The EU will spend €400 million to research and develop robots over the next two years.

According to an EC press release, the cash is double what the EU has been spending in recent years. Apparently, Brussels is concerned that Europe will be left behind in the area of robotic automation in manufacturing.

It is believed that robotic manufacturing will grow by more than 15 per cent a year for the next three years.

A census of service robots in the EU showed that there were 40,000 in 2006, and this number is expected to reach 75,000 by 2010. They are typically used in warehouses, car washes and agriculture.

A spokesman for the commission said that automation plays a key role in ensuring a sustainable production and minimising wasteful use of resources, and that it will help Europe's aging society by compensating for a declining labour force.

Nearly a third of all industrial robots are produced in Europe. The current world market for industrial robots is about €4 billion, according to the International Federation of Robotics. X

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