Ansys’ Entrance into the Robotics Simulation Software Market via Humanoids Signifies a Long-Term Play

Simulation software company Ansys joined forces with humanoid robotics startup Halodi Robotics to accelerate the design of its motors in the latest release of EVE (2022). Ansys provided its Motor-CAD simulation software as part of the Ansys Startup Program. Ansys Motor-CAD simulation software is an integrated multi-physics analysis solution for electric motor design and allows Halodi Robotics to fine tune the humanoid motors to mimic human muscles. Installed as lightweight and low-speed motors with very high torque, synthetic fiber threads connect these motors and allow EVE (2022) to handle heavy packages in warehouses and to gently escort patients in a wheelchair in the hospital. This breakthrough brings Halodi Robotics confidence that EVE (2022) will engage in security patrol in buildings, logistical tasks at hospitals, and food stocks at supermarkets.

There are several categories of robotics simulation software on the market today. First, all industrial robotics vendors, such as Yaskawa, ABB, and KUKA, have dedicated simulators for their own products. Second, industrial vendors, such as Siemens, Dassault Systèmes, Open Robotics, and RoboDK, offer simulation software with extensive libraries covering more than 50 robot manufacturers. Third, chipset vendors like NVIDIA have developed robotics-specific simulation tools. Finally, there are software companies like Ansys, Unity, and Epic Games (developer of Unreal Engine). These vendors differ based on their features. Some, like NVIDIA, incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities. Others integrate cloud functionality into their solution (e.g., Siemens Process Simulate under Digital Industries). Leveraging their expertise in simulation for graphic-intense workload, software companies like Ansys, Unity, and Epic Games target mobile robotics developers that require physically accurate virtual environments with a high degree of fidelity to test and simulate their robots before physically bringing ideas to life.

As a developer of simulation software, Ansys is heavily involved in the automotive, indusial equipment, and energy industries. Its service offerings are designed to analyze and optimize complex systems, such as vehicles and their components, before physical testing. However, Ansys’ entry into the robotics market with Halodi Robotics signals the company’s intent to break into the growing robotics market. This serves as a perfect solution for Halodi Robotics, because Ansys encourages access to its solutions through the Ansys Startup Program. Meanwhile, Halodi Robotics is especially focused on providing humanoids that are safe enough to facilitate human tasks. It is particularly invested in security, retail, logistics, and, most recently, healthcare. Additionally, Ansys’ involvement in Halodi Robotics likely calls for a more robust simulation software solution, given the highly specialized humanoid market.

The fact that there are certain markets that simulation software is involved in suggests that the partnership between Ansys and Halodi Robotics is an interesting one in the robotics simulation software market. One reason is because Halodi Robotics focuses solely on humanoids, an area of robotics that has yet to gain traction fully. Furthermore, the humanoid robot market is still in development and perhaps not as well understood as other mobile robots like Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs). Thus, Ansys’ new move into the robotics simulation software market may serve as a good test for the company to trial its capabilities in the humanoid market, and as a test of other form factors of mobile robots.

Another reason is that Ansys’ strategic entrance into the robotics market through humanoids is a way to test the market and differentiate itself from the many existing players in the market. Unreal Engine and Unity are involved in many industries, namely gaming, entertainment, and automotive. NVIDIA is active in logistics, manufacturing, and, more recently, food. Siemens and Robot Operating System (ROS), on the other hand, primarily engage in the manufacturing and industrial sectors. Altogether, this advancement for Ansys and Halodi Robotics is a mutually beneficial one and seeks to increase competition in both the humanoid and software simulation markets. According to ABI Research’s Commercial and Industrial Robots market data (MD-CIROB-107), global shipments for mobile robots will grow from 609,000 units to 3.2 million units between 2023 and 2030, signaling a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 31.1% during that time period. Hence, Ansys’ investment in the mobile robotics market is a timely move, given the likely increase in the market in the future.