Modular Robotics Market: What’s on the Horizon?

Sudip Saha, managing director and co-founder of Future Market Insights, talks about the potential of modular robotics in various industries. He shares that although this trend may be at the nascent stage right now, it is well on its way to becoming one of the most disruptive ones in the 2020s.

It’s a well-known fact that robotics has been thriving and growing. However, there’s an emerging trend that could have even more seismic effects in our increasingly automated future: modular robotics.

The concept of modular robotics refers to the deployment of robots with reconfigurable parts that allow them to execute diverse functions. With their multifaceted features, such machines show great potential for streamlining performance, especially when operating in dynamic environments. And together with their scalability, they’ve earned the curiosity of stakeholders across industries.

While modular robotics is a seemingly niche segment, it has major potential to widely disrupt entire supply chainsOpens a new window , manufacturing processes, and monitoring and inspection. As we witness these advances across industries and regions, it’s likely that the market will experience a higher growth rateOpens a new window than other categories within the robotics family.

So, what kind of developments can we expect in modular robotics, and which regions will lead the way? Let’s find out.

The Wonderful World of Modules

From 2018 to 2023, the modular roboticsOpens a new window market is predicted to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18%, forming a $10.76 billion industry. The coronavirus crisis is likely to slow this expansion in 2020, but the market is poised to recuperate in the following years.

One of the most promising industries for modular robotics is automotive. The versatility of the machines allows them to effectively help the assembly of printed circuit boards while working on other features, including active safety driver controls. 

However, the list of industries that will be impacted is endless. Modular robotics has been applied in metals and machinery, electronics assembly, chemicals, logistics, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and even industries, such as ecommerce and elderly care. Whether it’s direct participation in production lines (welding, fitting, and handling), warehouse management, or monitoring, these robots promise high productivity, safety, and reduced margin for errors.

Even beyond that, industries like oil and gas can benefit from deploying modular robots for pipeline inspection. Instead of dispatching sets of different robots based on their capabilities, be it predictive analytics, maintenance, or inspection, they can just deploy a single set. This approach also has great potential for space exploration, accessing dangerous and volatile areas, or search and rescue. 

Development Opportunities Depend on the Local Market

When it comes to regional differences in modular robotics advancement, it’s clear that the market conditions play a major part. For example, North America is expected to show a significant share in the market, mostly due to its high adoption rate of autonomous and advanced robots across the region. Europe, the notorious manufacturing powerhouse, is expecting similar development. Moreover, regions like the Middle East and Latin America are also likely to experience healthy growth in modular robotics.

Things get interesting when we look at Asia. East Asia has been a leader in automation, and the high factory automation rate favors the adoption of modular robots. Countries like South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan are driving this trendOpens a new window , particularly in electronics and automotive. 

However, some developing countries facing a shortage of skilled labor are yet to experience the boom. Whether it’s the chemical industry in India, the textile industry in South East Asia, or the manufacturing industry in China, the usage of modular robotics is expected to boom as these forces move toward solid investments in industrial automation and the trend penetrates into small and medium-sized enterprises. 

The Future of Modular Robotics

It’s undeniable that each region will lead in different applications. For example, electronics, electronic assembly, and the car industry, to some extent, will be dominated by Asia and the Pacific region; logistics and oil and gas traditionally belong to North America, and automotive has its home in Europe. 

This is reflected by the key players in these regions. Asia and the Pacific will become leaders with companies like DENSO, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Aurotek, FANUC, and Mitsubishi. In Europe, companies including Universal Robots, ABB, Rethinking Robotics GmbH, and CMA Robotics Spa are pushing the growth of this field across industries. In North America, some of the pioneers include Yaskawa Robotics, Honeywell, or Rockwell Automation. While many of these global players are well-established, startups will be no less essential for the market’s growth – Asian companies like Robot Factory and Vincross are good examples of that.

These advances paint a bright future; however, this will depend on whether modular robotics manages to showcase its value to large enterprises and find ways to fit into the operations of the smaller ones. Factors like high maintenance costs, lack of public awareness, and the potential technical limitations of robots are the main obstacles to unhindered growth. The market should invest in educating key stakeholders, including the end-users, and actively battle the misconceptions about adopting this technology.

The appetite for automation isn’t ending, and modular robotics might be just the right sector to satisfy it. With multifaceted features and powerful ROI potential, an increased number of players, especially in North America, Europe, and Asia, will welcome these versatile machines to their ranks. The widespread adoption of modular robotics could be just around the corner, considering that small enterprises are willing to follow in the path of big players.

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