A collaborative robot named YuMi has won an award at an international show in Shanghai.
It was named Best Industrial Robot 2016 at the China International Robot Show (CIROS) for its achievements in technical innovation and application development.
Power and automation technology group ABB launched the YuMi robot in Australia late last year, demonstrating its aptitude for tasks such as welding, handling, assembly, painting and finishing, picking, packing, palletising and machine tending.
CIROS is organized by the China Machinery Industry Federation and the China Robot Industry Alliance, and is one of three large robot technology events.
It is expected robots will play a role in improving productivity and shifting China's manufacturing focus from being ‘big’ to being ‘strong’.
According to the International Federation of Robotics, one out of every four robots sold today is sold in China.
Close to 68,000 units were sold in China during 2015, which is a 17 per cent increase on 2014.
The need for more customised products and higher quality expectations has meant a shift from mass production of the same product for a long time to production of small lots of more diverse products for a shorter business cycle.
