World Robotics Sales Spike

Oct 08, 2024 — The newly released World robotics 2024 Service Robots report has just been released and indicates that there has been a remarkable 30% growth in sales of professional service robots worldwide.

More than 205,000 unit sales were registered by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) statistics department in 2023.

Nearly 80% of the robots recorded, originated from the Asia-Pacific region with 162,284 units sold. Europe followed with 33,918 units and the Americas with 8,927 units sold.

Top Sectors destination for professional service robots by units sold:

The Transportation and logistics sector

The Transportation and logistics sector leads the field with over two thirds of all robotic units built in 2023, manufactured for this sector.

Sales of robotics grew by a remarkable 35%, with a total of almost 113,000 units sold in 2023. This sector has been affected by labour shortages, and this is driving robotics growth and adoption in the industry with strong demand for technological support.

As an example, one of the most time-consuming tasks for truck drivers is loading and unloading, and this is where robotic applications offer time saving and cost efficiency via dedicated robotic loading solutions. The robotics industry is responding by development of automation that is easy to use and understand and for non-technical staff to adopt.

A shortage of skilled workers is also driving demand for automation in outdoor environments without public traffic. Robot types in this class range from automated conventional vehicles, such as forklifts and tractors, to customized solutions, such as automated storage and conveyor belt solutions for manufacturing facilities that often include a weatherproof enclosure for the goods being transported.

Hospitality

Hospitality robots are becoming increasingly popular: Over 54,000 units with an increased sale factor of 31% were sold in 2023.

Robots developed for mobile guidance, information and telepresence account for the majority of units sold. This sector is evolving rapidly, with key applications emerging, according to the report.

Areas of robotic adoption includes; food and beverage preparation, guest services such as guidance and information points in public environments.

Agricultural Robotics

Agricultural robotic unit sales, also showed strong growth with a +21% increase. There were almost 20,000 units sold in 2023. The shortage of human labour in times of severe demographic change and the demand for more sustainable precision agriculture have driven  service robotic adoption and a key player in this market.

Professional Cleaning 

In the Professional Cleaning Sector, robot sales grew by 4% to almost 12,000 units sold. Here the main application for robotics is floor cleaning. This represents approximately 70% of the units sold in this application group.

Medical Robotic Growth Strong

The World Robotics 2024 yearbook considers medical robots as a third category alongside service robots and industrial robots, with the sales of medical robots increasing by 36% to around 6,100 units in 2023.

Sales of rehabilitation and non-invasive therapy robots were up 128%. Demand for surgery robots rose by 14% and sales of robots for diagnostics increased by 25%.