Industrial robotics growth to be fueled by medical, drug applications

Because of increasing demand from medical and pharmaceutical applications, the industrial robotics market in North America is expected to grow at a 7.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from revenues of $394 million in 2004 to $668 million in 2011, according to “North American Industrial Robotics Markets for Medical and Pharmaceutical Applications” by Frost & Sullivan.

Many medical and pharmaceutical applications are expected to use more industrial robots to help treat North American’s rapidly aging population. This group will increasingly require sophisticated medical devices and newer drugs, and Frost & Sullivan reports that robots increasingly are being adopted to improve productivity and efficiency. The research firm’s study found that robots improve efficiency and throughput in clinical laboratories, where samples are delivered daily from patients’ bedsides to test equipment and then to analyzers. The reports adds that robotic systems can transport samples faster, and have much more handling capacity than human-based delivery methods.

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