Since George Devol invented the first programmable industrial robot "Unimate" in 1961, the industrial robot industry has gone through decades of history.
By 2000, there were approximately 742,500 industrial robots in the world. Of these, more than half are in Japan. In the following 10 years, the global industrial robot market has grown slowly.
Fast-exploding market
After 2010, the global industrial robot market showed explosive growth. By 2016, the number of industrial robots in use worldwide reached 1.828 million, and the number of robots in use by Amazon alone reached 45,000.
At the same time, South Korea has become the country with the highest robot density, with an average of 630 robots installed per 10,000 workers in the manufacturing industry.
According to the prediction of the International Federation of Robotics, the current global demand for industrial robots will grow at a rate of 14% per year. It is estimated that by 2020, the total number of industrial robots in use will reach 3 million.
Currently, China, South Korea, Japan, the United States and Germany are the top five markets for industrial robots in the world, accounting for 74% of industrial robot sales in 2016.
This year, the Chinese market sold a total of 87,000 industrial robots, close to the sum of Europe and the United States (97,300 units). China has become the country with the largest number of industrial robots installed and the largest market in the world.
In the future, China will further expand its leading advantage and become a leader in driving the growth of the industrial robot market. It is estimated that by 2020, the number of installed industrial robots in China will reach 950,000 units, which will significantly exceed Europe (611.7 million units).
On the whole, the rapid explosion of industrial robots is a response to Industry 4.0 and will also strongly promote the realization of Industry 4.0.
Why is the growth of industrial robots so fast?
The advancement of machine learning and computer vision technology is an important factor in the growth of demand for industrial robots. Because this progress has significantly enhanced the functions of industrial robots, which has brought about an increase in usage scenarios and demands.
In addition, the gradual maturity of 3D printing technology and the increasing market interest in collaborative robots have also become driving forces that cannot be ignored.
Today, industrial robots have already achieved the seamless integration of strength, speed and precision, and have promoted global manufacturing to a new level. In the future, industrial robots will provide strong impetus for the realization of Industry 4.0.
Of course, the significant drop in the cost of industrial robots has effectively promoted the growth of market demand.
Regarding the downward trend in the cost of industrial robots, many institutions have given their own forecasts, among which ARK Investment Management's forecast is the most radical.
According to the agency’s forecast, the cost of industrial robots is expected to fall by 65% ​​between 2015 and 2025. In other words, the average cost of each robot will drop from $31,000 to $11,000.
Reasons for the decline in the cost of industrial robots
According to ARK's explanation, such a price drop is an echo of Wright's Law. The law states: "For each cumulative increase in output, the cost will drop by a consistent percentage." The cost reduction in the robotics field, also known as the "learning rate", has reached about 50%.
At the same time, the agency also predicts that by 2025, the annual sales volume of industrial robots will maintain a compound growth rate of 19%.
With the growth of industrial robot applications, the manufacturing industry is creating products with higher efficiency and lower cost. At the same time, the working conditions of human workers have also been improved, because robots have taken over from human hands those repetitive and dangerous jobs.
The current trend shows that continuously improving technology and falling prices will further stimulate the substantial growth of the global industrial robot market.
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