The 2009 Taipei International Robot Show (TIROS) was the largest such exhibition ever held in Taiwan and a must-do for the robot industry. The Aug. 5-8 show was organized by the Robotics Association Taiwan (ROBOAT) and held at the Nangang Exhibition Hall of the Taipei World Trade Center, with 100 domestic and foreign companies showcasing their latest products in 318 booths.

The 2009 Asian Robotics Industry Development Forum, held on the first day of the show, featured keynote speeches on robotics technology, technology and application, creation and application, sensors, integration, and the drive for localization by representatives from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the Korea Association of Robot Industry (KAR), and Shenzhen Robot Association (SRA).

The forum was chaired by Eric Y.T. Chuo, chairman of ROBOAT and president of the Hiwin Technology Corp., and moderated by Prof. Huang Han-pang of the Mechanical Engineering Department of National Taiwan University. The event, Chuo stressed, offered a great opportunity for people from industry and academe to map out industrial development strategies and seek out partners for international cooperation.

Chuo went on to say that many countries around the world are working hard to develop their robotics industries, especially with the steady maturation of the relevant technologies. In Taiwan, suggested ROC Vice President Vincent Siew, 2008 was the "pioneer year" for the robotics industry. The island`s government has pinpointed the intelligent robotics industry as a key industry for development in the next generation, hoping that Taiwan will develop into one of the world`s leading producers of robotics.

South Korea has listed robotics as a new-generation growth industry, and beginning this year will appropriate around US$152 million annually for its development. China has included robotics in its eleventh five-year national development plan, and lists service robotics as a priority item for high-tech R&D.

The forum got started with introductions to the robotics industries of Taiwan and Japan, followed by a discussion session on the market outlook and another on trends in industrial and service robots.

According to the organizer of the show, robots can be divided into two categories: industrial robots, and service robots. Industrial robots have been used for a long time, and account for most robot production. With the global trends of aging population and declining birth rate, however, many countries are now investing heavily in the development of robots designed to serve as companions and nurses as well as to replace human beings in the workplace.

A survey conducted by the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, shows that Taiwan lags behind the United States, Japan, the industrialized countries of Europe, and South Korea in the development of robot technology. However, with a well-established industrial supply chain and a strong ability to respond rapidly to market demand, Taiwan still has a chance to become a major development and production center for the global robotics industry.

The Taiwan government has pledged to work toward that goal by helping domestic manufacturers develop robot product modules, accelerate the pace of product commercialization, cultivate and train professionals, and tap the international market. The target is for Taiwan`s total robot production value to reach NT$250 billion (US$7.59 billion) in 2015.

Robots for Entertainment and Education
Among the eye-catchers at the show were the robot horses, deer, and dogs, designed for entertainment and education, which were displayed by the Fenton Automation Industrial Co. The firm was founded in 1983 in Taiwan`s southern county of Kaohsiung to make and sell pneumatic and hydraulic industrial automation equipment and parts, and after a few years moved into teaching equipment.

Company officials say that Fenton specializes in providing automation equipment for education and technical training throughout the world. In addition to equipment and parts, the firm also offers technical consulting services to the industrial automation industry; further, it publishes and sells technical textbooks and reference books on automation.

The firm operates a modern technical training school to train its own employees as well as to provide continuing education and on-site training for others.

Its robot animals have many functions, and are designed for various purposes; there are a gift series, intelligence and education series, and entertainment series. The robot horse, for example, can be employed at birthday parties, promotional activities, festive celebrations, awards ceremonies, and cultural-exchange events.

The intelligence and education series robots are made of plastic injected parts and can be used for bands, brainstorm training, thinking, and entertainment; in education mode, they can work in such areas as plastic materials, plastic molds, computer diagramming, appearance design, mechanical assembly, mechanical design, electronic control, production management, and project management.

The company`s robot dogs include a challenge dog, voice dog, and electronic-circuit practice dog. The last, according to the company, is one of its most popular export items; it can provide 17 kinds of electronic circuit practice, including switch control module, sound control module, light sensor element control module, light-breaker control module, infrared control module, temperature control module, 555 oscillators module, buzzer module, and repeating movement module.


So Who Needs a Human?
Another popular exhibit at TIROS was made up of sporting educational robots developed by I-Chung Computer, which was established in 1991 and specializes in the publication of books on single chips as well as the distribution of single-chip development tools. It set up its affiliate in Taiwan in 1997 to concentrate on the publishing business while headquarters focused on the development and production of versatile service and entertainment robots.

Since early 2001 the company has been cooperating with vocational schools and other academic institutions around Taiwan in holding CPLD and LabView seminars aimed at introducing advanced technologies for the training and development of robotics professionals.

Among the unique products on display at the I-Chung Computer booth at TIROS were robotic spiders, six-axis servomotor robotic dogs, and robotic birds, among others. The company claims that its I-SOBOT product is the world`s smallest bipedal walking robot, being just 16.5cm tall and weighing in at 350 grams. It has 17 servomotors, helping it to walk more or less naturally, and an LCD (liquid crystal display) remote control. It is tagged at NT$9,950 (US$288.75).

The firm`s robotic spider, priced at NT$13,500 (US$410.33), has two servomotors driving six feet that simulate the actions of a real spider.

High-value-added Industrial Robots
One of the top foreign exhibitors at the show was the KUKA Robot Automation Group of Germany, one of the world`s leading manufacturers of industrial robots, which was represented by its Taiwan subsidiary.

The company makes all of its industrial robots, linear units, controllers, software, and other products in Germany. Its state-of-the-art robots have been used for decades in all kinds of industries throughout the world, said the company representative, from plastics to metals, from foods to foundries, and from logistics to entertainment and medicine.

The company stressed that its robots can operate individually or as a team, facilitating the processing of extremely large parts. All production processes, such as laser welding, cutting, and hybrid welding, and camera-monitored, are monitored by cameras.

KUKA`s KR210 robot, for instance, can handle components using a technology called "KUKA RoboTeam" which enables robots to cooperate with each other in real time via data exchange. KUKA also offers the DKP 2000 positioning table, which makes it possible to process components with diameters up to 2.5 meters.

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