Five million robots work in factories, India keeps climbing and humanoids are being tested at real stations. Track the shifts, then source and plan through The Humanoid Group.
What the latest factory robot data shows.
5 million industrial robots operating in factories worldwide, a record (IFR World Robotics 2026, 2025)
~10,500 industrial robots installed in India in 2025, up 15% (IFR World Robotics 2026, 2025)
655,000 industrial robot installations worldwide forecast for 2026 (IFR World Robotics 2026, 2026)
30,000+ vehicles BMW built with help from a Figure 02 humanoid in its pilot (The Robot Report, 2025)
IFR: five million robots now work in factories, with India sixth for installs
· Market
The International Federation of Robotics' World Robotics 2026 report counts a record 5 million industrial robots in operation after factories installed more than 600,000 new units in 2025, up 11%. China took 59% of installations, the US moved up to second place, and India installed almost 10,500 robots, up 15%, ranking sixth.
Why it matters: Robots are now standard equipment across many sectors and countries, India included. As fleets grow, skilled technicians become the constraint, so budget for training and support alongside the robots themselves.
ABB's E-Device lets operators run robots from their own tablet or PC
· Launch
ABB Robotics introduced E-Device, a compact safety interface that lets workers operate, program and monitor OmniCore-controlled robots and cobots from their own tablets or PCs. It adds an emergency stop and a three-position enabling switch built to meet the new ISO 10218:2025 safety standard, and links to ABB's programming and simulation tools.
Why it matters: ISO 10218 was revised in 2025, and new cells will be judged against it. When you shortlist arms or cobots, ask how each controller meets the updated rules for teaching and manual operation.
BMW moves Figure 03 humanoids into parts sequencing at its Spartanburg plant
· Deployment
BMW Group said it will deploy Figure AI's Figure 03 humanoid at Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina, picking unsorted parts from containers and sorting them into sequencing trolleys for assembly workers. It follows an 11-month pilot in which the earlier Figure 02 helped build more than 30,000 BMW X3s by inserting sheet-metal parts for welding.
Why it matters: Automakers are starting humanoids on repetitive handling, such as loading parts and sorting kits, in spaces built for people. Those stations are the realistic first candidates in most plants.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery— EUR-Lex, European Union. The EU machinery regulation replacing Directive 2006/42/EC, relevant to robots and cells supplied into the EU.
World Robotics report— International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Annual statistics on industrial and service robot installations by country and industry, including India.
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