Humanoid robots at Hanover IT exhibition

Enumerating the efficiency of robots

Employment controversy is not the only hurdle in the way of growth of robotics. Industrial robots are expensive.

Of the 36,860 robots bought by Chinese enterprises last year, 9,597 came from domestic producers, while the remaining 73 percent were imported. Even robots classified as home-grown in fact rely on key imported component.

If China is to start producing more of its own robots (and lower costs in the process), it needs to get round a dearth of talent.

"We are in dire need of talented people that can provide solutions and help with system integration in factories," according to Liu Yihua, director-general of the Automation Society of Guangdong province.

Just as the onus is on authorities to train staff to operate robots, Liu stresses that it is the responsibility of the government, colleges and companies to work together to cultivate personnel to design and produce the technology.

"China trails other countries in application of industrial robots in terms of the usage density, so there is huge market potential to be tapped," said Wu Xinyu.