stable on uneven surfaces. Passengers climb into Ropits through a front hatch and specify their destination via a touch-screen tablet interface.

Figure 15 Hitachi's Ropits mobility robot drives itself (source: Hitachi)

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Palletizing Robots

The workspace for the robot is called a "cell". Packages or bags are typically transported to the cell by conveyor. Once the packages are in the cell they are arranged to be picked up. The robot will then palletize them, moving them from the conveyor to a pre-determined pattern on a pallet. Once a pallet is full it is moved out of the cell to the next stage of the logistics chain. The palletizing robot is chosen based on features such as the required speed, maximum product weight, and size of the packages. An end of arm tooling handles the packages, and pallets, slip sheets, and so on. A computer program controls the palletisation pattern and an operator controls everything and Figure 16 The Okura A1600 series palletizing robot has 360 degrees of rotation angle (R-axis) is alerted when an error occurs.

Market Size Trends and Projections

Based on research by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) we note that the Industrial Robots sub-sector is

Figure 17 Market size projections for the Industrial Robots sub-sector EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation 16

www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu estimated to grow to about 1 trillion JPY (6.9 billion EUR) in 2015. By 2020 the market is expected to increase by another 25% to 1.25 trillion yen. Also for the 2025-2035 period the market is expected to grow at a strong pace.

2.2.2. Key Players Key players in robotics for the Automobile Manufacturing sector are:

Company Website Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/ Panasonic Corporation http://panasonic.net/

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. https://www.fhi.co.jp/english/

ZMP Inc. http://www.zmp.co.jp/

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/

Key players in the Electrical/Electronic Appliance Manufacturing business sector are:

Company Website Toshiba Corporation http://www.toshiba.co.jp/worldwide/ Hitachi Ltd. http://www.hitachi.com/

Fujitsu Limited http://www.fujitsu.com/global/

NEC Corporation http://www.nec.com/

Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. http://www.khi.co.jp/english/

Key players in the Single Axis and Cartesian robot business sector are:

Company Website Iai Corporation http://www.iai-gmbh.de/en/ Koganei Corporation http://www.koganeiusa.com/

THK Co., Ltd. http://www.thk.com/

Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.toshiba-machine.co.jp/en/ NSK Ltd. http://www.nsk.com/ Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/ Rorze Corporation http://www.rorzeautomation.com/ Denso Wave Incorporation https://www.denso-wave.com/en/ Hirata Corporation http://www.hirata.co.jp/en/ Seiko Epson Corp. http://global.epson.com/ Nidec Sankyo Corporation http://www.nidec-sankyo.co.jp/english/

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Key players in the Cargo/Transportation business sector are:

Company Website Fujita Corporation http://www.fujita.com/ Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd. http://panasonic.co.jp/phc/company/

Toshiba Corporation http://www.toshiba.co.jp/worldwide/

Toshiba Tec Corporation https://www.toshibatec.co.jp/en/corporate/

Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. http://www.hitachi-ies.co.jp/english/

Murata Machinery, Ltd. http://www.muratec.net/

Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Arc & Spot welding robot, and Paint robot business sector are:

Company Website Daihen Corporation https://www.daihen.co.jp/english/global/ Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Panasonic Welding Systems Co., Ltd. http://panasonic.co.jp/pws/

Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/

Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. http://www.nachi-fujikoshi.co.jp/eng/

Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.toshiba-machine.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Electric slider and Tabletop robot business sector are:

Company Website Iai Corporation http://www.iai-gmbh.de/en/ SMC Corporation http://www.smcworld.com/en/ Oriental Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.orientalmotor.co.jp/global_site/ Kuroda Pneumatics Ltd. http://www.parkerkuroda.com/english/ Koganei Corporation http://www.koganeiusa.com/ CKD Corporation http://www.ckd.co.jp/english/ Dyadic Systems Co., Ltd. http://www.dyadic.co.jp/jp/ THK Co., Ltd. http://www.thk.com/ Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/ Iwashita Engineering Inc. http://www.iwashita-eng.co.jp/en/ Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.janome.co.jp/industrial.html Nitto Seiko Co., Ltd. http://www.nittoseiko.co.jp/e/ Mitsubishi Electric Engineering Company Limited http://www.mee.co.jp/ Musashi Engineering Inc. http://www.musashi-engineering.co.jp

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Key players in the Palletizing & Take Out robot business sector are:

Company Website Okura Yusoki Co., Ltd. http://www.okurayusoki.co.jp/eng/ Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/ Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. http://www.nachi-fujikoshi.co.jp/eng/ Fuji Yusoki Kogyo Co., Ltd. http://www.fujiyusoki.com/ Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/ Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/ Yusin Precision Equipment Co., Ltd. http://www.ype.co.jp/en/ Star Seiki Co., Ltd. http://www.stertec.co.jp/~star/us/ The Sailor Pen Co., Ltd. http://www.sailor.co.jp/robotics_e/ Harmo Co., Ltd. http://harmo-net.co.jp/en/

Key players in the SCARA and Vertical Articulated robot business sector are:

