Robots Raid Automatica: ABB's Heavyweight Champs, Iggy Rob's Debut, and the Humanoid Hustle!

This is you Robotics Industry Insider: AI & Automation News podcast.

The robotics and automation sector is witnessing a defining moment as technological breakthroughs, rapid market expansion, and bold partnerships reshape the landscape for industrial and collaborative robots worldwide. This week, ABB Robotics took center stage at Automatica 2025 in Munich with the debut of three heavy-duty robot arms and the Flexley Mover P603 autonomous mobile robot, signaling what ABB calls the new era of autonomous versatile robotics. The new IRB models handle payloads up to 350 kilograms and feature overhead installations, making them ideal for the dense, high-throughput environments of automotive and electronics manufacturing. ABB’s Flexley Mover uses advanced Visual Slam navigation and can precision-haul loads of 1,500 kilograms, offering logistics managers unprecedented flexibility and efficiency. Marc Segura, head of ABB’s robotics division, emphasized that this generation of robots fuses dexterity, mobility, and artificial intelligence to tackle diverse factory challenges without reprogramming or manual intervention.

Industry momentum extends to humanoid and collaborative robots as well. Motion plastics firm Igus just entered the humanoid race with Iggy Rob for industrial and service use, and Dexterity’s Mech, a so-called superhumanoid, has begun operational validation for truck unloading at Sagawa Express’s Tokyo hub. This underscores how research investments and partnerships are rapidly shifting from the innovation lab to full-scale deployment. Neura Robotics is forging alliances with HD Hyundai to bring agile humanoids into shipbuilding, while E Tech Group’s acquisition of JSat Automation signals continuing consolidation among robotic systems integrators.

Market research paints a robust path forward. According to Grand View Research, the industrial automation market will reach nearly 227 billion dollars in 2025, accelerating at over 10 percent annual growth through 2030. Asia-Pacific already claims nearly 40 percent of market revenue, but expansion is global as manufacturers chase efficiency, consistency, and precision. Research from Interact Analysis expects the collaborative robot segment to kick off a new growth cycle, powered by falling hardware costs and smarter, safer AI systems. Real-world case studies highlight that over 90 percent of employees report improved productivity through automation, and companies often see operating costs drop by more than 20 percent.

For listeners, the takeaway is urgent: companies looking to stay ahead must prioritize integrating flexible automation platforms, especially those built on advanced AI vision and mobility. Partnering with innovators and investing in workforce reskilling will be crucial, as will tracking promising new solutions in logistics and high-mix production.

Looking ahead, the convergence of AI, robotics, and connected systems promises even broader capabilities: self-optimizing production lines, smarter logistics hubs, and true human-machine collaboration that transforms the way goods and services are created. That wraps up this week’s insider look at robotics and automation. Thank you for tuning in, and be sure to come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please production—check out Quiet Please Dot A I for more from me.


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