Humanoid Robot Market Is on the Brink of Explosive Growth
Humanoid robots may soon become cost-competitive in high-wage countries, enabling manufacturers to address the skilled labor shortage. Photo courtesy Agibot Innovation Technology Co.
MUNICH—After years of hype, humanoid robots are on the verge of moving from the prototype phase to industrial-scale rollout.
A new report by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants claims that recent advances in artificial intelligence could enable humanoid systems to operate at running costs of around $2 per hour in the near future. This would make them cost-competitive in high-wage countries and enable manufacturers to counter the shortage of skilled labor.
According to the study, robotics manufacturers could reach revenues of up to $750 billion by 2035.
“We are currently at the point where technological feasibility is meeting economic necessity,” says Thomas Kirschstein, a partner at Roland Berger. “The key question is no longer if humanoid robots are realistic, but how quickly they will scale.”
Kirschstein predicts that humanoids will create new markets far beyond the robot itself: from motors, mechanics and sensors to electronics and production equipment—a complex value chain that builds on existing industrial capabilities.
However, before humanoid robots can take on fully autonomous production tasks, Kirschstein warns that the technology must progress further. “While the hardware is already at an advanced stage, software, supply chains and regulations are maturing gradually,” he points out. “Benefits will initially emerge in clearly defined, repetitive applications such as unpacking or transporting items. Only as software maturity increases will the range of tasks expand.”
Issues such as durability as well as safety and liability will also determine the speed and breadth of industrialization. The complex systems must withstand continuous operation in sometimes harsh production environments.
Existing safety standards are designed for traditional, fenced-off automation. Humanoid robots, by contrast, work dynamically and move in the same spaces as people. This requires new testing and certification approaches as well as harmonized legislation.
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