Robotics spending to hit $135.4 billion by 2019, says IDC
Robotics spending will hit $135.4 billion in 2019, up from $71 billion in 2015, according to IDC.
The spending on robotics and services will have a compound annual growth rate of 17 percent from 2015 to 2019.
IDC noted that manufacturing will spend the most, but resource (like oil and gas), healthcare and transportation will also spend heavily. In 2015, discrete manufacturing was 33.2 percent of robotics spending. Process manufacturing was 30.2 percent of spending on robotics.
Going forward, process manufacturing and healthcare will spend the most on robotics.
IDC's forecast comes as Alphabet's Boston Dynamics unit released a video showing its next-gen Atlas robot, which isn't tethered to a power source, is about 5'9 tall and weighs 180. Sensors give the robot balance and ability to avoid obstacles.
Of IDC's spending forecast, technology spending will be $32 billion by 2019. Services surrounding robotics--application management, training, deployment, integration and consulting will top $32 billion. The rest of the robot spending pie will revolve around system hardware and software.
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As for geography, Asia Pacific with Japan will represent 65 percent of robotics spending by 2019. EMEA will be the second largest region followed by the Americas. Asia Pacific robotics spending will nearly double and that forecast isn't surprising given the aging population and focus on manufacturing.