Company Website Iai Corporation http://www.iai-gmbh.de/en/ Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.janome.co.jp/industrial.html Seiko Epson Corp. http://global.epson.com/ Denso Wave Incorporation https://www.denso-wave.com/en/ Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.toshiba-machine.co.jp/en/ Nidec Sankyo Corporation http://www.nidec-sankyo.co.jp/english/ Hirata Corporation http://www.hirata.co.jp/en/ Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/ Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/ Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/ Daihen Corporation https://www.daihen.co.jp/english/global/ Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. http://www.nachi-fujikoshi.co.jp/eng/ Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Glass Substrate Transfer and Wafer Transfer robot business sector are:

Company Website Daihen Corporation http://www.daihen.co.jp/english/global/ Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.toshiba-machine.co.jp/en/ Nidec Sankyo Corporation http://www.nidec-sankyo.co.jp/english/ Hirata Corporation http://www.hirata.co.jp/en/ Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. http://www.nachi-fujikoshi.co.jp/eng/ Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/

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Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/index.html Rorze Corporation http://www.rorzeautomation.com/ Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/

2.2.3. Trend and Opportunity The Robotics industry as a whole is expected to grow fast in the next 20 years and for the sub-sector of industrial robots the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) are projecting a steady growth of 5% per year between 2015 and 2020 and beyond.

Every trend has often a counter-trend. In the manufacturing environments we have witnessed a growing reliance on robots to replace human workers as these are generally speaking more cost effective. However, most recently we are also seeing a counter movement where companies have started replacing robots with humans again. Toyota is one of these companies and they have started promoting craftsmanship at their manufacturing plants.

Toyota's vision is that the company needs to sharpen the manual skills of their workers and further develop them, so they can figure out ways to improve production lines and the car-building process.

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www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu 2.3. Service robots for industrial and personal use

2.3.1. Scope Simply put, Service Robots assist human beings by performing a job that is dirty, dull, distant, dangerous or repetitive, including household chores. They typically are autonomous or operated by a built-in control system, with the option to manually override certain behaviour.

The sub-sectors covered in this section are:

 Medical Robots  Nursing Care Robots  Rescue Robots  Facility Inspection Robots  Floor Cleaning Robots  Communications / Entertainment Robots  Reception / Guidance Robots  Educational Robots  Mobility and Power Assistant / Amplification Suits  Lawn Mowing Robots  Humanoid Robots

Medical Robots

Panasonic announced in 2014 that it has developed a medical robot that dispenses drugs to patients. The company plans to sell the robot to Japanese hospitals starting in March 2015 and has announced that it will market it in the United States and Europe later. The price for their new robot is still unclear but will most probably cost several thousands of euros. The robot sorts out injection drugs to patients, saving time for pharmacists. Pharmacists put drugs into the robot, which stores medical data for patients. The robot will then sort out drugs for each patient and place them into respective drawers bearing the names of patients. Annual revenue from these types of medical robots is expected to reach 30 billion yen (210 million EUR) in the first year after its launch.

Figure 18 The use of robots in the medical field

1 Source: http://www.ifr.org/service-robots/

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PARO Therapeutic Robot

Developed by AIST, a pioneer in the Japanese industrial automation industry, PARO is an advanced interactive robot. It is used in hospitals and care facilities to provide animal therapy. PARO has been found to reduce patient stress and their caregivers; it stimulates the social interaction between patients and caregivers. By interaction with people, PARO responds as if it is alive. It moves its head and legs, and makes sounds. PARO can learn to behave in a way that the user prefers, and to respond when its name is called2.

Figure 19 The therapeutic robot "Paro"

Reception / Guidance Robots

Asimo, the world's first walking humanoid robot has been working as a receptionist since 2006. The robot has evolved a lot over the past years but even at that time it was able to guide guests to a meeting room, serve coffee on a tray and push a cart with a load of up to 10 kilograms.

2 Source: http://karapaia.livedoor.biz/archives/52030207.html Website: http://www.parorobots.com

EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation 22 Figure 20 Asimo humanoid robot by Honda (Src: http://maelliradio.gr/)

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Humanoid Robots

In June 2014, the telecom group SoftBank and Aldebaran Robotics from France presented their attempt to enter the robotics market called Pepper, a tripod-based robot that can read human emotions. With its giant eyes, childlike face and highly articulated head, arms and hands, the robot looks very humanlike and has been designed to live with humans. Engaging and friendly, Pepper is much more than a robot; he’s a companion able to communicate with humans through voice, touch and emotions. Pepper is expected to go on sale sometime during 2015.

Figure 21 Pepper can communicate through voice, touch and emotions Rescue Robots (source: aldebaran.com)

Simply put, a rescue robot is a robot that has been designed for the purpose of rescuing people. In Japan this often means situations like e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis, urban disasters, hostage situations, and so on. After the March 11, 2011 natural disaster robots were also used to inspect nuclear installations where the situation was too dangerous for humans to go on site. The benefits of rescue robots in the above cases include reduced personnel requirements, reduced fatigue, and access to otherwise unreachable areas.

New rescue robots currently under development are being prepared for searching, reconnaissance and mapping, removing or shoring up rubble, delivery of supplies, medical treatment, and evacuation of casualties, amongst others. Rather than move on tracks, these robots often crawl or slither through rubble to reach the desired location, emulating the movements of organisms such as snakes, caterpillars or scorpions. Many technical challenges remain and robotics for rescue purposes is still considered an emerging technology.

