Cabinet approves robot development plan

BANGKOK, Aug 30 (TNA) -- The cabinet on Tuesday endorsed a plan on the commercial development of robots and automation systems. Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana said the cabinet gave the nod because robots and automatic instruments were applied in automotive, electrical and electronic industries. Under the plan that will be implemented from this year, the government will promote the development of industrial robots. It expects investment of at least 12 billion baht in this area this year and at least 200 billion baht from next year to 2021. Within five years, Mr Uttama said, at least 50% of local factories should apply robots and advanced automatic systems. According to him, the import of robots and automation systems caused a trade deficit worth 130 billion baht. Under the plan, the government expects Thailand to develop its own robotic and automatic technologies, become a leader in this field in Southeast Asia and expand the technologies to cover its medical and security sectors within 2026. Promotions for the development of robots and automatic systems under the plan include tax incentives for developers and users, training, the establishment of the Center of Robotics Excellence (CoRE), and knowledge exchange. The industry minister said that the plan would not replace workers with robots but will promote the use of robots to assist workers in difficult and hazardous tasks. Workers would be trained to use robots for the purpose, he said. (TNA)