ABB says that automating more of construction can reduce carbon emissions. Source: ABB Robotics
Imagine that you are buying a refrigerator. It has a bright sticker on it: "Class A+++, 200 kWh/year". Now imagine that you are buying an industrial robot for hundreds of thousands of dollars. To the question "How much electricity will it consume?" The manager throws up his hands: "Well, it's different... depending on how you use it." An absurdity? This is the reality that the robotics industry has lived in for decades. Until the giant ABB decided to bring order to this energy chaos by launching an initiative to create the world's first ISO standard for measuring robot energy consumption.
🔋 "Black box" for 4 million copies
There are more than 4 million industrial robots operating worldwide. This is an army of "invisible" energy consumers. ABB's internal research has shown that more than 70% of the carbon footprint of their robots is not in production, but in the operational phase. But how can we compare two "candidates" from different manufacturers? One may be faster but more voracious, the other slower but more economical. Without a standard, this is fortune-telling on coffee grounds. "It's like buying a car without knowing its fuel consumption," says Gianluca Brotto, head of sustainability at ABB Robotics, sarcastically.
🚀 Solution: From the Swedish institute to the world ISO
ABB did not reinvent the wheel alone. The company went the smart way, enlisting the support of the Swedish Standards Institute (SIS). Together, they assembled a working group of experts from robot manufacturers and scientific institutes from 11 countries. Their goal is not to promote the ABB product, but to create common, fair "rules of the game" for the entire industry. The result of their work will be the ISO technical specification, which is scheduled to be completed by August 2026.
What will it do? Manufacturers need clear testing methods. Customers can get clear figures for comparison in technical catalogs, something like "kWh/cycle" or "kWh/1000 operations". This will not only save on bills, but also accurately calculate the carbon footprint for ESG reporting.
🌍 Why is this more important than it seems?
The ABB initiative is not an isolated event, but part of a global trend.
The EU's Green Deal: Energy efficiency requirements for industrial equipment are being tightened in Europe. Such a standard will be a passport to this market for robot manufacturers.
Experience from other industries: The effect of standardization can be seen in the example of electric motors. The introduction of IE (International Efficiency) classes in the 2010s stimulated a technological breakthrough and allowed end users to save up to 30-40% of energy. ABB hopes for a similar effect in robotics.
Competition: Although other major players (Fanuc, KUKA, Yaskawa) have not publicly announced such programs yet, pressure from customers and regulators will force them to join the process. Thus, ABB assumes the role of an informal leader in the "greening" of the industry.
🔮 When will robots start bidding for watts?
The implementation of the standard is just the beginning. The next step is smart control systems that will optimize the energy consumption of entire robotic cells in real time. This opens up a field for innovation: imagine a control room with an AI platform, similar to the principles of JOBTOROB.com, not only distributes tasks between robots, but also selects the most energy-efficient "performer" for each task based on his "passport data". This is the next level of sustainable production.
The ABB standard is not a simple bureaucratic procedure. It is a key tool for turning robotics from a hidden problem of energy systems into a part of the solution for the "green" industry. Soon, choosing a robot will resemble choosing household appliances: you will compare not only price and speed, but also the "bill for light." And it will change everything.