Figure 22 Rescue Robots by Mitsubishi Electric

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Market Size Trends and Projections

Based on research by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) we note that the sub-sector of Service Robots was worth 60 billion JPY in 2010 and is expected to grow fivefold to about 373 billion JPY (2.6 billion EUR) in 2015. By 2020 the market is expected to triple in size once again and also in the following years the growth is expected to remain very strong.

Figure 23 Market size projections for the Service Robots sub-sector

2.3.2. Key Players Key players in the Medical Robot business sector are:

Company Website tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html Adachi http://www.adachi-inc.co.jp/ Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd. http://panasonic.co.jp/phc/company/

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Key players in the Rescue Robot business sector are:

Company Website International Rescue System Institute http://www.rescuesystem.org/IRSweb/home.html Tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html Topy Industry Limited http://www.topy.co.jp/english/dept/bdp/ Hibot Corp. http://hibot.co.jp/en/home BL Autotec, Ltd. http://www.bl-autotec.co.jp/english/ Mitsubishi Electric Tokki Systems Corporation http://www.melos.co.jp/products/robot.html

Key players in the Facility Inspection Robot business sector are:

Company Website Asante http://www.asante.co.jp/info/robot01.html IshikawaIron Works. http://iiw-future.com/ iXs Research Corp. http://www.ixs.co.jp/en/ Obayashi Corporation http://www.obayashi.co.jp/english/ Kawada Industries, Inc. http://global.kawada.jp/ Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. http://www.daiwahouse.co.jp/English/ Topy Industry Limited http://www.topy.co.jp/english/dept/bdp/ Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions. Ltd. http://www.hitachi-ics.co.jp/eng/ Mitsubishi Electric Tokki Systems Corporation http://www.melos.co.jp/products/robot.html Meiko Industrial Co., Ltd. http://www.meikos.co.jp/robo.html

Key players in the Floor Cleaning Robots business sector are:

Company Website Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. https://www.fhi.co.jp/english/ Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation http://www.toshiba.co.jp/tha/index_j.htm Sharp Corporation http://www.sharp.co.jp/cocorobo/ CCP Co.,Ltd http://www.ccp-jp.com/life/laqulito/ Three Up Corporation http://www.three-up.co.jp/ Tsukamoto Aim Co., Ltd. http://www.tsukamoto-aim.co.jp/english/ Nitori Co., Ltd. http://www.nitori.co.jp/en/ Cyberdyne Inc. http://www.cyberdyne.jp/

Key players in the Communications / Entertainment Robots business sector are:

Company Website Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/ tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html Sega Toys Co., Ltd http://www.segatoys.co.jp/

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NEC Corporation http://www.nec.com/ Vstone Co., Ltd. http://www.vstone.co.jp/english/ Okamura Corporation http://www.okamura.jp/ Ory Laboratory http://orylab.com/ Intelligent System Co., Ltd. http://intelligent-system.jp/ Pip Co., Ltd. http://www.pip-club.com/english/ Fuji Soft Incorporated http://www.fsi.co.jp/e/ Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. http://www.daiwahouse.co.jp/English/

Key players in the Reception / Guidance Robots business sector are:

Company Website Kokoro Company Ltd. http://www.kokoro-dreams.co.jp/english/ Tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html BL Autotec, Ltd. http://www.bl-autotec.co.jp/english/ Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/ Hitachi, Ltd. http://www.hitachi.com/ Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. http://jp.fujitsu.com/group/labs/en/ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. http://www.mhi-global.com/ Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Education business sector are:

Company Website ZMP Inc. http://www.zmp.co.jp/?lang=en Lego Group (from Denmark) http://www.lego.com/ja-jp

Key players in the Mobility and Power Assistant / Amplification Suit business sector are:

Company Website Cyberdyne Inc. http://www.cyberdyne.jp/ Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/ Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/ Segway Japan, Ltd. (from USA) http://www.segway-japan.net/ Activelink Co., Ltd. http://activelink.co.jp/en

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Key players in the Nursing Care business sector are:

Company Website Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. http://www.daiwahouse.co.jp/English/ Secom Co., Ltd. http://www.secom.co.jp/english/ Unicharm Humancare Corporation http://www.humany.jp/ Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/

Key players in the Lawn Mowing Robots business sector are:

Company Website Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/power/lawnmower/ Kyodo Co.,Ltd. http://kyodo-robot.com/lawnbot/ Mamiya-OP Co.,Ltd. http://www.mamiya-op.co.jp/i-gins/

Key players in the Humanoid Robot business sector are:

Company Website Vstone Co., Ltd. http://www.vstone.co.jp/english/ Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/ Kawada Industries, Inc. http://global.kawada.jp/ Tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/ Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. http://www.mhi-global.com/ Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. http://www.murata.com/ Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

2.3.3. Trend and Opportunity The service robots industry is expected to expand at a rate of 20 to 25% per year over the next 10 years, an incredible growth story. As outlined in the previous sections, medical and nursing care sectors are expected to grow the fastest out of necessity, given Japan’s greying population and shortage of caregivers.

Similar to Aldebaran from France delivering the know-how for Pepper, also other European companies can play a key role in this area, e.g. in the field of language training, a 500+ billion JPY (3.7 billion EUR) market!

Another exciting outcome of the miniaturization driven by nanotechnology is the development of microscopic robots that can be injected into the human body. Experiments, also in Europe, are already under way to use externally generated magnetic fields to guide these minuscule devices in the human

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www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu body. The researchers expect that one day in the not too distant future we will be able to put a mechanical surgeon inside a blood vessel and send it out into the heart for a medical examination and even small-scale surgery.

