The consumer robotics arena is quickly adapting to the rate of technological development and demand for novel ways of communication and interaction.
ABI Research unveils the latest trends and releases relating to homecare robotics in its Consumer Robotics report, which forms part of the company's Robotics, Automation & Intelligent Systems research service.
Humanoids in cosmetics
Now in a rapid growth phase, consumer robotics considers a wide variety of products including homecare systems and smart 'humanoid' robots that offer personal and social engagement.
ABI Research, which provides strategic guidance on transformative technologies, notes that homecare robots are the primary driver of revenue for the wider consumer robotics market in today’s marketplace.
US advanced technology company, iRobot has contributed to this growth, resulting in a rise in revenue and shipment over the past year. This trend is set to continue and increase further.
APAC catches up with counterparts
In Asia-Pacific (APAC), Chinese manufacturers including technology company, Ecovacs, are demonstrating similar shipment figures. While iRobot currently leads the US and European markets, in the long-term APAC will report comparable market share figures to the US and Europe for homecare robots.
"General improvement in global GDP growth and consumer confidence recovery, particularly in the US market, have led to substantial revenue growth from market leaders, such as iRobot, Ecovacs, and Neato," explained Rian Whitton, Research Analyst at ABI Research.
"In addition, niche segments, such as pool cleaning, have begun to expand in popularity. Israeli-centred market leader Maytronics has recently expanded into the American market and posting double-digit growth over a consistent time frame."
Mobile growth
Between 2018 and 2026, personal and social robots are anticipated to lift their market share of revenue from “virtually nothing to 21.3%”, ABI Research recently revealed.
This is largely due to sophisticated general-purpose smart devices, which are set to transform the robotic market, Whitton added: “Mobile personal robots will resemble many of the higher-end entertainment robots in appearance but will possess more advanced technologies, including cellular technology, Wi-Fi connectivity, and possibly even on-device machine learning."