Robotic arms have come a long way since they were first introduced in 1951. Today, rows of industrial robotic arms help automate tasks and boost productivity in many industries including automotive, electronic, chemical production, food processing and so on. In this report, we first examine the different types of industrial arms, assessing the merits of DELTA, SCARA, articulated and Cartesian types. We then demonstrate how the market for industrial robotic arms has evolved in the past twenty years, tracing the historical market development in annual unit numbers and value (robotic arm and total system value). Here, we look at market segmentation by application and territory.

Old (existing) robotics is growing. In fact, it is arguably in the midst of a growth supercycle. As we recently wrote, this is largely thanks to demand in China. Indeed, China is already the leading purchaser of robots despite still having a below average robotic density and thus extensive room for future growth. In parallel to this, the world of robotics is being fundamentally transformed along three primary axes: increased collaboration, increased autonomous mobility and increased intelligence.