Robotics has emerged as one of the most transformative technologies of the 21st century. It is reshaping production systems, redefining service delivery, and altering the relationship between humans and machines. Advances in automation, artificial intelligence (AI), sensor technologies, and connectivity have propelled robots from controlled industrial environments into complex real-world settings.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, under Government of India, released the Draft National Strategy on Robotics (NSR) on September 4, 2023, for public consultation, with feedback sought until October 31, 2023. Following an enthusiastic response from the public, a revised draft was released in February, 2024.
This foundational document guides the country’s approach towards the development, deployment, and adoption of robotic technologies. Anchored in India’s broader AI vision, the strategy seeks to maximise the economic and socio-technical benefits of robotics, while mitigating risks and associated challenges, and with the long-term objective of positioning India as a global leader in robotics research, design, development, and manufacturing through the establishment of the National Robotics Mission (NRM).
Vision, Mission, and Objectives of the NSR
The vision for India’s NSR is deeply rooted in the tenets of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, and Sabka Prayas’, ‘Make AI in India and Make AI work for India’, and ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’. As part of the India’s broader AI vision, the strategy aims to ensure that robotic technologies are contributing towards inclusive growth, economic productivity, and social transformation.
The mission of the NSR is to make India a global hub for the research, design, development, and manufacturing of robotics and to promote large-scale adoption of robotics across various sectors. It also seeks to ensure the creation of a sustainable and robust ecosystem for robotics innovation and entrepreneurship in India, promote the creation of Indian Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the field of robotics, ensure the global competitiveness of Indian robotics companies and start-ups, and nurture a skilled robotics workforce.
The objectives of the strategy include positioning India as a global leader in robotics for the manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and national security sectors by 2030. It aims to augment the stability and competitiveness of the domestic industrial foundation to increase domestic value addition across the supply chain, and to foster the indigenous research and innovation ecosystem through targeted investments aligned with India’s robotics priorities. Furthermore, the strategy ensures a coherent and holistic approach to robotics research and innovation in India, including convergence with emerging cyber-physical systems (CPS) and AI technologies. Increasing the penetration of robots in India by expanding the depth and breadth of applications, strengthening collaboration with global robotics centres and academic institutions, establishing governance mechanisms to position India as a global benchmark for robot performance testing of quality and reliability, and developing a skilled workforce through training and education in robotics and related fields form the core objectives of the strategy.
Understanding Robotics and its Classification
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) defines robotics as the science and practice of designing, manufacturing, and applying robots. Robotic technology encompasses the design construction, operation, and use of robots that operate by sensing their environment through sensors, processing information, using computational algorithms for decision-making and performing physical actions through actuators and motors. Sensors collect measurements from the physical world—such as heat, light, sound, etc.—which are then processed by controllers or computers to enable robots to interact with their environment in real time. Advances in AI and machine learning have led to the development of autonomous robots that are capable of high-fidelity vision perception, speech recognition and complex decision-making.
The NSR limits its scope to the classification of robots as per BIS guidelines, ensuring that the regulatory framework remains consistent with internationally accepted norms. As per this classification, there are three broadly, categories of robots: industrial robots, service robots and medical robots.
Industrial robots are automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulators programmable in three or more axes, either fixed or mounted on mobile platforms, operating through the sense-compute-act cycle, for automation applications in industrial environments. These robots are used in manufacturing and assembly line operations for tasks such as picking and placing, assembly and packaging, welding, cutting, and product inspection.
Service robots are defined as robots for personal or professional use that perform useful tasks for humans or equipment. They are used in non-industrial environments such as homes, hospitals, and offices, and perform tasks including handling items, transportation, physical support, guidance, cooking, cleaning, inspection, and surveillance. Medical robots are intended to be used as medical electrical equipment or systems and are not regarded as industrial or service robots.
AI and Technological Trends in the Field of Robotics
AI encapsulates arrange of methodologies, such as machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and robotics, enabling intelligent systems to embed large amounts of knowledge and significantly enhance decision-making in data-rich environments. In robotics, AI enables robots to manage variability and unpredictability, learn from data and autonomously refine their actions to improve performance over time. Learning approaches are used to address challenges in designing robots, including control and perception tasks, through reinforcement learning and deep learning techniques widely used for image processing.
Commercial applications of AI in robotics broadly include sense-and-response applications and performance optimisation. Sense-and-response applications involve real-time robot operations, where sensors and ML are used to detect positions and objects, decision-making algorithms determine optimal actions. Performance optimisation applications enhance robot programming, maintenance, and quality inspection through offline analysis of operational data.
The strategy highlights convergence with emerging technologies, including autonomous systems, which operate without human intervention in sectors such as agriculture, logistics and transportation; the Internet of Things (IoT), which enables real-time data collection, monitoring and improved decision-making; human-robot collaboration through cobots that safely work alongside humans in industrial and healthcare environments; 5G and edge computing, which enable faster data transfer, real-time control and reduced latency; and additive manufacturing or 3D printing, which accelerates product design, reduces costs and waste, and supports the development of soft robotics.
