Cobots and AMRs can help manufacturers improve quality, accuracy, productivity, and profitability, said Ujjwal Kumar, group president of Teradyne Robotics, during his Automate 2025 keynote.
Credit: Mark T.
Hoske, Control EngineeringDETROIT — Unlike other automation, humanoid robots aren’t yet ready for widespread usage in manufacturing, said Ujjwal Kumar, ME, the group president of Teradyne Robotics, in his keynote at Automate 2025.
Teradyne is the parent company of Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots.Kumar gave his presentation, “Tech hype versus industrial need: Separating science fiction from scalable solutions,” at the annual trade show and conference of the Association for Advancing Automation’s (A3).
Automate had more than 875 exhibitors, over 40,000 registrants, and more than 140 conference sessions on robotics, machine vision, artificial intelligence, and other industrial automation topics.Manufacturers have several requirements for robotics that humanoids cannot yet meet, said Kumar.
They include safety, reliability, and the ability to easily fit into existing infrastructure.Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can move material autonomously and reliably.
Collaborative robot arms mounted on AMRs are already operating in industrial applications and have proven their maturity over the past 10 years, Kumar said.The role of physical AI, teaching, learning, and adaptation is here now, he added.
This includes dynamic path planning and adaptive behaviors.
Kumar showed a video of a robot installing a drill bit in a hand drill, picking up a block of wood, and drilling.
Another video clip showed a robot folding eyeglasses closed and putting them into a case.Don’t get caught up in humanoid robot hypeKumar asserted that advances in robotics could lead to unprecedented transformation of workplaces and people’s daily lives.
Amid that excitement, differentiating between hype and reality is important, he observed.Automation needs to drive real value, said Kumar.
How can AI-enabled robots benefit industry, and how can scalable, open platform technologies advance automation?Robotics and AI make headlines almost daily, Kumar pointed out.
Humanoids look like they’re ready for plant floor use today, but scaling such robots to industrial settings remains a challenge.
Headlines about humanoid robots can distract from real needs, he observed.“We don’t have the luxury of chasing science fiction,” said Kumar.
“We need to deliver ROI [return on investment] now.”

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Understand the labor equationKumar drew comparisons between his first job at General Motors in 1999 and today.“Now I see a lot of problems ready to be solved, and the whole ecosystem has to work together,” he said.
“We are in the front seat with several of you to solve labor, ergonomic, and other challenges.”Kumar claimed that the labor equation is broken across industries, with too few skilled workers available (see image below).
According to the United Nations, 2024 statistics showed that developed economies have been losing workforce capacity as consumer demand surges.
The population aged 65 and over will exceed those 24 and younger soon after 2035, it noted.Across industries, there are fewer hands to keep factories running, and even fewer to do physically demanding jobs, Kumar said.
“There’s a widening gap between the work that needs doing and available workers,” he said.
“We must align factories with the expectations of the next generation.”According to March 2025 data from the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, 622,000 manufacturing jobs are unfilled, and that’s before recent reshoring efforts, Kumar said.“We have a 20% labor force shortage for durable goods manufacturing,” he added.
“We need automation solutions to step in immediately, not later.
We need scalable solutions that work today.”The labor equation is broken for manufacturing, and cobots and AMRs can help, said Teradyne’s Kumar.
2024 U.N.
numbers show that, in developed economies, the population 65 and over will exceed those 24 and younger soon after 2035.
Source: Mark T.
Hoske, Control EngineeringHumanoids offer promise, have limitsThe allure of humanoid robots is strong, driven by science fiction, Kumar said.
Goldman Sachs has predicted a $38 billion market for humanoid robots by 2035.
Morgan Stanley has said 63 million humanoid robots will be deployed by 2050, globally, with 75% of job categories affected.Candidates for humanoid usage include elder care, disaster response, and, eventually, manufacturing.
To get from today’s concepts to widespread plant-floor applications, humanoid robots have a long way to go, said Kumar.
He acknowledged that Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, and others are making progress.“These are important steps, but early ones,” said Kumar.
