According to a new report from intelligence firm ABI Research, revenue from collaborative robots (cobots) will increase from $970 million in 2023 to $7.2 billion by 2030. Safety, lower average selling prices, and accessibility will drive collaborative robot sales.
“Cobots are at the forefront of the robotics revolution. They have the potential to democratize automation and bring robots into new markets, working side-by-side with human workers to unlock economic growth,” stated George Chowdhury, robotics industry analyst at ABI. “Cobots have a synergy with artificial intelligence (AI). Enterprises have leveraged the two technologies combined to automate tasks which have, until now, been exclusively reserved for human workers. Moreover, the more affordable cost and safety of cobots create an opportunity for small and medium enterprises to adopt robotics, unlocking major productivity advantages for broad sectors of the economy.”
Cobots will play a large part in global reshoring initiatives. Geographically, cobot shipments will grow to 64,000 per year in North America by 2030. While China will become the main adopter in the APAC region, growing to 130,000 annual shipments at the end of the decade. Within industrial manufacturing, the automotive segment will drive cobot uptake, with shipments growing from 13,000 in 2023 to 115,000 by 2030. Growth in use cases, including palletization and inspection, will have a knock-on effect on attachment sales, including cameras. 3D cameras, stereo cameras with the ability to judge object depth, will be attached to 59% of cobot deployments by 2030.
“Collaborative robots are the flagship form factor for democratization and automation expansion into new markets,” said Chowdhury.
