"In terms of value, the sales forecast for 2019 indicates a cumulative volume of around 12.6 billion U.S. dollars for the professional service robot segment," said Susanne Bieller, general secretary of the IFR. "Robots for logistics, medical and field services are the most significant contributors."
The total number of professional service robots sold in 2018 rose by 61% to more than 271,000 units, up from roughly 168,000 in 2017.
The sales value of logistic systems is estimated at almost $3.7 billion which is 53% more than the year before. In terms of units, almost 111,000 logistic systems were sold in 2018 – this is 60% more than in 2017. There were 7,700 autonomous guided vehicles (AGV) in manufacturing environments and almost 103,000 in non-manufacturing environments are the driving force behind this rapidly growing market.
About 106,000 inspection and maintenance systems were sold in 2018. This accounts for 39% of total professional service robot units sold.
Sales of medical robots increased by 50% to 5,100 units. Medical robots account for 31% of the total sales value of the professional service robots. The total value of sales increased by 27% to $2.8 billion. Medical robots are the most expensive service robots with an average unit price of $548,000, including accessories and services.
The sales value of field robots increased by 8% to $1 billion, accounting for 11% of the total value of professional service robot sales. A total of 5,800 milking robots were sold in 2018 compared to 5,400 units in 2017, an increase of 8%. Sales of agricultural robots used are expected to grow strongly by an average of some 50% per year. In 2022, sales are expected to reach 2,400 units.
Sales of powered human exoskeletons, which support ergonomic working by reducing loads on the worker, were up from 6,700 units in 2017 to 7,300 units in 2018.
