Oct 13 2015
The market for telepresence robots is developing rapidly, and the addition of mobility to telepresence systems promises to open a wide range of new use cases that will have a significant impact on collaboration and communication in the enterprise, education, healthcare, and consumer markets alike.
The potential applications for telepresence robots are broad, as evidenced by a wide range of companies and institutions who are already piloting and deploying such systems in a variety of environments.
According to a new report from Tractica, starting from a base of 4,200 units in 2015, annual telepresence robot unit shipments will reach 31,600 by 2020, with cumulative shipments for the 5-year forecast period totaling nearly 92,000.
“The telepresence robot is the next stage of evolution beyond stationary video conferencing,” says principal analyst Wendell Chun. “These new systems take advantage of the existing telecommunications infrastructure as well as recent advances in robotics technology. The core enabling technologies for these robots are already widespread in the market, with costs on a steady downward trajectory, and no significant barriers exist to broader levels of adoption in the years to come.”
Chun adds that the three leading application markets in the telepresence robot sector are healthcare, education, and enterprise, with a significant market also emerging for consumer telepresence robots.