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www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu 2.4. RoboTech -Components for the Robot Industry

2.4.1. Scope Commonly called “RoboTech”, it is the field of high-precision servomotors, cables, many different types of sensors and other components or products used to build and maintain robots.

The sub-sectors covered in this section are:

 FA Cables  Servo Motors  Close Control Reduction Gear  Sensors  Robot Vision Systems  Automatic Tool Changers

Murata Cheerleaders to showcase the latest sensor technology

At the latest CEATEC trade fair, Murata showcased the “Murata Cheerleaders”, a group of cheerleader robots performing synchronized dancing while they balance on the top of steel balls. Murata has become a major player in the field of robot components and with this performance they were able to showcase the unique combination of gyro-sensors which help the robots achieve balance control, infrared LED sensors to pick up the light signals and ultrasonic sensors to pick up the sound signals. Through these sensors the robots could communicate with the beacons, equipped with infrared LED modules and Figure 24 Murata Cheerleaders - The world's ultrasonic transmitters, on either side of their dance stage. Each first robot cheerleaders 14-inch robot also featured a built-in wireless system to

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communicate with the computer, which tracks and controls the group. The computer directed the robots’ movements and helped avoid collisions. A unique combination of high-tech and a cool performance3.

Factory Automation Cables

For industrial robotics and Factory Automation tools, cables with high flexibility and reliability for bending and twisting in the moving parts are required. Various companies offer cables with high bending resistance, oil resistance, heat resistance, cold resistance and/or noise resistance to make them suitable for use in factory robot cabling. A number of them, like e.g. Kuramo, have become key players on a global scale in this field.

Figure 25 The EXT-Type II robot cable from Taiyo Cabletec is recognized as a standard by the Japanese factory automation industry Visions Systems

In the past decade, vision technology has become a critical component for many robot applications. It allows manufacturers to deploy robots into new fields. Over the years the technology has matured becoming very reliable, with higher accuracy and performance. Due also to significant price drops vision has become accepted and embraced by many companies who see the value it brings to their operations. While giving robots "eyes" will not make them self-aware, in combination with the right software it does allow them to perform advanced operations.

The endless possibilities include e.g. locating parts and locations to be

picked up or dropped off, determining where to apply a weld, inspecting Figure 26 Sharp IV-S200 series objects such as products that have been assembled and so on. image sensor cameras allows visual verification at high speeds

Servo Motors

Servos are Direct Current (DC) motors with built in gearing and feedback control loop circuitry. Servomotors can rotate 90 to 180 degrees but some are able to rotate through a full 360 degrees or more. Their precision positioning makes them ideal for robot arms and legs, rack and pinion steering, and sensor scanners, amongst others. Since servos are fully self-contained, the velocity and angle control loops are very easy to implement. The position/velocity of a servo can be controlled by simply connecting it to a power source and signal generator (e.g. through a microcontroller), and then varying the square wave pulse width.

Figure 27 The Fanuc ai series offers high speed, high precision and high efficiency nano control servo motors

3 Source: http://www.murata.co.jp/en/cheerleaders/

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Automatic Tool Changers

Used specifically in manufacturing environments, automatic tool changers enable robots to easily adapt to the work at hand with a wide range of tools such as e.g. milling machines, vertical and horizontal machining centres, integrated lathes, transfer machines, amongst others. These high-precision tool changers can drastically reduce the setup time and thus enhances the productivity of automated product lines. Automatic tool changers typically operate by hydraulic, electric, or pneumatic force. Depending on the manufacturing environment Tool Changers have to be equipped with safety features to avoid unexpected accidents. E.g. even without pneumatic pressure, a self-locking feature can prevent falling of the tools4.

Figure 28 High-precision Robotic Hand Changers enables multiple functions and reduced setup time1

Market Size Trends and Projections

Based on research by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) we note that together with the expansion of the Robotics industry as a whole, the RoboTech sub-sector is estimated to be worth 177 billion JPY (1.23 billion EUR) in 2015. By 2020 the market is expected to triple in size to around 450 billion JPY. Also for the 2025-2035 period the market is expected to grow at a very strong pace.

4 Source: http://www.kosmek.co.jp/english/products/robot/

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Figure 29 Market size projections for the RoboTech sub-sector

2.4.2. Key Players Key players in the FA Cable business sector are:

Company Website Okano Cable Co., Ltd. http://www.okano-cable.co.jp/ Onamba Co., Ltd. http://www.onamba.co.jp/?page_id=1929 Oki Electric Cable Co., Ltd. http://www.okidensen.co.jp/en/ Kaneko Cord Co., Ltd. http://www.kaneko-cord.com/ Kuramo Electric Co., Ltd. http://www.kuramo.co.jp/index_e.html Junkosha Inc. http://www.junkosha.co.jp/english/ Dyden Corporation http://www.dyden.co.jp/ Taiyo Cable Corporation http://www.taiyocable.com Tachii Electric Wire Co., Ltd. http://tachii.co.jp/

