With its comprehensive expertise, the company is well positioned to capitalize on the growth of the robotics market. Bosch sees the potential in this environment to develop a business worth billions. In doing so, Bosch is relying on synergies. “We are combining proven technologies from various business units with visionary innovations to drive the industrial scaling of robotics—all the way to humanoids,” Hartung continued. “With our commitment, we also aim to strengthen Europe as a technology hub.” Through the targeted use of automation, Bosch is also increasing the global competitiveness of its local plants and countering the worsening shortage of skilled workers.
Robotics Requires a Delicate Touch
“Bosch is shaping the future—on wheels and with arms,” says Tanja Rückert, Managing Director of Robert Bosch GmbH. The company leverages its cross-domain automation expertise—from automobiles to factories to the home—as a key advantage in shaping this growth market. Bosch does not position itself as a manufacturer of humanoid robots, but rather as a leading supplier and partner for the “brain and nervous system” of modern automation and robotics. At the heart of these flexible solutions is Bosch’s open platform, ctrlX AUTOMATION. “We’re making robotics accessible, modular, and quick to integrate. This enables our customers today, for example, to combine autonomous guided vehicles with high-precision robotic arms that can then reliably and flexibly take on tasks within existing processes,” said Rückert. The Bosch Rexroth division is currently implementing several customer projects in this field.
For robots—whether in a factory or in the home—to interact safely and precisely with their environment, they need a keen sense of touch. A tiny but indispensable technology gives robots precisely this sense of touch: microelectromechanical systems, known as MEMS sensors. They are the key that enables robots to handle objects with the necessary finesse and react sensitively to physical contact. For example, when a robot grasps a sturdy water glass or a delicate stemmed glass—it is precisely this subtle distinction that the sensors enable. Bosch is the global market leader in this crucial field of MEMS sensor technology, which plays a central role at the semiconductor site in Reutlingen. “A human has four million tactile sensors. If we were to build robots with that many sensors, the world’s total sensor production over four years would be enough for just 12,500 robots,” says Stefan Hartung. This figure underscores the immense potential and the central role Bosch plays in the future of automation and robotics. According to the market research and strategy consulting firm Yole Group, the market for MEMS sensors—in which Bosch is the market leader—is expected to grow to over 19.2 billion U.S. dollars by 2030, with an average annual growth rate of four percent.
Bosch is working on the further development of cognitive robots
To accelerate development in automation and robotics, Bosch is relying on a combination of targeted internal innovation and an open ecosystem approach. To this end, the company founded Robert Bosch Robotics GmbH, a specialized unit focused on the development and industrialization of new robotics solutions. At the same time, Bosch is driving industrial scaling forward through strategic partnerships. Together with the German startup Neura Robotics, for example, Bosch is working on the further development of cognitive robots. Thanks to its deep manufacturing expertise, Bosch also serves as a key partner for leading robotics startups from around the world—including Humanoid from the United Kingdom, as well as collaborations in the U.S. and China—to bring their prototypes to series production on a manufacturing scale. Bosch is consolidating its activities in China in particular at the Bosch Robotics Center China (BROC), which was founded at the beginning of the year—this center is driving the development of so-called Physical AI and the industrialization of robotics solutions.
In addition to the “intelligence” of robots, Bosch’s strength also lies in the critical components that give them their physical capabilities. Bosch Rexroth offers a comprehensive portfolio of key components for modern robotics and factory automation. These include, for example, high-precision electric motors and powerful servo drives that ensure dynamic and precise movements, as well as CtrlX AUTOMATION for the smart and flexible control of robots in various environments and for different requirements. In addition, Bosch offers complex assemblies and subsystems that provide robots with the necessary power, speed, and precision, thereby forming the technological backbone for various automation tasks. Bosch also provides support for factory equipment used in robotics production, such as conveyor systems from Rexroth.
A unique treasure trove of data from over 230 plants worldwide
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the engine that gives automation and robotics new capabilities. “The combination of state-of-the-art electronics and mechanics with AI enables significant technological breakthroughs in automation and robotics,” says Tanja Rückert. “For example, it enables robots to perceive their environment, understand processes, and learn from experience.” Bosch has deeply embedded this key technology in its strategy and utilizes it on two levels: On the one hand, the company integrates AI models from the cloud directly into its physical products to enable them to act autonomously. On the other hand, Bosch is already making extensive use of AI in its own manufacturing operations—for example, in optimizing production processes, predictive maintenance, and visual defect detection. The foundation for these learning AI systems is a treasure trove of data—unique in the industry—drawn from over 230 Bosch plants worldwide. “Our decisive competitive advantage lies not in the machines alone, but in the data from our global manufacturing network,” emphasizes Rückert. “This treasure trove of data is the raw material from which we develop the intelligent automation solutions of the future.” To translate human expertise into machine-readable data, Bosch also uses special data suits that capture complex movement sequences as a basis for training. The company is specifically leveraging this expertise in its partnership with Neura Robotics to accelerate the development of cognitive robots.
Speaking of AI: The Bosch Tech Compass, a survey of more than 11,000 people across seven countries worldwide, shows that the majority of people view AI as the most influential and positive technology of the coming years. A key finding is the growing enthusiasm for AI worldwide, with 70 percent of respondents viewing it as crucial for the future.
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