Growth is on the horizon for the personal robotics market, which means revenue opportunities for key enabling components are set to rise, according to ABI Research. The market research firm predicts that by 2015, worldwide revenue for major component categories -- such as processor, microcontrollers, sensors and servos -- will reach $12 billion. Some 48% of that will be attributable to task robotics, with 51% from entertainment robotics. The educational and security segments will nab the remaining fraction of revenue.
ABI Research says increased growth in the personal robotics market will be driven by a desire to spend less time performing routine tasks, increased entertainment options and even companionship.
Just how quickly will growth escalate in the personal robotics components markets? PC-powered processors will grow to more than 21 million shipments in 2015, following a small-quantity entry in 2009. Actuators, servos and manipulators will grow nearly 100-fold by 2015, predicts ABI Research. Sensor shipments will grow to over 2 billion.
"Increased shipments of these critical components will lead to lower component prices, which in turn will lead to lower product prices," says analyst Philip Solis. "And inevitably this will move toward higher-value products with more functionality for a given price."
