They target a 7% share of the global robotics market
Reuters 31 October 2008
(TAIPEI) Long a powerhouse for personal computers, Taiwan is eyeing a share of the US$18 billion robotics market, taking on larger foreign rivals in an area that could become the next big thing in electronics.
As robotic devices move out of the realms of science fiction, innovative firms are rolling out sophisticated robots to do everything from patrolling shopping malls to cutting grass on golf courses and mimicking pets.
Developers are also working on robots for more practical uses like household assistance and dangerous tasks normally performed by humans, including bomb detection and disposal and moving objects in factories.
Microsoft’s Bill Gates has said robotic devices could have as profound an impact on the way people work and communicate as the personal computer has had over the past three decades.
This could be the opportunity Taiwan is waiting for.
Taiwan fashioned itself into a leading chip and PC maker after losing its edge as a toy king and is now ready for another transformation as chips and PC margins come under pressure.
But companies acknowledge it may be several years before they can see meaningful returns from their investments.
A handful of niche Taiwanese firms such as Micro-Star International Co (MSI) and Hon Hai, with rich experience building PCs and gadgets for other big-name companies, are tipped to be potential winners and are already at work at building their brands.
‘For years, Taiwan has generated a lot of energy in PCs,’ said Jesse Chen, a research centre manager at MSI, which makes notebook PCs for the likes of Dell and Hewlett-Packard and also sells laptops under its own name.
‘But when the computer industry matures, it is time to think how that can be connected with robotics.’
Taiwan aims to take a 7 per cent share of the global robotics market and exports worldwide worth NT$250 billion (S$11.2 billion) by 2015, according to Taiwan’s Precision Machinery Research & Development Center.
‘The electronics industry, especially electronic components, communications equipment and automotive electronics, is highly developed in Taiwan,’ said Gudrun Litzenberger, director of the International Federation of Robotics Statistical Department.
The department forecasts there will be 18 million robots worldwide in 2011, more than double the number in 2007.
The entertainment industry has had successes with the likes of basic robotic toys like Tiger Electronics’ talking Furby in the late 1990s and Sony’s AIBO dog, which can see and recognise spoken commands, in the early 2000s.
Taiwan’s top electronics parts maker, Hon Hai Precision, wants to follow in their footsteps by teaming up with US toymaker Ugobe to make and sell Pleo, a robot dinosaur toy that can be taught to beg for food and wag its tail.
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Taiwan PC, Chip Firms Tool Up for Robotics
They target a 7% share of the global robotics market
Reuters
31 October 2008
(TAIPEI) Long a powerhouse for personal computers, Taiwan is eyeing a share of the US$18 billion robotics market, taking on larger foreign rivals in an area that could become the next big thing in electronics.
As robotic devices move out of the realms of science fiction, innovative firms are rolling out sophisticated robots to do everything from patrolling shopping malls to cutting grass on golf courses and mimicking pets.
Developers are also working on robots for more practical uses like household assistance and dangerous tasks normally performed by humans, including bomb detection and disposal and moving objects in factories.
Microsoft’s Bill Gates has said robotic devices could have as profound an impact on the way people work and communicate as the personal computer has had over the past three decades.
This could be the opportunity Taiwan is waiting for.
Taiwan fashioned itself into a leading chip and PC maker after losing its edge as a toy king and is now ready for another transformation as chips and PC margins come under pressure.
But companies acknowledge it may be several years before they can see meaningful returns from their investments.
A handful of niche Taiwanese firms such as Micro-Star International Co (MSI) and Hon Hai, with rich experience building PCs and gadgets for other big-name companies, are tipped to be potential winners and are already at work at building their brands.
‘For years, Taiwan has generated a lot of energy in PCs,’ said Jesse Chen, a research centre manager at MSI, which makes notebook PCs for the likes of Dell and Hewlett-Packard and also sells laptops under its own name.
‘But when the computer industry matures, it is time to think how that can be connected with robotics.’
Taiwan aims to take a 7 per cent share of the global robotics market and exports worldwide worth NT$250 billion (S$11.2 billion) by 2015, according to Taiwan’s Precision Machinery Research & Development Center.
‘The electronics industry, especially electronic components, communications equipment and automotive electronics, is highly developed in Taiwan,’ said Gudrun Litzenberger, director of the International Federation of Robotics Statistical Department.
The department forecasts there will be 18 million robots worldwide in 2011, more than double the number in 2007.
The entertainment industry has had successes with the likes of basic robotic toys like Tiger Electronics’ talking Furby in the late 1990s and Sony’s AIBO dog, which can see and recognise spoken commands, in the early 2000s.
Taiwan’s top electronics parts maker, Hon Hai Precision, wants to follow in their footsteps by teaming up with US toymaker Ugobe to make and sell Pleo, a robot dinosaur toy that can be taught to beg for food and wag its tail.
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