A Record Number of Robots Were Employed in 2018--Here's What They Do and Where

China and the U.S. are the top two countries for robot demand. It's true that more robots than ever are participating in the human labor force. Last year, businesses worldwide spent $26 billion employing some 70 million robots on manufacturing and service jobs, according to the World Robotics Report published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) on Wednesday. On the industrial side, 422,000 robots were shipped last year, a 6% increase from 2017. More than half of the robots were bought by automotive and electronics companies, which came as a surprise amid the tough market conditions facing these industries in 2018.