International differences in industrial robot use : trends, puzzles, and possible implications for developing countries

Abstract

This paper analyzes the development and diffusion of robotics technology, and suggests likely impacts of continued technological progress on the developing countries. The paper begins with a description of the history of the development of industrial robots in the United States, Western Europe, and Japan, and the succession of applications in which the technology was first used. Comparative statistics on the use of robots, over time and across countries, are then constructed, and it is shown that there are large international and interindustry differences in the extent of industrial robot use. The first large scale application of the technology was in the automobile industry, and the growth of robot use in auto manufacture is examined in detail in order to gain some insight into factors affecting its adoption. A concluding section examines possible implications for developing countries. In the short-term, these countries would seem to have little ground for worry, though in very specific industries and applications there is some reason for concern. In particular, developing countries might be well-advised to avoid long-term industrialization strategies centered on the labor-intensive manual assembly of electronics products, where robotization is proceeding most quickly.