Leading - but under the public radar

It doesn't always have to be Zurich. A visit to Asic Robotics AG, a general contractor for automation and industrial robotics in Burgdorf, Bern: a modern, prestigious building on the outside, but inside you'll find good Swiss understatement. Managing Director Milo Gasser doesn't see himself as a CEO who constantly has to be in the spotlight. "We are more engineering types than marketing types," he explained to journalists a year ago.

"We understand robots", Asic Robotics AG claims of itself. So, is Milo Gasser a "robot understander"? His answer: "Behind every robot are people. The industrial robots that we integrate into our solutions are actually 'dumb'. This is in contrast to other trends of 'intelligent' and so-called collaborating robots. Our motto for the last 25 years has been to only use robotics where it really makes sense." Meaningful and beneficial use of automation: this is the crucial difference from all those notions of robotics that are better off in the realm of science fiction. It's not cyborgs working in factories, but still flesh-and-blood humans - but operating sophisticated machines that perform many processes without human intervention.

"Smart Machines"

Asic Robotics AG stands in a line with many other Swiss companies that are leaders in the development of "smart machines", as Milo Gasser calls them. Robotics is deeply rooted in the tradition of Swiss industry. Our country has always been a leader in mechanical engineering, microtechnology, precision mechanics or optics. Since 2010, robotics has also been a national research priority of the Swiss National Science Foundation. A network for cutting-edge research has been created, which today comprises more than two dozen research laboratories, for example at the two Federal Institutes of Technology ETH and EPFL. Spin-offs that aim to bring robotics solutions to market are constantly being created in the environment of these internationally renowned universities. "While other countries are still researching, Zurich is already seeing action," says the Greater Zurich Area website, a location promotion platform for the region that likes to see itself as "the Silicon Valley of robotics". The Greater Zurich Area and the region around Lac Léman are indeed hotspots of the Swiss robotics scene. The "Start-up Radar" 2018/19, published by the startupticker. ch, shows a very high number of start-ups in the field of "industrial products and technologies" compared to other countries. This is particularly evident in comparison with Germany: although the countries are quite similar in terms of economic structure and the continued importance of the manufacturing industry, start-ups from this sector account for almost twice as high a proportion in Switzerland as in Germany, according to the "Start-up Radar".

Robotics - a topic for many areas

In terms of robotics, Switzerland is therefore a location for both research and start-ups. Research within the framework of the above-mentioned national funding programme is being conducted in three areas: "Wearable Robotics", "Rescue Robotics" and "Educational Robotics". In the case of wearable robotics, the aim is to develop wearable robotic systems that can be used primarily for rehabilitation purposes. These systems - for example in the form of so-called "neuro-prostheses" or exoskeletons - are intended to facilitate the recovery of sensomotoric abilities (such as locomotion or gripping movements after severe injuries to the musculoskeletal system or the spinal column). The Rescue Robotics area is concerned with the development of technologies that can be used for unmanned rescue operations, for example. The goal is to create heterogeneous robot teams consisting of multi-legged or flying devices that can interact with their environment, learn by themselves and collaborate symbiotically with humans. One example is ANYmal, a four-legged robot designed for operations in harsh environments, such as inspection and detection tasks in industry or disasters. Or foldable drones, which - like birds - can also fly through narrow gaps, are in development and are already waiting for their first missions.

A lot of engineering knowledge is needed to develop robot technology. But where do you get this knowledge in times of a shortage of skilled workers? One approach is to introduce children and young people to robotics as part of science and mathematics lessons at school. This is also the goal of "Educational Robotics". Thymio", for example, was developed as an educational robot that children can easily program themselves. In this way, they come into contact with robot technology at an early age through play - experts hope that the fascination with robotics will then also be retained for a later career choice.

Robotics affects us all

Smart people build smart machines: Which brings us back to Asic Robotics AG. Smart machines that can replace less smart people? Of course automation is a megatrend, admits Milo Gasser. Technological progress will lead to major changes, especially in the less qualified workforce. "But that has been the case with all industrial revolutions in the past," says Gasser. The thesis that robotics is destroying jobs is also too short-sighted. Milo Gasser cites the textile industry as an example, where new jobs are being created in this country thanks to automation - thanks to re-shoring, i.e. the return of production from low-wage countries to Europe. Robotics thus offers an opportunity to halt the creeping deindustrialization that is taking hold in Central Europe in the medium to long term. And perhaps it is time to raise public awareness of precisely this opportunity - and also of the "hidden champions".

Sources and information

• www.swissroboticsindustry.ch
• www.nccr-robotics.ch
• www.venturekick.ch