Australian Made Robots
It is my understanding that the objective of the National Robotics Strategy is to develop sovereign capability in a number of Critical Technologies for Australia, which includes: Advanced robotics , Autonomous systems operation technology and Drones, swarming and collaborative robots .
In general (as a contributing author) I would agree with most of the recommendations of the original 2018 Australian Robotics Roadmap and the updated 2022 Australian Robotics Roadmap hosted by the Robotics Australia Group .
However, I would like to add three actions:
It is my understanding that the Department of Industry, Science and Resources is very keen to ensure that these critical technologies are . So the question must be asked.
Can Australia Make Robots?
The concept of Australia-Made can be confusing. So I would like to use the definition of the?Australian Made Campaign Ltd (AMCL),?
A product can be described as 'Australian made' or 'made in Australia' if it underwent its last substantial transformation in Australia
Although this does not address the issue of who owns the company or where the internal component parts are produced, the answer is YES we can. This is demonstrated by the number of robots that we have made in the past (see section on History of Robots in Australia), and robots we currently make.
Whilst Australia has been a global leader in field robotics research [2021-IND] for many decades [2021-ACOLA] we have not been able to translate this success into the creation of a large-scale domestic robotics manufacturing industry. This failure compromises our sovereign capability in products and services that underpin critical industries, such as mining, agriculture and defence [2020-SDIC], and fails to realize the value that could be created by building export-focused manufacturers (eg. space and disaster tech) [2021-AUS] in areas where Australia could boast competitive advantage [2020-AMGC].
Australia's inability to translate research into products is a well-known and complex problem [2015 AUS]. It combines a lack of ambition, our failure to collaborate, limited access to venture capital and poor economic complexity [2018 QUT]. Whilst some of these weaknesses have been addressed in recent times, one of the most significant challenges is the ability of our SMEs to scale and access global supply chains. There are many examples, where SMEs have been forced to move OS in order to grow. With advent of digital technologies, there is no technical reason why robots designed and built in Australia could not service a global market.?But contrary to expectation, rather than digitalization leading to the democratization of technology across the world, it has instead led to the aggregation of innovation.?Over the past decade, we have witnessed the?migration of skills, companies and capital to international innovation clusters, such as Silicon Valley and Boston [2019-PC].
So the question becomes.
How do we keep making robots in Australia?
I believe the answer lies in three support activities (see Top Figure)
1. Investing in Australian Made Robots
In Australian, the level of public investment in Research and Development is reasonably high [2021-ABS] with programs such as CSIRO, Australian Research Concil (ARC) , Industry Growth Centres and the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program. On the other hand Business Investment in Research and Development (BIRD) is relatively low and falling [2020-IND].
Although Australia is 23rd in the 2020 OECD innovation ranking [2020-OECD] the report highlights that Australia produces less innovation outputs relative to its level of innovation investments. We don't get bang for the buck, Specifically, we rank quite high in creation, but very low in research translation, diffusion and commercialization. So these are the areas we should invest.
It is interesting to look at Denmark's Odense Robotics Cluster where more than EUR 904 million has been invested in robotics companies since 2015. This was facilitated by the Robotics Venture Factory [2020 Forbes] - a factory that creates new ventures - companies that make robots.
Manufacturing a product requires is a complex process, requiring a number of stages along a value chain; from concept, research, design, fabrication, assembly, logistics, marketing, sales and service. The key to future manufacturing is agility – the ability to manufacture quickly and to scale. This can be achieved if some of the stages are outsourced to external service providers, either through commercial arrangements or collaboration. The challenge for any new or existing SME is finding and engaging with these service providers. The role of a venture factory is to provide visibility to these services and to establish new commercial/collaborative value chains.
In 2020, the RAG proposed an Australian Robotics Venture Factory
2. Sell Australian Made Robots
We need to sell out technology - we need to sell robotics to customers, we need to sell it to industry, but most importanly we need to sell it to the public.
If the public are not interested in whether robots are made in Australian or not. Then eventually, politicians and government will not be interested.
If governnment are not interested, then eventually, industry will not care.
So our priority is to sell to the public.
I'm very interested in what the Swiss do. They have a Swiss Robotics Day - bringing government, industry, academia and the public together to showcase the latest developments in robotics technology and highlight the role of robotics in various industries. It is no accident that ETH has so many spin-outs [2021-EGE].
One of the most powerful ways to market robots to the general public is though missions [2021-MAR]. Missions can excite and engage the public.
