ABI Sees Quadrupling Personal Robot Market by 2015

ABI Research has released a new study predicting that the personal robotics market will achieve a global value of $1.16 billion this year, and that the market will more than quadruple by 2015, when worldwide shipments should approach $5.26 billion.

According to the report, Personal Robotics 2009: Task, Security & Surveillance/Telepresence, Entertainment and Education Robot, and Robotic Components Markets Through 2015:

Advances in military and commercial robots will continue to trickle down to the consumer market, and components will see price declines driven by their use in other markets (e.g., laser rangefinders in the automotive industry).

ABI Researchers consider the personal robotics market is made up of consumer products that have some intelligence, interface with their environment through sensors, and perform a desired function. These functions might include acting as a security system, or utility in the entertainment or educational spheres.

The research yields that North America is the largest market for personal robots, ahead of Asia-Pacific where Japan makes up a significant portion of the market. Western Europe is expected to grow into a significant market, but according to the report, Europeans are interested less in the cachet of owning a robot, and more in how well the robot performs its task.