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Tatsuta Electric Wire & Cable Co., Ltd. http://www.tatsuta.co.jp/en/ Nichigoh Communication Electric Wire Co., Ltd. http://www.nichigoh.co.jp/ Nissei Electric Co., Ltd. http://www.nissei-el.co.jp/english/ Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. https://www.furukawa.co.jp/english/ Yoshinogawa Electric Wire & Cable Co., Ltd. http://www.yoshinogawa.co.jp/index1.html

Key players in the Servo Motor business sector are:

Company Website Omron Corporation http://www.omron.com/ Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd. http://www.sanyodenki.com/ Sinfonia Technology Co., Ltd. http://www.sinfo-t.com/ Tamagawa Seiki Co., Ltd. http://www.tamagawa-seiki.co.jp/jpn/japan/ Nidec Sankyo Corporation http://www.nidec-sankyo.co.jp/english/ Panasonic Corporation http://panasonic.net/ Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. http://www.hitachi-ies.co.jp/english/ Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. http://www.fujielectric.com/ Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/ Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Close Control Reduction Gear business sector are:

Company Website Kamo Seiko Corporation https://www.kamo.co.jp/en/ Sakanishi Seiki Co., Ltd. http://www.sakanishi.co.jp/en/ Sankyo Seisakusho Co. http://www.sankyo-seisakusho.co.jp/english/ Citizen Chiba Precision Co., Ltd. http://ccj.citizen.co.jp/english/ Simitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. http://www.shi.co.jp/english/ Tsubaki E&M Co. http://tsubakimoto.com/tem/ Nabtesco Corporation http://www.nabtesco.com/company/ Nissei Corporation http://www1.nissei-gtr.co.jp/english/ Nidec-Shimpo Corporation http://www.nidec-shimpo.co.jp/en/ Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. https://www.hds.co.jp/english/ Fuji Hensokuki Co., Ltd. http://www.fujihensokuki.co.jp/english/ Matex Corporation http://www.matex-glass.co.jp/

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Key players in the Sensor business sector are:

Company Website Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. http://www.murata.com/ Kyowa Electric Instruments Co., Ltd. http://www.kyowa-ei.com/eng/ Showa Measuring Instruments Co., Ltd. http://www.showa-sokki.co.jp/English/index_e.html Nippon Liniax Co., Ltd. http://www.liniax.co.jp/ BL Autotec, Ltd. http://www.bl-autotec.co.jp/english/ Minebea Co., Ltd. https://www.minebea.co.jp/english/ Leptrino Co., Ltd. http://www.leptrino.co.jp/ Wacoh-Tech Inc. http://www.wacoh-tech.com/

Key players in the Robot Vision System business sector are:

Company Website Avaldata Corporation http://www.avaldata.co.jp/english_08/ Optex FA http://www.optex-fa.com/ Omron Corporation http://www.omron.com/ Keyence Corporation http://www.keyence.com/ Canon IT Solutions Inc. http://www.canon-its.co.jp/ 3D Media http://www.3dmedia.co.jp/ Sharp Manufacturing Systems Corporation http://sharp-world.com/sms/en/ Seiko Epson Corp. http://global.epson.com/ Panasonic Industrial Devices SUNX Co., Ltd. http://www2.panasonic.co.jp/id/pidsx/e/ Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm Fast Corporation http://www.fast-corp.co.jp/eng/ Micro-Technica Co., Ltd. http://www.microtechnica.co.jp/ Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/ Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/ Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/

Key players in the Auto Tool Changer business sector are:

Company Website OBARA Corp. http://www.obara.co.jp/en/ Kosmek http://www.kosmek.co.jp/english/ Kondo Seisakusho "Konsei" http://www.konsei.co.jp/aboutus.html Nitta Corporation http://www.nitta.co.jp/en/ Pascal Corporation http://www.pascaleng.co.jp/english/ BL Autotec, Ltd. http://www.bl-autotec.co.jp/english/ Fuji Industries Co., Ltd. http://www.ficjp.com/en/

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2.4.3. Trend and Opportunity The RoboTech sector is expected to grow by around 20% per year over the next 5 years and also after that the market is projected to expand at a fast pace, a very bright prospective for companies active in this field.

The shift towards nanotechnologies provides us with smaller and far more accurate sensors. Especially in terms of vision technology, which is partly hardware and partly software driven, the technology is advancing quickly.

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3. Market Standards, Laws and Regulations

3.1. Safety Requirements As one could expect, the risks of operating robots should not be underestimated and before new robots can be introduced into the market they have to undergo strict testing. In regards to safety requirements, the following standards need to be observed:

 ISO 102180-1:2011 - Robots and robotic devices -- Safety requirements for industrial robots  ISO 13482:2014 - Robots and robotic devices -- Safety Figure 30 ISO 13482 Verification Mark requirements for personal care robots.  ISO 13849-1:2006 - Safety of machinery -- Safety-related parts of control systems

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has issued ISO 13482, a global safety standard for service robots in Feb 2014. These standards for service robots were proposed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). METI and NEDO jointly launched the Project for Practical Application of Service Robots to study safety of service robots in 2009. Their proposal has been adopted by the ISO. ISO 13482 is designed for four types of robots including "Mobile servant robots with manipulator", "Mobile servant robots without manipulator", "Person carrier robots" and "Physical assistant robots (including rehabilitation). 5

3.1.1. Centre for Service Robot Safety Verification The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and Japan Automotive Research Institute have been working on safety test for assistive robot at the " Centre for Service Robot Safety Verification". To acquire ISO 13482 certification, manufacturers are required to conduct safely verification tests for their manufactured robots at a certified site such as the Centre for Service Robot Safety Verification in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture.

