Global humanoid robot shipments will exceed 10,000 units by 2027 and reach 38,000 units by 2030. This forecast implies a compound annual growth rate of 83% from 2024 to 2030, according to Omdia’s latest research, Robotics Hardware Market Forecast – 2021–30.
The year 2024 is identified as a pivotal year for humanoid robots, driven in part by the advancements in human-mimicking generative AI (GenAI). The commercialization of these bipedal robots follows substantial investments from technological pioneers such as Boston Dynamics. Key technological advancements in servo motors, harmonic drives, and sensors have reduced development costs, making humanoid robots more feasible for mass production. Enhanced on-device AI computing has facilitated the integration of AI software essential for motion control, navigation, and computer vision. Companies like NVIDIA have been promoting the use of humanoid robots, recognizing their potential due to the high demand for AI-driven automation.
Initial applications of humanoid robots have been prominent in the automotive manufacturing sector, with companies like Tesla and Nio being early adopters. The potential applications of humanoid robots extend to general manufacturing, logistics, retail, food and beverage services, customer service, and healthcare. In addition to Tesla, Nio, and Boston Dynamics, several startups such as Agility Robotics, Dataa Robotics, Dreame, Figure, Fourier Intelligence, UBTech, and Unitree are also focusing on developing humanoid robots.
Despite the optimistic outlook, the technology behind humanoid robots is still in its early stages. The complexity of these robots poses challenges for mass production and widespread deployment, with many still in the trial or proof-of-concept stages. Large-scale implementation is anticipated to be a few years away. According to Lian Jye Su, Chief Analyst at Omdia, Chinese companies like Dataa Robotics are integrating foundational models into humanoid robots to facilitate natural language interactions.
The growing interest in humanoid robots is part of a broader trend towards increased robotics automation across various sectors. Omdia predicts substantial growth in robotics deployment in enterprise and industrial segments, driven by automated guided vehicles, autonomous mobile robots, quadrupeds, and humanoid robots.
Robotics vendors are enhancing their designs with human-centric philosophies, incorporating advanced sensor fusion, navigation algorithms, and leveraging AI for task training, path planning, optimization, fleet management, and human-machine interfaces. Predictive and generative AI are expected to play a significant role in democratizing AI within the robotics sector.
