IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2016 - 118

1,800
1,600
1,400

Units

1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200

rs
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2013

Figure 3. Service robots for professional use in selected application areas; units sold in 2014
and 2013.
14,000
12,000

US$ Million

10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0

Household Robots

Entertainment and Leisure Robots

2015-2018

2014

2013

Figure 4. Service robots sales for personal/domestic use (in values) including accumulated
sales forecasts for 2015-2018.

means that excellent future prospects can
be expected. Initially developed mainly for
military purposes, these body-worn systems are undergoing rapid further development for applications relating to the
rehabilitation or assistance of people with
restricted mobility. The first body-worn
lifting aids deployed in the professional
sphere are being used to provide power
assistance and facilitate ergonomic working even for physically demanding tasks.
In this context, exoskeletons can deliver
full-body power assistance or be designed
to assist certain body parts.

118

IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

Domestic, Entertainment, and
Assistant Robots for Private Use
Sales of domestic robots for private customers grew by 28% to 3.35 million
units at the last count-a second consecutive year-on-year increase. Customers are increasingly more interested in
products such as vacuum- or windowcleaning robots and robotized lawn
mowers, which relieve them from monotonous, bothersome tasks. In addition, entertainment robots recorded a
40% increase against the previous year.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that

march 2016

the forecasts for 2015-2018 are positive
(Figure 4).
With household and garden robotic
assistants already an established field in
the private sector, another major market
of tomorrow will be for robotic assistants
for use in the care of the elderly and disabled. The background to this is that
many countries
have initiated
research projBy 2018, global sales
ects aimed at
of industrial robots will
using high-tech
robots to assist
show an average yearelderly people
on-year growth of 15%.
and those with
limited mobility. An example
is the "Robot Revolution" from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry in
Japan. Manufacturers sold 4,416 units of
these kinds of robot assistants in 2014
(2013: 688).
Start-Ups are Focusing on the
Service Robot Market
Apart from giving actual numbers for
various products, the IFR analyses also
reveal that of all enterprises engaged in
the service robot market, some 15% are
estimated to be start-ups, i.e., technology-driven firms fewer than five years
old. This underscores the market potential that entrepreneurs and investors
have identified in the continuously
growing field of robotics. Also of interest
in this context are alliances or networks
that pool knowledge and the needs of
robot companies within a defined
region. Examples highlighted in this
year's edition of "World Robotics" are
the Silicon Valley Robotics Association
in the United States and the Skolkovo
Robotics Center in Russia.
Finally, it should be noted that the
statistical data for service robots represent a conservative estimate, as the sales
figures used either came from the companies themselves or were taken directly
from them.
For more information, please refer to
www.worldrobotics.org, which also
offers downloadable graphics on the
world robotics markets.

http://www.worldrobotics.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2016