3.1.2. ISO 13849-1:2006 ISO 13849-1:2006 provides safety requirements and guidance on the principles for the design and integration of safety-related parts of control systems (SRP/CS), including the design of software. For these parts of SRP/CS, it specifies characteristics that include the performance level required for carrying out safety functions. It applies to SRP/CS, regardless of the type of technology and energy used (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, etc.), for all kinds of machinery. It does not specify the safety functions or performance levels that are to be used in a particular case6.

Reference information:

 "Global Safety Standard ISO 13482 was Issued for Service Robots" http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2014/0205_01.html

5 Source: http://www.jqa.jp/service_list/fs/topics/topics_fs_04.html

6 Source: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=34931

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 "Japanese Service Robots were certified under Global Safety Standard ISO13482 for the first time in the world." http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2014/0217_03.html

3.1.3. Easing of the 80W regulation One of the key factors that are contributing to the advancement of the relationship between humans and industrial robots is the easing of the so-called 80W regulation, implemented in December 2013. The regulation previously specified that only robots with a maximum output power of “80W or less” can be used together without being separated by a fence.

However, since the regulation change higher-power robots, with a motor output power greater than 80W, can also be operated without installing a fence provided certain conditions are met. This allows the robot to share work with humans in close proximity, such as assembly lines amongst others.

3.2. Regulatory Organisations

3.2.1. METI & NEDO To establish the global standard for service robot safety, ISO 13482, METI and NEDO worked together on the Project for Practical Application of Service Robots from 2009 to Feb 2014. They have been conducting their research and development of the methodology for safety verification test, by acquiring, accumulating and analysing the relevant data. In particularly for the following four types of robots:

 Mobile servant robots with manipulator  Mobile servant robots without manipulator  Person carrier robots  Physical assistant robots (including rehabilitation)

Reference information:

 METI: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry => http://www.meti.go.jp/english/  NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization => http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/

3.2.2. NEDO, AIST, JARI NEDO, AIST and JARI established the “Center for Service Robot Safety Verification” in Tsukuba city, Ibaraki prefecture in 2010. Since the centre was established for the Project for Practical Application of Service Robots, they have been accumulating huge amount of data and facilities to examine safety of all the functionalities of manufactured service robots. The centre provides the one-stop-service for safety test.

Reference information:

 NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization => http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/  AIST: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology => http://www.aist.go.jp/index_en.html  JARI: Japan Automobile Research Institute => http://www.jari.or.jp/  METI, MHLW, NEDO, ATA

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Four organisations METI, MHLW, NEDO and ATA concluded a partnership on developing nursing-care equipment / robots. METI and MHLW designed “Priority are in nursing use of robot technology” based on the basic strategy for revitalization of Japan. NEDO became the secretarial and partnered with METI, MHLW and ATA to facilitate exchanging opinions between developers of nursing care robots and their users, as well as give supports with business matching for commercialization of nursing care robots.

Reference information:

 METI: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry => http://www.meti.go.jp/english/  MHLW: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare => http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/  NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization => http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/  ATA: The Association for Technical Aids => http://www.techno-aids.or.jp/

3.3. Government Initiatives

3.3.1. Robot Revolution Realization Council In June 2014, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he wanted to boost the market for robots in Japan, aiming at a total market value of US $22 billion by 2020. In October 2014, the government launched a “Robot Revolution Realization Council” to craft a five-year blueprint to beef up the industry.

Japan has by far the world’s largest population of at-work robots however that prominence is threatened from recent growth, driven by coordinated efforts, in the US, Germany, South Korea and China. Prime Minister Abe has indicated that he wants to make robots a key pillar of his growth strategy to make Japan competitive again.

Deregulation and strategic funding are at the heart of Japan’s and Abe’s 5-year growth plan and their New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

3.3.2. Robot City - Kitakyushu Kitakyushu has a concentration of world-class industrial robot manufacturers, small/medium companies that have elemental technologies applicable to the robotics industries, national level innovative robot venture companies, and universities/research institutions that are engaged in work related to robot technologies.

In 2003, the government awarded certification to Kitakyushu as “special zone for robotics development/development experiments” through innovative activities such as the development of tests using walking robots on public roads. (The special zone has been developed on national level since January 2006.)

In 2006, the Kitakyushu Robot Forum was established as a network body comprising industries; universities and Figure 31 Source: http://www.kk-j.org/outline.html

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www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu governments to further promote the robot industry7. 4. Trade Fairs and Related Organizations

4.1. Major Robotics Related Trade Fairs

International Robot Exhibition 2015 (Dec 2-5 2015, Tokyo)

Exhibition of industrial and service robots, and other related devices from Japan and abroad. The organizers are Japan Robot Association and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. The exhibition is held every two years.

Website: http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/irex/english/

Japan Robot Week 2016 (Autumn in 2016, Tokyo)

Exhibition focused on service robots including nursing, life support and disaster response. The event is organized every two years, on alternate year with 'iREX', by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.

