Robots – Facts and Forecasts
Robots: Facts and Forecasts
There are two kinds of robots: industrial and service, and they are headed in two different directions. Last year, the market for industrial robots dropped by about 32 %, from $ 5.7 billion in 2000 to only $ 3.9 billion in 2001. In Japan, sales sank by close to 60 %. Service robots are a different story. Their numbers—although still relatively small—are expected to skyrocket from around 190,000 in 2001 to more than 2.2 million within four years.
At the end of 2001, there were around 13,000 service robots in professional use. Between 2002 and 2005, almost 26,500 more are expected to join them. The number of service robots in the private sphere—mainly domestic and toy robots—is expected to increase more than twelvefold within four years, from around 176,500 in 2001 to almost 2.2 million in 2005. Source: World Robotics 2002 Report of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the International Federation of Robotics
Despite a dramatic fall in sales in Japan—a drop of almost 60 % in 2001 compared with the previous year—the Japanese invested more in industrial robots in 2001 than any other country. With an investment of $ 1.1 billion, they took first place in this area, followed by the U.S., which invested almost $ 890 million, and Germany with a $ 570 million investment. The total market volume for industrial robots amounted to almost $ 3.9 billion in 2001. If associated investments in software and peripherals are also taken into account, the global market in 2001 for complete industrial robot systems was approximately $ 12 billion. For additional information, see table ? Industrial Robots
