Service robot sales increase worldwide by 32%

Oct. 28, 2020
Robots for automated disinfection, logistics solutions, and home delivery lead the trend.

According to the new World Robotics 2020 - Service Robots report, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the sales value of professional service robots increased in 2018-2019 by 32% compared to 2017-2018, for a total of $11.2B (all figures in U.S. dollars) in sales worldwide.

Medical robot sales accounts for 47% of the total professional service robot turnover in 2019. Sales hit a record $5.3B, an increase of 28%. Approximately 90% of all medical robots are supplied by American and European companies.

The value of logistics robots, deployed primarily in warehouses and smart factories, sold or leased increased 100% to $1.9B. Again, 90% of the robots in this category came from North American and European suppliers, with the remaining 10% hailing from companies in Asia. Sales for field robotics, or robots deployed in industries such as agriculture, dairy, and livestock farming, increased by 3% for a total value of $1.3B.

Service robots for personal domestic use, that includes vacuuming and floor-cleaning, lawn mowing, or entertainment robots, increased by 34% to more than 23.2 million units sold in 2019, with a 20% value increase to $5.7B, despite an overall decline in unit prices for robot vacuums and toys. American companies produced 75% of domestic service robots, with Asian companies producing 19% and European companies producing the remaining 6%. The market for assistance robots for the elderly or disabled people increased by 17% to $91M.

Read more details on the report, and download related graphs, on the IFR website.

Share your vision-related news by contacting Dennis Scimeca, Associate Editor, Vision Systems Design

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