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Orders for Robots Rise to Record Level
01 Nov 2004
Worldwide investment in industrial robots went up 19% in 2003, and went up another 18% to the highest level ever recorded in the first half of 2004. Although robot investment in the UK surged in 2003, the UK is still lagging far behind the rest of Europe in robot use. These figures were issued in a new report co-sponsored by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).
The report was produced for a UN conference called "A Robot in Every Home?" and forecasts a worldwide average annual growth rate in the use of robots of about 7% over the next three years. Over 600,000 household robotic vacuum cleaners and lawn-mowers are currently in use - several millions are expected in the next few years.
"Falling or stable robot prices, increasing labour costs and continuously improved technology are major driving forces which speak for continued massive robot investment in industry, " says Jan Karlsson, who is responsible for the annual survey, called 'World Robotics 2004' and produced by the ECE and the International Federation of Robotics.
www.unece.org
