Innorobo 2018, 15-17 May, Paris, France

Robotworld: an exhibition that reflects the Korean vision of robotics technologies

Robotworld is a robotics exhibition that reflects the Korean vision of robotics technologies, an event open to all audiences that explains, demonstrates and gives impetus to the integration of these technologies in a full range of diverse applications. Thus, the exhibition hall includes three main areas:

  • an area dedicated to professional exhibitors, from laboratories like ETRI (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute) to major groups such as SK Telecom or Hanwha Techwin to startups like Unirobotics, whose booths give life to industrial and service robots, educational robots and those for exploration in hostile environments.
  • a second area that shows robots in situ, moving about and working in a classroom, (www.robotis.com), an aquarium or a mock hospital room.
  • and, finally, a bustling area dedicated to robotics competitions where young children program their own robots to try to meet the challenges that are given.

The exhibition is teeming with visitors, and in the aisles families with children marvel in awe alongside teachers and their students, innovation directors and senior executives.

innoecho robotworld

South Korea is a major player on the world robotics market. The country’s manufacturing industry was ranked as the 3rd most competitive worldwide in 2014 by the Boston Consulting Group. Industry has been the source of the country’s wealth and job creation for the past 40 years. New technologies play a vital role in industrial growth. The Korean government has supported robotics technologies for over 10 years and in April 2015 laid out a strategy for innovation in industry – the Manufacturing Industry Innovation Strategy 3.0 – as well as a project to robotize the country’s SMEs, the Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Robot Distribution Project.

In 2014, the Korean industrial robotics market saw 19.2% growth (with a 16% rise for industrial robots and a 53.3% jump for robotics components to reach US $2.6 billion (Production figures)). From 2009 to 2014, Korean industrial robot exports skyrocketed from US $96 million to US $746 million. Imports of industrial robots also increased, though to a lesser extent, reaching US $394 million in 2014 (compared to US $302 million in 2012). Forecasts predict 18% average growth in Korean production of industrial robots over the next 5 years.

Production of service robots is estimated at US $339 million in 2014, with growth near 12% and an approximately 30% share of this production exported worldwide. Korea’s production of service robots in 2014 (in value) can be broken down as follows:

The Korean government’s initiatives over the past 10 years have already had mesurable impacts. The number of Korean robotics companies soared from 53 in 2005 to 368 in 2012 and 499 in 2014, and over 3,500 robotics jobs have been created over the past 3 years. The dynamism of the Korean robotics industry is – like everywhere else in the world – driven by small companies (with less than US $1 million in sales), which account for over 90% of the country’s robotics firms.

Alongside the exhibition, Robotworld holds meetings between Korean robotics companies and international representatives in order to foster cooperation worldwide, and organizes a series of conferences, the Global Robot Business Forum, where various countries discuss their vision and their robotics markets. This year, South Korea presented – via the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement (KIRIA) – an overview of the Korean robotics market. There were also presentations on robotics initiatives in Malaysia and on the huge potential of the Indian market.

Everywhere you look, key players in the Korean robotics industry are seeking opportunities to cooperate internationally, despite the fact that communicating can be difficult without the help of an interpreter.

Innoecho signed a cooperation agreement with the Korea Association of Robotics (KAR), supported by KIRIA, and South Korea has faithfully taken part in the past 5 editions of the Innorobo exhibition.

On 4 June 1886, France and Korea signed a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation, thus marking the start of diplomatic relations that have grown stronger and stronger. To commemorate the 130th anniversary of Franco-Korean relations, Innorobo 2016 (to be held 24-26 May 2016 in Paris, France) will be organizing a bilateral French-Korean meeting on specific robotics topics of common interest and thus give rise to cooperative ventures in both research and trade relations.

There are many areas in which our two countries can work together, namely in service robotics. Please share any ideas for topics you may have in order to make this meeting as fruitful as possible for everyone involved. The partnerships set up will be echoed at Robotworld 2016 at the end of the year, with a Business France mission currently being prepared.

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3 Responses to “Robotworld: an exhibition that reflects the Korean vision of robotics technologies”

By Aratta – 5 November 2015 Reply

RT @Innorobo: #Robotworld: an exhibition that reflects the Korean vision of robotics technologies https://t.co/iUZuIFK8tH

By MontaudPro - 5 November 2015 Reply

Robotworld: an exhibition that reflects the Korean vision of robotics technologies https://t.co/uogrOvf0KN

By MontaudPro - 5 November 2015 Reply

Robotworld: an exhibition that reflects the Korean vision of robotics https://t.co/uogrOvf0KN > @Innorobo https://t.co/xcpXYxVVrR

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