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R&D Project to Measure Industrial Robot Energy Consumption
A new R&D initiative is studying the amount of electricity that robots consume.
ZURICH—ABB Robotics is leading the development of an International Standardization Organization (ISO) Technical Specification to measure the energy consumption and efficiency of industrial robots. The initiative hopes to promote transparency in the automation industry by allowing end users to make more informed purchasing decisions.
The goal of the R&D project is to track and reduce the carbon footprint related to robot electricity usage, resulting in more sustainable manufacturing.
“With no global standard currently in place, it’s a challenge for customers to compare the energy consumption of different robots and choose the most energy efficient [machine],” says Gianluca Brotto, head of sustainability at ABB Robotics. “Unlike other products such as refrigerators, televisions and washing machines, which have clearly defined standards for how to measure and compare energy efficiency, there is no standard for measuring the energy consumption of a robot.
“This initiative will empower customers to make informed decisions and help the industry reduce its carbon footprint,” claims Brotto.
Collaborating with the Swedish Institute for Standardization, ABB Robotics developed a proposal with experts from different robot manufacturers and research institutes, which led to the creation of a technical specification for global adoption. This is due to be completed by August 2026.
ABB Robotics has already discovered that more than 70 percent of its customers’ carbon footprint stems from electricity usage during the operational phase.
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