Demand from the military, agricultural and health care sectors is expected to see the global commercial service robot market grow 14 per cent by 2025, according to global technology research group, ReportLinker.
Service robots are designed to assist humans and perform useful tasks, excluding industrial and manufacturing automation applications – operating semi or fully automatically and are capable of performing tedious and dangerous tasks, while providing enhanced efficiency and increased safety.
Another study on the sector, this one from the International Federation of Robotics, reported the annual value of service robots for professionals has increased by 32 percent to 9.2 billion US dollars.
Meanwhile ReportLinker says the health care sector is a major driver of adoption and growth, with the trend predicted to continue, due to the take-up of surgical robots and the increasing demand for rehabilitation robots.
“The high success rate of robotic surgeries has driven vendors to develop automated surgery solutions, thereby increasing the demand for service robots,” the report states.
Robots are also used in hospitals to help minimise errors and follow prescribed regulations.
Another recent study, from Market Research Future, forecast the global military robots market to grow nine per cent by 2023.
The growth is being driven by an increasing focus on border investigations across nations and the development of unmanned military vehicles.
“The US Navy is reported to be investing in unmanned technologies for the deployment of robot ships which would include the largest surface combatant and the Navy’s next-generation frigate,” the report states.
Meanwhile, China has stated that it is working on the development of smart, large, and low-cost artificial intelligence submarines for a wide range of missions, the study continues.
Agriculture is another major growth driver according to ReportLinker, with robots being increasingly adopted to manage a range of labour intensive agricultural processes effectively.
The emergence of greater farmland in the Asia Pacific region is seen as a major future growth market for the technology.
The study notes a surge in competition in the global commercial service robot space, with new product innovation rapidly changing market dynamics for companies looking to capitalise on the growth sector.