The market for professional service robots reached a turnover of 6.7 billion U.S. dollars worldwide (sample method) – up 12% in 2020. At the same time, turnover of new consumer service robots grew 16% to 4.4 billion U.S. dollars. This is according to World Robotics 2021 – Service Robots report, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
International Federation of Robotics: “Service Robots” Hit Double Digit Growth Worldwide
“Sales of professional service robots rose an impressive 41% to 131,800 units in 2020,” says IFR President Milton Guerry.
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Five top application trends for professional service robots were driven by extra demand of the global pandemic:
One out of three units were built for the transportation of goods or cargo. Turnover for Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) and delivery robots grew by 11% to over 1 billion US dollars. Most units sold operate in indoor environments for production and warehouses.
Demand for professional cleaning robots grew by 92% to 34,400 units sold. In response to increasing hygiene requirements due to the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 50 service robot providers developed disinfection robots, spraying disinfectant fluids, or using ultraviolet light. Unit sales of professional floor cleaning robots are expected to grow by double-digit rates on average each year from 2021 to 2024.
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In terms of value, the sales of medical robotics accounts for 55% of the total professional service robot turnover in 2020. This was mainly driven by robotic surgery devices. Turnover increased by 11% to 3.6 billion U.S. dollars. This application is the largest medical one in terms of units. About 75% of medical robot suppliers are from North America and Europe.
Hospitality robots enjoy growing popularity generating turnover of 249 million US dollars. Turnover for robots for food and drink preparation almost tripled to 32 million US dollars (+196%). The Covid-19 pandemic created increased awareness to avoid contact with food products. There is still a huge potential for hospitality robots with medium double-digit annual growth predicted.
Service robots for consumer use
Robots for domestic tasks are the largest group of consumer robots. Almost 18.5 million units (+6%), worth 4.3 billion US dollars, were sold in 2020.
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