On industry news, automatica, the leading exhibition for smart automation and robotics, took place from 24 to 27 June in Munich last week. This year became the most visited automatica show since its start in 2004, with a record of over 49,000 visitors from around the world. Exhibitors from more than 30 countries took part, showcasing solutions across AI, manufacturing, machine vision, healthcare, logistics, and more.

Overview & Highlights

There were many impressive booths from major robotics manufacturers such as ABB, FANUC, KUKA, Yaskawa, and others. But one of the most notable appearances came from Chinese brand ESTUN, stepping into the European market with a full portfolio of industrial and collaborative robots from 3kg to 1000kg. Together with dozens of other brands originated from China, the scale of presentation shows that Chinese robotics are no longer catching up, they are rapidly advancing.

Another trend that stood out was the transparency in pricing. Many exhibitors displayed end customer price tags on their robots and systems, a move led by companies like igus (whose slogan is Automate your factory from £2,000). The cost of automation is dropping, and full workcell solutions are becoming accessible to smaller businesses. For example:

• 5kg payload FAIRINO cobot is available for well under £3,000 (~$3,588)
• 6-axis igus ReBeL pick-and-place cell is listed at under £10,000 (~€11,555)

The message is clear: Automation is no longer exclusive to big factories with big budgets.

No-Code Programming: Getting Closer?

Automation saves human labour, from lifting heavy parts to making sandwiches. But what makes automation more efficient? We need the right solutions in terms of planning, deployment, and maintenance, besides hardware tools like robots and machines.

At the show, we saw mobile service robots that can be set up in a hospital environment in just one day, delivering meds and running errands. Meanwhile, on the factory floor, robots are everywhere, but deployment still poses the same challenge: How long does it take to implement automation, and who’s qualified to do it?

The traditional teach pendant method doesn’t require coding, but it can take days or weeks to complete a project. PC-based software offers flexibility and speed, but it can be intimidating for many engineers without a programming background.

That’s where no-code solutions come in. From drag-and-drop programming, voice command triggers, to AI-assisted task planning. Intelligent software solutions enable users to simulate and generate robot code in hours instead of days. The challenge is about making software accessible and trainable for the existing workforce. We need a shift in training, and tools that are designed with end users in mind.

To Humanoid or Not to Humanoid?

AI and humanoid robots are definitely trending this year. But do we need humanoids? We’ve seen this question before. When robot arms first became popular, the debate was: Do we use a robot arm or invest in a dedicated machine? While in industry there is a machine for everything, today robot arms (originally mimicking human arms) are standard for tasks like assembly, packaging, and machine tending.

Now we ask the same about humanoids: Is it just an impractical form over function, or a future proof design? There are clear emotional and perceptual advantages to humanoid and animal-like robots, but do we really need machines with two legs, two arms, and ten fingers? Not always. But if a general purpose humanoid robot can mimic human actions across many tasks, it could replace dozens of specialised machines.

The cost and accessibility are key factors. For example, many high-end home appliances may have automatic features like self-cleaning to save human effort, but investing in one humanish robot could become more cost effective later. As demonstrated, the hardware is already impressive, and control systems are catching up fast, we just need accessible software solutions and intuitive task programming. When that’s solved, we may finally see humanoid robots move from novelty into necessity.

Cobots: Quietly Taking Over

Collaborative robots (cobots) made strong presentations at automatica 2025. Despite accounting for still roughly 10% of global industrial robot sales, cobots appeared to be everywhere at the show.

Cobots bridge the gap between traditional automation and human collaboration, and are demonstrated across industries: from electronics assembly to medicine distribution, machine tending to palletising. Nowadays they are offered by both new startups and established brands expanding their product lines.

The advantages are clear:

• Lower costs
• Easy programming
• Built-in safety
• Quicker deployment in flexible workspaces

We see that cobots are no longer seen as niche tools, they’re becoming standard choices in the automation industry.

Final Thoughts

Automatica 2025 shows that automation has become not just smarter, but more accessible, flexible, and human-friendly ever than before. From impressive hardware and controls, to accessible software, the tools and technologies on display showed that we’re a step forward into a future where automation is for everyone, not just for engineers and big companies.