The Road of Sino German Robot Cooperation: From "Following" to "Working Side by Side"
The extent to which robots will replace humans in the future is still unknown, but it is certain that robot technology has become a trend in the current field of intelligent manufacturing. This is especially true for the two manufacturing giants, China and Germany.
In the face of a new round of global competition, China and Germany, which regard manufacturing as the foundation of a country and a strong nation, have respectively proposed "Made in China 2025" and "Industry 4.0". In the process of aligning these two strategies, robots are becoming a shining point.
Sino German robot cooperation yields fruitful results
As a global leader in manufacturing equipment, "Made in Germany" is regarded as a product quality assurance certificate, and this is also true in the field of robotics. As early as the mid to late 1970s, the German government mandated the implementation of machine substitution in certain toxic and harmful positions. In recent years, Germany has further promoted the introduction of the Internet of Things and information technology into the manufacturing industry, creating an intelligent production model.
As a rising star in the field of robotics, China is catching up from behind. According to statistics from the China Robot Industry Alliance, the sales of domestically produced industrial robots in China continued to grow in 2016, with a total of 29144 units sold throughout the year, an increase of 16.8% compared to the previous year based on comparable caliber. Domestic robots have served 34 major industries in China's national economy, and the consumption of robots in consumer goods manufacturing industries such as furniture, clothing, and tobacco has doubled.
For the development of robots, China and Germany have chosen the path of complementary advantages and win-win cooperation - China needs German quality, while Germany cannot do without the rapidly developing Chinese market.
In fact, as early as April 2015, the first Sino German intelligent robot cooperation project, "Intelligent Engineering Machinery Robot," had been successfully signed; The Sino German Joint Research Center for Robotics, established in November of the same year, plans to launch industrial and service robot products with leading core technologies, striving to achieve localization of robot core components.
At the enterprise level, the cooperation between the two countries in robotics has also yielded frequent results.去年，中国家电企业美的斥巨资成功收购世界顶尖机器人企业德国库卡；今年6月1日，在两国总理见证下，中国四维时代科技有限公司又与德国人工智能研究中心签订合作协议。
不难看出，如今中德在机器人领域正逐渐确立起政府搭台、企业为主的合作机制，形成了以智能制造为切入点，多领域合作齐头并进的良好态势，为进一步推动务实合作奠定了基础。
从跟随到并肩，双向交流渐成常态
在德国汽车巨头宝马位于沈阳的华晨宝马汽车发动机熔铸车间中，一台台激光导航自动导引运输车（Automated Guided Vehicle ，简称AGV）正在穿梭忙碌。这些看似平常的大家伙配合同样自动化的升降机，可以将货物直接运送到2楼，从而真正实现“无人车间”。
作为轮式移动机器人的一种，沈阳华晨宝马工厂使用的这款AGV是纯正中国货，出自中国机器人行业领军企业新松机器人。据介绍，新松研发的这款改造型智能叉车在外观上与常规人工叉车并无明显区别，只是在“头顶”多了一个旋转激光导航传感器。通过传感器回报的坐标信息，技术人员可以计算出AGV当前所在位置，再对其进行运动控制。
AGV只是新松与德方合作的一个缩影。该公司品牌与公关部部长哈恩晶告诉记者，新松与德国合作历史已达10年，其中与宝马合作业务金额超过3亿元人民币，主要涉及汽车总装流水线上进行自动装配和作业的移动机器人，以及用于汽车焊接等环节的工业类机器人等。
新松与德方的合作，更映射出中德两国在机器人等智能制造领域合作的新趋势：由拜师学艺逐渐转向平等切磋。
“为什么宝马用我们的产品？说明我们的机器人在性能指标和技术领先性方面跟国际品牌走在头一阵列。”哈恩晶表示，在机器人行业中只有产品达到一定技术门槛才能得到客户认可，加之中国企业提供了优质服务和性价比优势，这才能被高标准的德国企业看中。
德国汉堡大学信息科学系多模态技术研究所所长张建伟亦指出，两国合作中只有德国对中国的信息输出是行不通的。他认为，中国企业在与德方合作过程中应该增强自信，展现自身优势，从而在让德国人也通过交流受益，实现真正的双赢。
技术差距缩小，合作空间巨大
从跟随到追赶，再到逐渐并肩，中德机器人领域的差距不断缩小，但合作空间依然巨大。
哈恩晶直言，尽管中国机器人技术近年来发展迅速，但要想完全赶上德国仍有差距，“我们和德国宝马等公司并肩前行，从它们身上获得提升，这对于中国企业自身的管理水平、技术标准和研发能力都有很大带动，这种交流合作非常有必要。”
“目前中国国内各行各业，包括政府都十分重视智能制造、人工智能和机器人，这对我们来讲是一个千载难逢的好时机。” 张建伟则提醒，中德技术合作不可盲目，要有清晰路线图。
他表示，尤其中国各地方要邀请真正有专业知识、了解产业发展方向、了解世界同行业水平和发展趋势，并具有国际前瞻视野的智囊团，结合自身工业特点和区位优势，找好自己在中国、甚至在世界大环境下的定位，制定出切实可行的发展规划。“这样才能避免闭门造车，同质化竞争。”
值得一提的是，由于中德两国在思维习惯、商业习惯、工作方式等方面都存在差异，既了解两国文化，又具备智能制造专业能力的人才缺乏成为中德机器人合作中一大阻碍。
中国企业已经看到这一点。新松旗下一家子公司于去年成功并购了具有百年历史的德国陶特洛夫职业培训学院，希望以此汲取“德国制造”的优势和先进培训经验。
在哈恩晶看来，机器人工业的快速发展不可避免将带来人才短缺，上述举措有助于培养更多专业化人才，同时从人才教育领域进一步探索中德机器人合作的新方向。
（来源：欧洲时报 作者：王恩博）