For example: Robots could build 1 million homes , Robots could save the Great Barrier reef , Robots could extinguish bush fires .
Once we have sold the vision of a mission to the public, we are then able to link these back to the outcomes, and then back to the critical technolgies, and then to the science that creates them, and the industry that builds them.
3. Buy Australian Made Robots
We need to actually buy our own technology. This is the elephant in the room. Without procurement there is no research translation - and basically we tend not to procure our own technology.
IMHO we are stuck in a traditional business model. A model which is very linear.
There is an initial investment to build the technology (the research and development). Once developed we try to sell the technology, and hope that someone wants to buy it. This is called tech push. Alternatively, there is market pull, where the buyer is prepared to invest in the technology - but this is still linear - with the valley fo death in the middle [2022-LNK].
I would suggest that there is a new business model at play.
If you look at the top investment in robotics in the world [2023-LNK] you will notice that many of the companies were able to secure significant venture capital with forward technology procurement - that is, entering into contracts with technology providers, often with long-term agreements, to acquire technology solutions or services at a future date, sometimes even before the technology is fully developed or available on the market.
What I believe is happening is virtuous growth spiral.
In this spiral, we start with investment to sell the vision, this vision secures forward procurement contracts, this contract is used as collateral to attract VC, which is used to build the technology - either thrrough R&D or M&A. This new capabiility is then used to sell a more ambitious (or grand) vision, which in turn secures more forward procurement, which leads to more investment.
Whilst I am not a fan of this model - it can look like a ponzi scheme, it is clear that there is something to learn.
So the question now becomes.
Why don't we see more forward procurement in Australia?
Whilst there are a few examples of forward technology procurement in Australia, most notable would be the ADF's LAND 129, this is not typical. Procuring new technology ahead of time can carry significant risks, including technology obsolescence, cost overruns, changes in industry standards, contractual challenges, and the possibility that the contractor may not have the necessary capability to deliver the required performance of the technology.
In general, our technology venture capital is risk averse [2022-AUS].
To mitigate such risks, performance bonds can be utilized to ensure that the required performance is met. These bonds provide financial security to the purchaser in case the technology fails to perform as expected or the provider is unable to meet the performance standards specified in the procurement agreement.
It is interesting to note that in 2005, the Korean government recognized this problem and introduced a system of performance recognition and insurance of technological products developed by local SMEs [2005-PECC] [2009-PECD]
And then in 2011 the UK government identified the need to create Forward Commitment Procurement (FCP) - is was an early market engagement tool that brings together progressive thinking and best practice from the private sector and the innovation and procurement communities, together with the understanding of the demand side barriers to the commercialisation of innovative goods and services [2011 BIS]
Note: The Small Business Export Finance Guarantee (SBFEG ) already helps eligible SMEs to access performance bonds for government procurement contracts in Australia.
History of Robots Made In Australia
Over the past three decades, a number of commercial robots have been made in Australia for different sectors.
In 1996 (Agriculture) Beeline manufactured AutoSteer technology [2003-AFR]. This was acquired by HemisphereGNSS [2007-GIM], which in turn was bought by CNH Industrial [2023-REU]
In 1999 (Mining) we had the LHD Automation Project . Orginally developed by CSIRO's Robotics and Automation Group , the vehicle was manufactured by Elphinstone in Burnie, the control box was manufactured by RCT Global in Perth, and the navigation system manufactured by Dynamic Automation System (DAS) in Melbourne. Everything was made here in Australia. In the 2003, Caterpillar acquired both Elphinstone and DAS to create their product called MineStar Command Underground . The vehicles are now manufacturd overseas [2008-IMM], the control system manufactured in Pittsburg [2008-CMU] with some software development in Brisbane, and in 2022, RCT was acquired by EpiROC [2022-EPI].
In 2003 (Logistics) we have the AutoStrad Project . Orginally developed by ACFR for Patricks, with the creation of two Australian Companies: Patrick Technology and Systems, and NavTech Engineering . Most of the technology was acquired by Finish company Kalmar , and navTech was acquired by British company Halma .
In 2014, APS who developed guidance systems for mining, was acquired by Wenco [2014-WEN] - a subsidiary of Hitachi CM [2009-HIT].
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In 2016, NDC Automation who developed navigation systems for AGVs, was acquired by Dematic [2016-DEM] - a subsiduary of Kion Group
I'm sure that that there are more stories that I am not aware of.