Global Scenario of Robotics Adoption
Globally, industrial robots have witnessed rapid growth. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), there are over three million industrial robots operating worldwide, with significant installations added in 2021, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14 per cent from 2016 to 2021. Building on this momentum, the global operational stock has now grown to over 4.6 million units as of late 2024. India, specifically, has reached a record annual installation of 9,100 units, a rapid growth shown by NRM. The adoption of Industry 4.0, integration of advanced technologies recent and such as IoT, AI, and ML supply chain disruptions have driven automation, with the electronics, automotive, and machinery industries leading demand. China, Japan, the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Germany have emerged as the dominant global industrial robot installations. This growth is supported by strong government interventions, skilled workforces, and substantial investments in robotics research and innovation.
The service robotics sector has also grown rapidly, with professional service robots witnessing significant increase in turnover and unit sales, reaching nearly 200,000 units of industrial and service robots were sold globally in 2024, a 9 per cent increase, according to the World Robotics Report, 2025. This Growth has been fuelled by the Robot-as-a-Service (RAAS) Model, and the rising adoption service robots in hospitality, logistics, transportation, and healthcare sectors. There has also been an increased use of medical robots for surgery, rehabilitation, and diagnostics.
National Scenario and India’s Robotics Ecosystem
India has made notable progress in adopting robotics over the past decade. The operational stock of industrial robots has more than doubled. Since 2018, reaching an all-time high of over 52,000 units by late 2024. India ranks among the top ten markets globally for annual industrial robotic installations and rose to the sixth position in 2025, as per the World Robotics Report, 2025 as a catalyst for revolutionising industries, driving inclusive growth and improving living standards.
National efforts to strengthen the robotics ecosystem include the establishment of specialised research and development (R & D) centres such as ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park) at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, which operates under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). The additional pillars of this ecosystem include the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing for Robotics and Autonomous Systems and the I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics (IHFC) at IIT Delhi. Agencies like Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has laboratories which are engaged in development of robotics and AI for defence applications. Capacity-building initiatives, such as FutureSkills Prime (a Meity-NASSCOM collaboration), Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and e-YANTRA (an IIT Bombay initiative) aim to develop developed by DRDO skills and a future-ready workforce and foster innovation. Indigenous robotic solutions, such as Daksha, Vyommitra, and Manav highlight India’s capabilities in defence, space and research robotics, respectively.
Despite these advances, the Indian robotics ecosystem faces a myriad of challenges, including inadequate skilled human resources, heavy reliance on imports, high costs, technological limitations, absence of multidisciplinary collaboration, lack of awareness, limited governance mechanisms, unreliable access to foundational infrastructure, and ethical considerations related to employment, transparency, privacy, and trust.
Focus Areas for Robotic Automation in India
The NSR identifies manufacturing, health care, agriculture and national security as priority sectors with maximum potential for socio-economic impact by 2030.
In the manufacturing sector, robotics is essential to support India’s ambition to become global manufacturing hub under the ‘Make in India’ programme. Challenges such as product quality inconsistency and warehousing limitations can be addressed through logistics and warehousing automation and shop-floor transformation using cobots, improving efficiency, safety, and productivity.
In the healthcare sector, rapid growth, an ageing population, and limited infrastructure underscore the need for robotic automation. Use cases include cleaning and disinfecting robots, safety and patient-monitoring robots, and surgical robots that enhance quality of care, reduce workloads, and improve accessibility and affordability.
In the agriculture sector, robotics could address challenges related to productivity, fragmented landholdings, and occupational hazards. Applications such as crop scouting and spot spraying are the ones where agri-drones enable real-time monitoring, targeted interventions, improved safety and enhanced productivity.
In national security, robotics plays a critical role in addressing border management limitations and information asymmetry. Use cases include mine detection unmanned ground vehicles, surveillance robots and remotely operated vehicles for bomb disposal reconnaissance and counter-insurgency operations.
Strategic Recommendations and the NRM
To enable India’s emergence as a global leader in robotics, the strategy proposes the implementation of the NRM as part of IndiaAI. A whole-of-ecosystem approach is envisaged, with strong linkages between industry, academia, start-ups, and government stakeholders.
An agile institutional framework is proposed through the establishment of a Robotics Innovation Unit under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). This unit would lead implementation efforts, foster innovation, and build domestic capabilities across the robotics value chain. A four-pillar approach focuses on research and development demonstration and testing, commercialisation, supply chain development, and adoption and awareness.
Research and development interventions include the establishment of Centres of Excellence in Robotics, mission-mode moonshot projects, and strengthening higher education and research through dedicated degrees, design curricula, and fellowships. Demonstration and testing initiatives include demonstration centres, robotics innovation testbeds, regulatory sandboxes, and certification frameworks.
Commercialisation efforts emphasise innovation funding, startup advisory support, development of robotics industrial zones, fiscal incentives, trade incentives, ease-of-doing business measures, and technical training aligned with the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF). Adoption and awareness initiatives focus on market expansion levers, such as public procurement, technology adoption plans, robot utilisation incentives, financial incentives, international immersion programmes, governance mechanisms, capacity building, showcases, exhibitions, and investments in network connectivity.
Moving forward
The Draft NSR represents an important foundational step in India’s journey towards technological leadership and social transformation. By assessing long-standing challenges across critical sectors and identifying strategic interventions to strengthen all pillars of the robotics innovation cycle, the strategy provides a coherent roadmap for the development, diffusion, and adoption of robotic technologies in India. Through a robust institutional framework and a whole-of-ecosystem approach, the strategy aims to enable India to achieve global recognition in robotics across manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and national security. As an evolving document, the NSR reflects India’s commitment to harnessing robotics as a catalyst for sustainable development, economic productivity, and large-scale social transformation.
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