Autonomous Mobile Robot Market Expected to Reach $18.9 Billion by 2032—Allied Market Research

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, “Autonomous Mobile Robot Market," The autonomous mobile robot market was valued at $2.2 billion in 2021, and is estimated to reach $18.9 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 21.8% from 2022 to 2032.

Autonomous mobile robots operate without human supervision and use sensors to perform different industrial operations such as picking & place, transporting objects, and others. Autonomous mobile robots with artificial intelligence (AI) and the ability to carry out operations with minimal human interaction are being developed and deployed across the globe. 

Several factors, including the need for increased productivity and efficiency, lower labor costs, and rising demand for automation in industries such as automotive and electronics, are driving the adoption of autonomous mobile robots across the world. Reduction in human error and demand for automation processes are factors that are expected to drive the autonomous mobile robot market in the region during the forecast period.

The rise in expenditure by countries such as China and Japan in Asia-Pacific for the country’s robotics sector and the increase in the adoption of autonomous systems in industrial and commercial sectors fuel the market growth. For instance, in November 2021, GEODIS, a logistics firm, announced the installation of autonomous mobile robots from Geek+, a global technology company specializing in smart logistics using advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), at its Yuen Long Warehouse Distribution Centre (YLDC) in Hong Kong, SAR China. In addition, minimal human intervention, greater efficiency, and improved safety offered by autonomous mobile robots are some key factors for the market growth. A large opportunity for the market is noticed in the commercial sector as these autonomous robots are yet to appreciably tap demand for construction, mining, agriculture, and others.

To boost competitiveness, an increasing number of manufacturers are adopting autonomous mobile robots to optimize product manufacturing processes. Use of autonomous mobile robots results in greater speed and reliability to reduce operation time and enhance throughput. In addition, autonomous robots optimize sorting, picking, and storage times, decrease the frequency of inventory checks, boost worker productivity, and provide labor and utilization stability. In January 2021, PULSE Systems Inc. entered into a partnership with OTTO Motor, to carry out one of the world's first large-scale deployments of autonomous mobile robots for materials handling in manufacturing.

Furthermore, autonomous mobile robots can tackle complex operations involving manufacturing processes and several companies are launching autonomous mobile robots specially for the manufacturing industry. For instance, in March 2023, ADLINK Technology Inc., a company that designs and manufactures embedded computing products, announced the launch of the Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) - the SMR250/1000 series with the SWARM CORE software platform, providing powerful hardware and software incorporation to develop an AMR swarm ecosystem that addresses the changing needs of various application scenarios in smart manufacturing ranging from production lines to material handling, warehousing, and shipping.

Significant factors boosting the growth of the global autonomous mobile robots market include growing application of autonomous robots in various industrial sectors, growth in e-commerce, high efficiency of autonomous mobile robots leading to improved industrial productivity, and rise in demand for autonomous systems. However, high-cost associated with the implementation of autonomous mobile robots and interruptions in bandwidth and application areas hamper the growth of the market. Furthermore, the emergence of Industry 4.0 In logistics and warehousing, and greater demand for warehouse automation from emerging countries are factors expected to offer growth opportunities during the forecast period. 

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of autonomous mobile robots and unmanned aerial vehicles grew to minimize cross-infection. As a result, many governments have begun to use autonomous vehicles to transport medical supplies, food, and other necessities. Furthermore, this pandemic has transformed the concept of autonomous mobile vehicles in every aspect, underlining the significance of autonomous vehicle deployment even more. For instance, in 2020, in China, robot delivery vehicles were deployed to deliver meals for doctors & patients, transport medical supplies, and complete other emergency tasks in the hospital.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

• By type, the unmanned aerial vehicles segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the future.
• By application, the warehouse fleet management segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the future.
• By end user, the warehouse or distribution center segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the future.
• By region, Europe is anticipated to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Key players operating in the global autonomous mobile robot market include Boston Dynamics, Clearpath Robotics Inc., Conveyco Technologies, Geekplus Technology Co. Ltd., IAM Robotics, KUKA AG, Fortna Inc., Omron Group, Teradyne Inc., and Locus Robotics.