Website: http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/s-robot/eng/

Nano Micro Biz / ROBOTECH 2015(April 22 - .24 on 2015, Yokohama)

Exhibition of all types of devices and technologies to produce service robots and products that have advanced functionalities and competitiveness. It is annual event organized by Mesago Messe Frankfurt.

Website: http://www.micromachine.jp/en/

Medical Japan 2015 (Feb 4 - 6 in 2015, Osaka)

Exhibition of medical devices and technologies. It is an annual event and organized by Reed Exhibition Japan.

Website: http://www.medix-kansai.jp/

Shinkachi Souzouten 2014 (Nov.19 - 21 in 2014, Tokyo)

Small and medium size businesses participates this exhibition to share their vision for new value creation in wellness, green and smart technologies. It is an annual event organized by SME Support Japan.

Website: http://shinkachi.smrj.go.jp/

7 Source: http://www.kk-j.org/robot.html

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JASIS 2015 (Sep 2 - 4 in 2015, Chiba)

In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Analytical Instruments Exhibition (JAIMA EXPO organized by JAIMA) and the 35th Anniversary of the Scientific Instruments Show (SIS organized by JSIA), the two shows were unified in 2012 under the new moniker "JASIS (Japan Analytical & Scientific Instruments Show)" It is an annual event. The organizers are Japan Analytical Instruments Manufacturers' Association (JAIMA) and Japan Scientific Instruments Association (JSIA).

Website: http://www.jasis.jp/en/

Innovation Japan 2014 (Sep.11- 12 in 2014, Tokyo)

The event is a trade show of technologies and innovations produced by universities as well as business matching with companies that looking for new opportunities or business partner. It is still unclear whether a follow up event will be organised in 2015.

Website: http://www.ij2014.com/

HOSPEX Japan 2015 (Nov. 25 - 27 in 2015, Tokyo)

HOSPEX Japan is one of nation's largest and most comprehensive exhibition of facilities and equipment for the medical and welfare institutes. It is held annually in conjunction with the Conference of Healthcare Engineering Association of Japan. Organizers are Healthcare Engineering Association of Japan and Japan Management Association.

Website: http://www.jma.or.jp/hospex/en/

Smart Community Japan 2015 (June 17 - 19 in 2015)

Exhibition is focused on energy, auto mobile and new technology. The concept is changed every year and the concept for 2014 was 'smart community'. It is an annual event organized by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.

Website: http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/smart/english/

Automotive engineering Exhibition 2015 (May 20 - 22 in 2014, Yokohama)

Exhibition and workshops of automotive technology for engineers and researchers.

It is annual event and organized by Society of Automotive Engineering of Japan, Inc.

Website: http://expo.jsae.or.jp/english/

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The International Modern Hospital Show 2015 (Jul 15 - 17 in 2015, Tokyo)

An exhibition of medical equipment and technologies. It is an annual event organized by Japan Hospital Association and Nippon Omni-Management Association.

Website: http://www.noma.or.jp/hs/eng/2014/news/

4.2. Robotics Related Events

Robosquare

Robosquare was established in 2002, with purposes of increasing familiarity with robots, providing educational facilities to learn robots and produce robots.

Website: http://robosquare.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/english/

Rescue Robot Contest

The Rescue Robot Contest is an annual contest for rescue robot technology. It is organised by the International Rescue System. The next edition is scheduled for August 8-9 2015 and will be held in the city of Kobe.

Website: http://www.rescue-robot-contest.org/

The Robotics and Mechatronics Conference 2015, ROBOMECH 2015

Organized by The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers will be held in Kyoto on May 17-19 2015.

Website: http://www.jsme.or.jp/rmd/robomech2015/

4.3. Robotics Related Organizations

The Japan Machinery Federation Website: http://www.jmf.or.jp/english/e_index.html

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Website: http://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/mono_info_service/robot_industry/

New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization（NEDO） Website: http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology （AIST） Website: http://www.aist.go.jp/index_en.html

Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren) Website: http://www.kankeiren.or.jp/English/ EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation 41

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Japan Robot Association Website: http://www.jara.jp/e/

The Robotics Society of Japan Website: http://www.rsj.or.jp/en

Japan Science and Technology Agency Website: http://www.jst.go.jp/EN/index.html

Roboness (Robot Business Promotion Council) Website: http://www.roboness.jp/

Information and Robot Technology Research Initiative (IRT), The University of Tokyo Website: http://www.irt.i.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) (http://www.atr.jp/about/about_images/ayumi_e.jpg) Website: http://www.atr.jp/

Japan Analytical Instruments Manufacturers' Association Website: http://www.jaima.or.jp/en/

Nanotechnology Business Creation Initiative (NBCI) Website: http://www.nbci.jp/en/

Micromachine center Website: http://www.mmc.or.jp/e/

Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) Website: http://www.seaj.or.jp/english/

Robot Business Conference in Kawasaki and Kanagawa Website: http://www.robot-net.jp/

KitaKyushu Robot Forum Website: http://robotics.ksrp.or.jp/robotforum/

Robotics Industry Development Council, Kitakyushu Website: http://www.f-robot.com/about/ iRooBo Network Forum Website: http://iroobo.jp/

Robonable - Portalsites for Robotics news, run by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Website: http://www.robonable.jp/

RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research (RTC) Website: http://rtc.nagoya.riken.jp/

The Japan Smart Community Alliance (JSCA) Website: https://www.smart-japan.org/english/

The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers Website: http://www.jsme.or.jp/

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5. Bibliographical References General info on the robotics market

 "Shuwasystem Industry Trend Guide Book 2011", Shuwa System.  "2013 World Wide Robot Market Trend and Future 2013", Fuji Keizai.  "Market Trend for Service Robot Business 2011', Seed Planning.  "User study and market trend for Cleaning Robot 2013", Seed Planning.  http://www.wtec.org/robotics/report/05-Industrial.pdf  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/robot/  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/20/national/hitachi-develops-robots-to-probe-fukushima-no- 1-plant/  http://www.fanuc.co.jp/en/product/servo/  http://newsdesk.org/2010/09/09/robots-seen-as-solution-to-japans-aging-shrinking-population/  http://en.akihabaranews.com/127162/robot/dear-assistive-robot-industry-we-need-you-sincerely-rapidly- aging-japan  “Robot industry market trends” report by METI, http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-2.pdf  “Robot industry market trends” report by METI, http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-3.pdf  http://robohub.org/micro-robotics-and-medicine-interview-with-toshio-fukuda/  https://gbmcbiz.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/waseda-presentation-robotics-workshop.pdf  http://singularityhub.com/2014/05/04/toyotas-replacing-robots-with-humans-so-they-can-make-even- better-robots/  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-06/humans-replacing-robots-herald-toyota-s-vision-of- future.html  http://io9.com/japanese-robots-in-danger-of-being-replaced-by-human-wo-1561280442  http://www.worldrobotics.org/uploads/media/Executive_Summary_WR_2014.pdf  http://sparc-robotics.eu/robotics-in-europe/

Industrial Robots

 http://wardsauto.com/plants-amp-production/auto-industry-leading-market-japanese-robotics  http://www.hirata.co.jp/en/products/view/156  http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/130312.html  http://www.cnet.com/news/hitachis-ropits-mobility-robot-drives-itself/  http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/mar/27/driverless-robot-car- elderly-disabled-mobility  http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-Industry-Insights/Robotic-Assembly- Shrinking-Footprint-Expanding-Market/content_id/4981  http://www.ype.co.jp/en/world/activity_a.html  http://www.okurayusoki.co.jp/eng/products/plant/palletizing/index.html  http://www.flexicell.com/palletizing/  http://robot.fanucamerica.com/products/robots/palletizing-robots.aspx  http://www.khi.co.jp/english/robot/product/files/web-robot/upload_pdf/catalog_e_palletizing.pdf  “Robot industry market trends” report by METI, http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-2.pdf

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 “Robot industry market trends” report by METI, http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-3.pdf  http://singularityhub.com/2014/05/04/toyotas-replacing-robots-with-humans-so-they-can-make-even- better-robots/  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-06/humans-replacing-robots-herald-toyota-s-vision-of- future.html

Service Robots

 http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8021480  http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/cdb0dbe8-292b-11e4-8b81-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3NzyBAwhv  http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1122/paper3.pdf  http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-23196867  https://www.aldebaran.com/en/medias/pepper-video  http://nuviun.com/content/news/digital-health-in-japan-medical-and-personal-care-robots-for-a-rapidly- aging-society  http://www.melos.co.jp/products/crawler.html  http://crasar.org/category/rescue-robots/  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescue_robot  http://www.robotee.com/index.php/omni-crawler-tracked-robot-drives-in-all-directions/  http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-03/six-robots-could-shape-future-earthquake-search- and-rescue  “Robot industry market trends” report by METI, http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-2.pdf  “Robot industry market trends” report by METI, http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-3.pdf

RoboTech

 http://www.murata.co.jp/en/cheerleaders/  http://www.forbes.com/sites/saritharai/2014/10/09/cheerleader-robots-put-spotlight-on-japanese- component-maker-murata/  http://www.gizmag.com/murata-keepace-walker/24236/  http://www.okidensen.co.jp/en/prod/cable/robot/  http://www.kosmek.co.jp/english/products/robot/  http://www.robots.com/faq/show/what-are-the-main-parts-of-an-industrial-robot  http://www.obara.co.jp/en/product/spot/changer.html  “Robot industry market trends” report by METI, http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-2.pdf  “Robot industry market trends” report by METI, http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-3.pdf

Market Standards, Laws and Regulations & Government initiatives

 http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2014/0217_03.html  http://www.industryweek.com/robotics/japans-robot-suit-gets-global-safety-certificate  http://www.industryweek.com/robotics/cyberdyne-showcases-thought-controlled-robotic-suits  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e98a5d08-4ae1-11e4-839a-00144feab7de.html#axzz3Mm2ZMq4F

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 http://www.automationmag.com/opinion/machine-safety/integration-challenges-with- the-new-robot-safety-standard.html  http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=34931  http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/7660611a-4e97-11e4-adfe-00144feab7de.img  http://japan.kantei.go.jp/96_abe/actions/201409/11article4.html  http://www.idgconnect.com/abstract/9098/will-robotics-transform-japan  http://robohub.org/japans-new-robotics-push-funding-and-deregulation/

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