US companies deployed more robots last year than ever before - as advanced machines capable of specialized tasks have come down in price and availability, reports Reuters. Shipments of robots hit 35,880 in 2018 - up 7% over 2017, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) - an industry group based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. What's interesting is that while most robots have historically been bought by the automotive industry, 16,702 shipments went to non-automotive companies, an increase of 41%, while automotive industry orders dipped by 12%. Notable growth came in areas like food and consumer goods (48 percent), plastics and rubber (37 percent), life sciences (31 percent), and electronics (22 percent). Meanwhile, shipments to the automotive industry slowed, with only 19,178 units shipped to North American automotive OEM and tier supplier customers in 2018.