The future of medical care is dominated by robots. Global market for professional service robots surged by 32% to USD 11.2 billion (2018-2019). The COVID-19 epidemic will increase the market even further. This trend may be seen in the high demand for robotic disinfection solutions, robotic logistics solutions in factories and warehouses, and robots for home delivery.

Logistics robots have increased by 110 percent, while medical robots have increased by 28 percent.
In terms of revenue, medical robotics sales account for 47% of overall professional service robot revenue in 2019. Robotic surgery systems, which are the most expensive in the market, were mostly responsible for this. Sales reached a new high of 5.3 billion dollars, up 28% from the previous year.

Medical robot sales might more than treble by 2022, hitting $11.3 billion in the United States. Approximately 90% of medical robots come from American and European manufacturers. According to the report World Robotics 2020 – Service Robots, this is the case.

Professional Service Robots – logistics

The market value of sold or leased logistics robots increased by 110 percent to 1.9 billion dollars. Robots for indoor use contributed almost all of the logistical turnover. Autonomous mobile robots were first utilized in warehouses, but with the digitalization of manufacturing, they are now a part of the smart factory of today.

As a result, ongoing rapid turnover growth of 40% or more each year appears to be feasible. According to IFR President Milton Guerry, “the investment in service robots for logistics in industrial processes is quickly amortized.” “Assuming 24 hour operation, the investment in logistics service robots might be returned in as little as 23 years, and in many cases far sooner. Operating costs are roughly 5% of the annual expenditure during a 15-year lifespan. Highly developed systems frequently achieve operational availability of 98 percent or higher.”

Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) business models are gaining popularity because they make it easier for customers to automate with robots. Because the companies do not have to invest in hardware, they have no fixed capital, fixed costs, or the necessity for robot operators. Warehouse solutions for large e-commerce enterprises have pushed the adoption of logistics systems in non-manufacturing industries. Hospitals that handle their logistics with the help of professional service robots have a lot of promise. In the professional service robotics segment, nearly 90% of the logistics robots evaluated were made in Europe and North America, with only 10% made in Asia.

Service that is professional Robots in the field

Robots for agricultural, dairy, animal farming, and other field applications make up the field robotics industry. The total value of sales climbed by 3% to USD 1.3 billion. The Covid-19 epidemic may have an impact on the availability of such robots in the future. Migrate restrictions for Eastern European laborers, who often travel to Western Europe during harvest season, resulted in a labor shortage. Farmers may be able to compensate for this by employing field robots. Agricultural robot sales are expected to expand at a rate of more than 30% every year.

Robots that provide personal and domestic services

Household robots are mostly service robots for personal and domestic usage that are created for a mass market. Vacuuming and floor-cleaning robots, lawn-mowing robots, and entertainment robots are all examples of this. In 2019, the total number of service robots sold for personal and domestic usage climbed by 34% to over 23.2 million units. The value increased by 20% to 5.7 billion dollars. In recent years, unit prices for the two key divisions, robot vacuums and toy robots, have decreased. Basic robot vacuums are now available for under $100 in the United States.

In 2019, American companies created 75% of the sampled domestic service robots (vacuum and floor cleaners, lawn mowers, and other domestic robots). Asian firms accounted for 19 percent of the market, while European firms accounted for 6%.

Present and future of medical care

The usage of assistance robots for the elderly or handicapped is becoming more popular. The anticipated sales value has grown by 17% to 91 million dollars. Several national research initiatives in a variety of nations are focusing on the enormous potential market for service robots. These robots, in contrast to most amusement robots, are high-tech items.

Experts anticipate considerable growth in sales of both professional and personal service robots.
Sofia, a robot in the shape of a lady who smiles, grins, and even does parkour techniques, made Hanson Robotics a worldwide hit in 2016 and opened the door for further development of robots and usage in everyday life. A humanoid robot, named Grace, that hopes to transform healthcare, has been unveiled by the Hong Kong-based robotics business.

Grace, the future of medical care

Grace was created as a medical assistant. Grace has sensors, including a thermal camera, that detect the patient’s temperature and pulse, as well as assist clinicians in diagnosing and treating patients.

Patients are also accompanied by a humanoid nurse. Grace speaks three languages – English, Chinese (Mandarin), and Cantonese – and is exceptionally friendly and conversational, having specialized in the care of the elderly.

Hanson robotics company founder and CEO David Hanson explains that robots like Grace come in to support health professionals, not replace them.

“The use of artificial intelligence and robotics in this context can help collect important data for healthcare providers to assess patient well-being,” he added.

Designed specifically for the medical sector, Grace’s launch comes in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic as demand for telemedicine and contactless care solutions has increased.

David Hanson, the founder and CEO of Hanson Robotics, argues why robots like Grace are meant to assist rather than replace health personnel.

“In this context, artificial intelligence and robots can help healthcare providers collect critical data to gauge patient well-being,” he noted.

Medical industry and womanoids

Grace was created exclusively for the medical industry, and its launch coincides with the coronavirus epidemic, which has raised demand for telemedicine and contactless care solutions. Global sales of medical robots were already on the rise before the epidemic, gaining 28 percent between 2018 and 2019, according to the International Robotics Federation (IFR), and the IFR expects the sector’s worth may nearly double in the next three years.

Hanson Robotics claims that by the end of 2021, it will be mass producing Sophia and Grace robots. Still, there is an unanswered question: Why robots of that kind are always shaped as womanoids? Is it just the perception of their creators? If yes, are they as humans to assign a gender to humanoids?