Robotic industry is predicted to hit $135 billion by 2019, according to IDC, 2016. This means robots could bring about a future where we won’t have to do boring, everyday tasks. Robots have seen a variety of use-cases in the military, from bomb defusal to surveillance. And now there are many proven and profitable use cases for robots in India too, with applications as varied as telepresence to body massaging and dosa making.
Renowned expert in the field – Rejin Narayanan, CEO, Ingen Robotics and Member, IEEE shares insights on Robotics innovations and applications.
-
Where in its evolution do you think the robotics industry in India is at this time?
Our robotics industry is at a discovery and innovation phase, where companies are discovering problems unique to our country that can be solved using robots, and are innovating solutions to address these problems. This will result in many new successful home grown robotics companies and products in the next 10 years. On the B2B front, there is a large MSME sector that is yet to be tapped. This is one gap that the industry is aggressively addressing. On the B2C front also, there are companies that are developing products that appeal to Indian customers.
-
As robotics is heating up, entrepreneurs are coming up with cutting-edge solutions and rather innovative applications for robots like body massaging and dosa making. What according to you are some of the best and most innovative ones?
Tata Brabo is a great robot because of its affordability and utility to MSMEs. Brabo and similar solutions that will follow have the potential to change the way our MSMEs function, and therefore I think this is among the best robots, though it comes from a big company.
Dosamatic is one of the most innovative ones. It solves a problem for QSRs in a compact, automated way.
-
What advances do you see this innovation leading us in the 10 years?
Innovation in our robotics industry will lead to products that address problems that are unique to our industrial and cultural situation. For example, many of our MSMEs have grown over time, and factories do not have production lines that are designed from the ground up. Also the next batch of production might need a different procedure. And high priced imported robots are not economically viable. This makes affordable, re-configurable and multipurpose robots very useful. Similarly, we are seeing innovations that suit our cultural preferences. For instance, we still prefer freshly prepared food to processed food, but have less time to cook. This presents a large market for advanced food processing machines, even at the household level. In the next 10 years we will see many new home-grown solutions that will address these two problem areas.
Component procurement becomes a problem when specialized solutions are needed, like special raw materials or restricted sensors. If we look at robots that do vacuum cleaning or make dosas, procurement of components is not a major problem. Also many component manufacturers have setup offices in India, or have distributors in India, and they can take care of import formalities.
-
It is but natural that a lot of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities are opening up for people who wish to enter this growing and exciting field. Tell us about the processes to establish successful robot start-up?
The first key requirement to establish a successful robotics start up is to find a customer problem that is best addressed by a robotic solution. The second key requirement is to bring together a team that is passionate about solving the problem, not only for themselves but also for the customer. Passionate enough to survive the ups and downs that will invariably show up. The third key requirement is to have technical leadership skilled in robotics, and capable of thinking across disciplines. Invariably fast learning is required, and so are a host of other functions that apply to any start up.
-
What would be your word of advice to entrepreneurs and start-ups and students wishing to get into Robotics?
This is a great time to be in robotics. The physical world around us is becoming programmable and intelligent, and more and more appliances are becoming robotic. Industrial robotics has matured over the years and there are established big players. In contrast consumer robotics is a fast growing and upcoming field, and this is where there is a lot of potential for innovation.
There is a shift towards standardization, open software and hardware, and this affords faster time to market for entrepreneurs. New low volume production methods like laser cutting and 3D printing have made prototyping faster. There are plenty of online shops that sell components and ship internationally. The growing hardware hacker movements, and facilities like fablabs make it easier to learn new methods and build prototypes. There are prototyping shops that can make custom mechanical parts in very low volumes and short turnaround times. It is best to use these facilities to iterate fast, and arrive at a minimum viable product as soon as possible.
