Bernstein on the North American robotics market: From the battle of forms to solutions

At the 2025 World Robot Conference, Jeff Burnstein, the President of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) in the United States, shared his in - depth insights into the current situation and future trends of the North American robot market.

During his speech, Burnstein reviewed the journey of the robot industry from being "pronounced dead" to its current booming development. He clearly depicted with data the fluctuations in robot orders in the North American market and the strong rise of robots in non - automotive industries, presenting a healthier and more diverse industrial ecosystem.

In the highly anticipated humanoid robot craze, Mr. Burnstein, with his unique perspective, affirmed the progress while maintaining a cautious attitude. He reminded us that while chasing technological frontiers, we should not forget the most fundamental business logic - "Customers only care about solutions."

Additionally, Burnstein revealed two emerging opportunities in the North American robot market: warehousing and logistics, and the construction industry. He reminded us that the ultimate goal of applying robot technology is to solve social problems and benefit humanity.

The following is the transcript of Jeff Burnstein's speech:

Everyone here may have been, like me many years ago, attracted by the visions of industrial robots triggering "the next industrial revolution" and artificial intelligence "changing the world." However, we also heard concerns about job losses due to robots and AI. In North America, there was a period when the industrial robot industry was considered a "failure" or even "dead." But today, we can proudly say that the robot industry has not failed; it just needed time to develop.

Currently, the hottest topic is humanoid robots, which I'll talk about later in my speech. Today, I'll show some videos. I need to point out in advance that the companies I'm showing are not necessarily the best. I'm not recommending these companies; they are just examples of what's happening in North America.

Before I start, let me briefly introduce our association.

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) where I work was established in 1974. Initially, it was just a robot association. Now, A3 has evolved into a comprehensive association with over 1,400 corporate members from 35 countries around the world. It covers not only the robot field but also the entire ecosystem including artificial intelligence, machine vision, and motion control. I'm very proud that we have over 40 Chinese member enterprises.

The Current Situation of the North American Robot Market

In terms of market data, different from the shipment volume reported by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), we at A3 focus more on order volume. In 2022, we saw a significant increase in orders, mainly because the pandemic prompted enterprises to order robots in advance, resulting in an approximately 30% increase in orders that year. Subsequently, orders started to decline in 2023, but in 2024 and this year, we've seen a continuous but modest increase.

An important positive sign is that the North American robot industry is reducing its over - reliance on the automotive industry. In the early days, about 75% to 80% of robots were sold to the automotive industry. We realized that for the long - term development of the industry, we had to expand the non - automotive market. Now, in some years, the order volume from non - automotive industries has equaled or slightly exceeded that from the automotive industry. This shows that our robot technology is penetrating into almost all industries such as aerospace, electronics, consumer goods, and food production. Nevertheless, we believe that the application of North American robot technology is still in its early stages, and there is still a long way to go.

Emerging Forms and Technological Empowerment

Currently, the hottest topic is undoubtedly humanoid robots. At this conference, over 50 companies showcased humanoid robots, and many industry leaders painted a picture of the future of humanoid robots. However, in North America, the number of humanoid robots is still extremely small. Although a large amount of capital has flowed in, we are skeptical about whether humanoid robots can quickly develop fast, cheap, accurate, and safe solutions.

I'll give a few examples: Currently, the only North American company I know that is producing humanoid robots is Agility Robotics. Their robots work at GXO Logistics, but due to the lack of safety standards, the robots have to be separated from humans. Another company, Figure, which has received the most venture capital, demonstrated in a video the ability of their humanoid robots to sort packages, but this only represents progress.

I want to emphasize one point: Customers always care about solutions, not the specific form of the robot. They don't care whether it's a humanoid robot, a mobile robot, or a collaborative robot. They just want a tool that can perform tasks effectively, repetitively, accurately, and at low cost.

So, where are the emerging opportunities in the North American robot market? I think there are two major areas worth noting:

Warehousing and Logistics: The huge growth of e - commerce and the labor shortage have brought great opportunities to the warehousing and logistics field. People are reluctant to move heavy packages in warehouses, and autonomous mobile robots and machine vision are helping robots complete tasks such as sorting. Although Amazon is the largest robot user in North America, as far as I know, currently only about 5% of warehouses in the United States use robot automation, indicating a huge market potential. Besides Amazon, Walmart, and Target, all major companies in this field have either deeply applied or are starting to adopt robot and automation technologies.

Construction Industry: The construction industry also faces a serious labor shortage problem. Many construction jobs are unpopular. I've learned that the U.S. construction industry will need about 439,000 new workers. For example, a startup's dual - arm robot solution can complete the bracket installation work in 15 minutes, which previously took two people an hour. This could potentially shorten the construction time of high - rise buildings by up to a year. Additionally, there are robots that can lay 3,000 bricks a day, while a human can only lay 1,000. This will be a huge improvement, especially in an industry with a severe labor shortage.

The Emerging Impact of Artificial Intelligence

Finally, I'd like to talk about the emerging impact of artificial intelligence. Emerging applications such as artificial intelligence and simulation technology are having a significant impact on the robot world. When communicating with the public and policymakers, we should emphasize how artificial intelligence benefits society.

How exciting would it be if a treatment for liver cancer could be found in 30 days instead of a year? Artificial intelligence is a tool to assist doctors, not a replacement. We should not be afraid of it but support it.

I know that many people are skeptical about the future of humanoid robots and self - driving cars. When I talk to companies, they say that users just want a solution. People are skeptical that humanoid robots can quickly develop to provide the solutions they want. The solution must be fast, cheap, accurate, and safe. This may happen, but at least in North America, it may not happen in three or five years.

Just as Elon Musk once predicted that self - driving cars would become popular soon, but we're still waiting. I believe that self - driving and humanoid robots will eventually become a reality, but only if we persevere. From my perspective, the form is not important. What matters is always the robot solution that can solve customers' problems.

China is making large - scale bets and investing heavily. They are innovating rapidly. If other countries truly believe this is the right form, they should do the same. From my perspective, the form is quite crucial. Robot solutions are what customers care about, and we should make changes.

This article is from "Tencent Technology", author: Yixuan. Republished by 36Kr with permission.