All Things Policy Increasing Labour Productivity With Robots
Jan 29, 2026
Arvind Vasu, entrepreneur and robotics expert who built robotics operations in India, discusses how robots can boost labour productivity. He traces robotics history, explains evolving programming and cobots, and compares India and China on manufacturing scale. The conversation covers design-for-automation, local supply chains, skilling, and an optimistic 2030 outlook for higher-quality jobs.
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India's Productivity Gap Limits Prosperity
- India lags in labour productivity and manufacturing share despite GDP size, with low per-worker output compared to China.
- Closing this gap requires boosting manufacturing scale, women's participation, and moving workers out of low-productivity agriculture.
From Student Project To Robotics Leadership
- Arvind recounts studying robotics in Sweden and doing a market survey for ABB on technology adoption in India.
- That experience led him to join ABB and later establish their robotics business in India in 2004.
Robotics Evolved From Rigid To Adaptive
- Industrial robots date back to the 1960s and evolved from rigid programming to offline CAD simulation and joystick teach pendants.
- Recent advances (AI, 3D vision, generative models) make robots easier to program and more adaptable.