This issue was brought up in the 2019 Innovation Metrics Review Consulation [2019-IND] and the subsequent IP Australia's report of Hidden Innovation [2019-IPA]
So one challenges for the NSR is finding this hidden capability.
Current Robots Made in Australia
We are able to make robots in a number of niche areas:
And some OEMs
And there are many more.
Resources
Postscript
Since the writing of this article the Department of Finance has launched the Buy Australian Plan - which is to provide $18.1 million over 4 years from 2023-24 (and $1.5?million per year ongoing).
References
[2003-AFR] Look ma, no hands
[2005-PECC] SME Innovation Policies in Korea
[2007-GIM] Hemisphere Acquires BEELINE
[2008-CMU] Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute and Caterpillar Inc. To Automate Large Off Highway Haul Trucks
[2009-PECD] Strategic Procurement Policies for Innovation - Korean Case, Firm Survey and Empirical Results
[2014-WEN] Wenco Acquires APS
[2015-SEN] Senate - Australias Innovation Future
[2016-BUS] Dematic Acquires NDC Automation
[2018-QUT] A Robotics Roadmap for Australia
[2019-IPA] Hidden gems - a patent analytics study on innovation in the Australian mining sector / IP Australia
[2019-ACOLA] The Effective and Ethical Development of AI
[2020-IND] Australian Business Investment in Innovation
[2020-WIPO] Global Innovation Index (GII) for Australia?
[2020-DIP] Rheinmetall Partners With Australian Researchers to Develop Self-Driving Vehicles For Military
[2020-AMGC] AMGC - Sector Competitiveness Plan
[2020-SDIC] Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities
[2021-ABS] ABS Research and Experimental Development
[2021-IND] Australian Artificial Intelligence Action Plan 2021
[2022-LNK] Let's Build Bridges
[2023-AFR] Drones will be a game-changer for defence
Robotics: education, open-source tools, research, and technical advising. Chief Roboticist at LYRO Robotic; Emeritus Professor at QUT Centre for Robotics.
6 个月Glad to see Lucas Hale mention ANCA. When I started in robotics and manufacturing in the mid 1980s (I know, an eternity ago) in Melbourne, there was ANCA still going strong, Farley cutting systems (Peter Farley) now FarleyLaserLab, and Machine Dynamics (Barry Hendy) sadly defunct. And the robot sheep shearers in Perth (at UWA) and Adelaide (Merino Wool Harvesting, Chris Abell). Over the decades the number of local robot companies has gone up and down around a fairly low average, there are a good number of data points by now, what can we learn?
Long-standing Roboticist | Award-winning Product Developer | Founder | Software and Hardware Senior Engineer | Generalist | Public Speaker | Thought Leader | Survivalist | Planeteer | Seasoned R&D ideas to production
1 年Thanks Elliot Duff. We look forward to seeing more "Made In Australia" robots.? I appreciate the well-known challenge to go from research work to the market. It was the main reason why I left the robotics research space around 2008 after a long-standing role for 10 years starting in the "Robotics System Lab" at ANU run by Alex Zelinsky, at the time. I took my skills into the industry (initially BEELINE) and have been using them ever since to take new ideas from concept, to design, prototyping, and eventually production. COLETEK has many battle-hardened custom hardware in the wild for industries in harsh environments. To date, we've been service-based - creating resale products for others. We aim to extend that now. Anyway - I'm happy to announce that IT's TIME - we are ready to move to a products-based company. So COLETEK PTY LTD?next direction is to focus on manufacturing mobile robots - both teleoperated and autonomous.?However, first we need to finish the pitch decks and raise funds. We've had a working prototype called Scotty for over 10 years. It's been used for testing a number of mobile robotic applications over the years. Looking forward to getting stuck into revising the design in prep for production and end-users.
Visionary Technology Leader | Driving Innovation and Growth | Artificial Intelligence
1 年A little bit of self promotion here (something Australian companies tend not to do) but an Australian designed, developed, and manufactured industrial robot currently in production is ANCA’s AR300 which is a SCARA robot designed to operate inside a CNC machine. If you consider CNC a type of robotics then the whole ANCA story over the last 50 years is an Australian robotics success story
Director | Psychologist
1 年I'm in the process of getting the Australia Made label for commercialised products at the early stage of market entry. I can see a clear need for an Australian Tech or similar label, which would be akin to the Australian Grown and Australian Seafood industry specific labels.