Forty-five percent of U.S. adults are familiar with robotics, and 84% of them are enthusiastic about using robotics technology in everyday life, says a new study by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Among the benefits these consumers expect robotics to deliver are convenience, more efficient use of time and saving money - especially in household work and education.
"Consumer robotics are bringing game-changing innovations to sectors including health care, education, retail and delivery - and most tech-aware consumers recognize how these changes will improve their lives," said Lesley Rohrbaugh, director, market research, CTA. "Most consumers surveyed associate robots with being state-of-the-art and say they are innovative, intelligent and efficient. Combined with the fact that consumer robotics are constantly becoming smarter and more capable, our study provides strong evidence that potential consumer demand for robotics is growing across a variety of industries."
Robotics: Current Landscape & Consumer Perceptions represents findings from a quantitative study administered to an online national sample of 2,000 U.S. adults who are familiar with robotics between April 17 and April 25, 2019.
The report also includes additional secondary research that supplements the quantitative survey. Key findings from the report are:
Universal Enthusiasm for Educational and Household Robotics
Awareness and use of robotics in the home and classroom are significantly higher than other areas. One in five U.S. adults surveyed has already interacted with household robotics, and almost all those surveyed (90%) appreciate the convenience of products such as robotic lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners and window cleaners.
The study also notes widespread enthusiasm (92%) for educational robotics - such as games that teach students problem-solving techniques, programming and coding lessons. Based on the survey, the equivalent of 106 million U.S. adults are either already using or are open to using robotics for education.
High Interest in Robotic Delivery Solutions
More than four in five consumers (84%) within the study are open to using robotics to deliver food and packages, primarily in urban settings. The market growth projection for delivery robots will grow from $12 billion today to $44 billion by 2025, according to additional secondary research within the study.
Health Care Robotics
Two-thirds of consumers (67%) surveyed are open to using robotics in a health care setting. About 60% say robotics in health care will make life easier and 48% say the technology will save time. Applications of robotics for health care are already helping in-home senior care and hospital patients.
Retail and Hospitality
Projected as the largest consumer sector for robotic products and services, the retail and hospitality sector will rise from $20 billion today to $72 billion by 2025. Even though few consumers (4%) report having interacted with retail or concierge robotics, 83% surveyed would be open to using the technology for services such as in-store assistance and room service.
The complete study is available for free for CTA member companies or purchase at CTA.tech/research.