“With today’s labor shortages, we cannot start with what is possible.
We need to start with what is needed.
Form follows function, not the other way around.”Battery life for humanoid robots is typically two to four hours, payload is generally around 20 kg (44 lb.), deployments are in the pilot phase, and regulations are immature, he said.
These systems are not yet ready for widespread deployment in manufacturing or warehousing.Most humanoids require active control and are potentially unstable for many applications, added Kumar.
He cited a Deutsche Bank prediction from February 2025, that said the humanoid robot market would expand from $75 billion in 2025 to $1 trillion by 2050.Industrial automation must meet five needs“I don’t see humanoid robots significantly impacting manufacturing anytime soon,” Kumar said.
“Task robotics are more efficient and cost-effective.
Humanoid robots have compelling opportunities in many applications, but not for manufacturing and logistics, not yet.”According to manufacturer feedback, there are five requirements for automation:Safety and reliabilityReal, measurable results with productivity and accuracyImproved work environmentsFit existing infrastructureEase of use with fast, flexible deployment and seamless integration — without a battalion of custom programmersRespondents to a 2024 Universal Robots manufacturing survey said they want automation to improve product quality, increase productivity, boost accuracy, and improve finances.
Credit: Mark T.
Hoske, Control EngineeringFrom the 2024 Universal Robots manufacturer survey (see above), respondents want real, measurable results:54% improve product quality50% increase productivity and meet rising demand49% improve accuracy36% improve finances (cutting costs, raising profits)Why cobots and AMRs fit today’s automation needsAt present, humanoid robots are highly variable, without economies of scale, requiring months or years of planning, but automation needs to implement changes more rapidly, said Teradyne’s Kumar.
Today’s robots can address immediate needs with flexibility, he said.Automation needs to deliver on payload, precision, ease of integration, and production flow, as well as be tailored for the environment, Kumar explained.
Robots are better off with wheels now.Cobots are designed to work alongside people and can handle tasks in workcells precisely, without added complexities.
They are often the right tools for the job, Kumar said.Platforms matter, from stand-alone robots to scalable solutions, he said.
Universal Robots has pioneered an ecosystem with partners to adapt technologies for a wide range of applications, from welding to palletizing.More than 50 solutions are available through the UR+ network to solve real customer problems.
The open platform provides an open platform, speed, ease of integration, and depth of offerings because no one company can do it all, said Kumar.For example, the Robotiq PE20 palletizing system at Universal Robots’ Automate booth can operate with an 18 kg (39.6 lb.) payload at 12 cycles per minute with vision guidance.
It fits into existing end-of-line configurations with no custom code required, said Kumar.The three- to five-year vision from Teradyne Robotics is not catching up, but staying ahead, he said.“Automation won’t be optional.
It’s foundational,” Kumar asserted.
“Automation empowers, does not replace, the workforce.
Don’t build around the robot.
Build around the problem.”Combinations of AMRs and collaborative robots are already available.
Teradyne’s MC600 mobile manipulator recently won an RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award.Robots and automation can help industry nowKumar listed five ways in which automation can help industry now:Start with function: Build solutions around your tasks.Harness technology: Use mature, functional, well-integrated automation.
Too many industries are stuck in Industry 3.0.Embrace open ecosystem: Leverage platforms that accelerate integration.Invest in flexibility: Choose programs that evolve with you.Upskill the workforce: Train people to collaborate with automation tools.Use a standard configurable platform for hardware and software, Kumar suggested.
Teradyne Robotics’ ustomers include Analog Devices, Matthews International, NVIDIA, and Siemens.The UR+ ecosystem has more than 300 partners, 500 applications, over 400 systems integrators, and more than 200 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with 100,000 cobots shipped.The MiR Go ecosystem for Mobile Industrial Robots exceeds 60 partners, has more than 150 applications, includes 50 systems integrators, and four OEMs with 11,000 AMRs shipped.“Our solution is to work with you and partners to develop the tools that we all need today,” concluded Kumar.Editor’s note: This article was syndicated from The Robot Report sibling site Control Engineering.

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