Robotics industry on the brink of a revolution

The first industrial robot, Unimate, went into operation at a General Motors plant in 1961. Over the next few decades the use of industrial robot arms in the automotive industry matured. More recently, the use of industrial robot arms in the cleanroom environments of the semiconductor and electronics industries also matured. The market for such traditional industrial robots is now worth around US$11bn and continues to grow slowly. The technology is largely unchanged with modern industrial robot arms generally employing minimal sensors and no real intelligence. But a revolution is coming, as detailed in Robotics 2016–2026, a new report by IDTechEx Research that explores the future of robotics, applications, technologies and markets.

A variety of independent technological advances in batteries, power electronics, motors, sensors, processors, artificial intelligence and other fields are now creating an environment where robotics can finally surge ahead in many different ways, solving a wide variety of problems that traditional industrial robots could not possibly have solved. IDTechEx Research has found that existing and emerging robotics market sectors amount to a US$25bn market today and will grow to over US$120bn by 2026.

The Robotics 2016–2026 report details each major market sector with case studies, current market values and growth figures. Companies from 18 different countries across North America, Europe and Asia were studied by IDTechEx to get a global picture.

The report includes the following forecasts:

• Total market values forecast 2016–2026
• Individual market forecasts 2016–2026 for traditional industrial robots, collaborative robots, surgical assistants, agricultural and personal robots (broken down into 3D printers, lawnmowers, pool cleaners and vacuum cleaners)
• Market share by sector 2016–2026
• Absolute growth for each market sector over 2016–2026
• Time line of major developments expected over 2016–2026
• Hype curve indicating the state of evolution of each market sector/technology today

Sectors covered in detail include industrial robots (inside and outside China), surgical, military, logistics/warehousing, personal, agriculture, mining, collaborative and autonomous transport.

For more information, see www.IDTechEx.com/robotics.

Source: BusinessWire.