International Federation of Robotics

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) is a professional non-profit organization established in 1987 to promote, strengthen and protect the robotics industry worldwide.[1]

International Federation of Robotics (IFR)
AbbreviationIFR
Formation1987
TypeNGO
Legal statusInternational Federation
PurposeInternational co-operation in the field of Robotics
HeadquartersFrankfurt
Region served
World
Membership
national robotics associations, robotics companies, robotics institutes

Activities
Factory automation with KUKA industrial robots for palletizing food products like bread and toast at a bakery in Germany
The Mars rover as an example for a mobile service robots

The purpose of the International Federation of Robotics is to promote research, development, use and international co-operation in the entire field of robotics, industrial robots as well as service robots. The IFR is also coordinator of the International Symposium on Robotics (ISR), one of the oldest conferences for robotics research, founded in 1970.[1]

The IFR's statistical department publishes the study World Robotics every year.[2] This publication contains detailed statistical data for some 50 countries, broken down by application areas, industrial branches, types of robots and by other technical and economic variables. The IFR estimates that about 381,000 industrial were sold in 2017, 30% more than in 2016. China was again by far the largest market destination for industrial robots in 2017. About 138,000 units were sold, 59% more than in 2016.[3]

Members

Today nearly all international industrial robot suppliers and 12 national robots associations are active members of IFR, including the biggest robot using countries like US (RIA), Japan (JARA), Taiwan (TAIROA), Germany (VDMA), Italy (SIRI) or Spain (AERATP). A full list of members is available on the IFR website. Headquarters of this umbrella organization of national robotics associations is in Frankfurt, Germany.

Country IFR Member Associations Website
 Spain Asociación Española de Robótica (AER) https://web.archive.org/web/20190210231739/https://www.aer-automation.com/aer-atp-eng/
 United Kingdom British Automation & Robotics Association (BARA) http://www.bara.org.uk
 China China Robot Industry Alliance (CRIA) http://cria.mei.net.cn/
 Denmark Danish Industrial Robot Association (DIRA) http://www.dira.dk
 Japan Japan Robot Association (JARA) http://www.jara.jp
 United States Robotic Industries Association (RIA) http://www.robotics.org
 Russia Russian Association of Robotics (RAR) http://www.robotunion.ru
 Italy Associazione Italiana di Robotica e Automazione (SIRI) http://www.robosiri.it
 Sweden Swedish Industrial Robot Association (SWIRA) http://www.swira.se
 France Syndicat des machines et technologies de production(SYMOP) http://www.symop.com
 Taiwan Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robotics Association (TAIROA) http://www.tairoa.org.tw
 Germany VDMA Robotics + Automation (VDMA R+A) https://web.archive.org/web/20080828060455/http://www.vdma.org/r+a

[4]

Organizational structure

The organizational structure of IFR includes following bodies.[5]

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the supreme body of the Federation that determines policy. It is composed of the nominated delegates of national associations, the Robot Suppliers Committee and the Research Committee.

Executive Board

The IFR Executive Board consists of a maximum of fifteen voting members:

  • eleven members representing the geographic regions North America, Europe, Asia and Rest of the World including the President, and the Vice President
  • two representatives of the Robot Suppliers Committee
  • two representatives of the Research Committee

Statistical Department

The Statistical Department publishes the yearly report World Robotics. The national robotics associations are supporting the department, which is hosted by the German member VDMA Robotics + Automation association.

Robot Suppliers Committee

This Committee represents the interests of the worldwide robotics industry within the IFR. It supports the IFR Statistical Department to provide global robotics market data. Regular meetings are held a minimum of twice a year in conjunction with robotics exhibitions. The Robot Suppliers Committee nominates among its members a maximum number of six members, in order to be sent to the General Assembly as representatives with voting rights. Two of these representatives are elected by the General Assembly for the Executive Board. Other topics include promoting the industrial robotics industry. [6]

Service Robotics Group

On 9 October 2002, a Service Robotics Group was founded. This group is open to all interested service robot member companies offering service robot products, components or related services. The IFR has proposed a tentative definition, "A service robot is a robot which operates semi- or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well-being of humans and equipment, excluding manufacturing operations."[7] Objectives of the group are to further the interests for the mostly small and young companies working or entering this area to assist them in market assessment and in raising their profile in the eyes of other industries, the media, and government bodies. The group supports the Statistical Department to create an annual statistics of Service Robots published in World Robotics Service Robots. Regular meetings of the group are held on the occasion of the International Symposium on Robotics (ISR).

Research Committee

This committee consists of the Research and Development Institutes members. It nominates among its members a Chairman and a maximum number of five further members, in order to be sent to the General Assembly as representatives with voting rights. It is the Committee's responsibility to develop and promote the International Symposium on Robotics ISR. The Research Committee meets annually during the ISR.

Key persons
  • President: Junji J. Tsuda (Yaskawa)
  • General Secretary Dr. Susanne Bieller (VDMA)
  • Chairman, Research Committee: Alexander Verl (University of Stuttgart)
  • Chairman, Industrial Robot Supplier Group: Andreas Bauer (KUKA Robotics)
  • Chairman, Service Robotics Group: N.N.

[5]

Notes
  1. "History of Industrial Robots" (PDF). International Federation of Robotics. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  2. "IFR Statistical Department".
  3. "Global industrial robot sales doubled over the past five years". International Federation of Robotics.
  4. International Federation of Robotics
  5. "Organisation IFR". International Federation of Robotics. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  6. International Federation of Robotics
  7. Provisional definition of Service Robots English, 27 October 2012
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