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ROBOTS ADVANCING ON THE LAWNS OF THE WORLD

Sales of domestic robots that mow the lawn, vacuum the carpet or clean the window are expected to explode in the next three years, according to the latest world robotic survey published today.

The survey “World Robotics 2002”, by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the Stockholm-based International Federation of Robotics, says sales on lawn-mowing robots are booming and vacuum-cleaning robots – introduced on the Swedish market late last year – have sold well despite their current high price.

Other manufacturers are expected to introduce cheaper vacuum-cleaning robots this year, which could lead to sales of several hundred thousand units by 2005, the survey says. It is projecting sales of 11 types of domestic robots to top 700,000 units globally over the next three years, against the 21,500 now in service.

Increased sales are also predicted for specialised service robots for professional uses as varied as space exploration, sewer inspection and cleaning, surgery, building demolition, bomb disposal and firefighting.

The main market for robots remains manufacturing industry, with 0,75m-1m industrial robots now in use around the world. Though sluggish global growth depressed the number sold last year by more than a fifth, to 78,000 units from a record 99,000 the year before, the survey expects installations to rise to 81,300 this year and 104,400 in 2005.

One reason for the inexorable growth in the use of robots is their falling price relative to the cost of labour.

THE FINANCIAL TIMES, Oct. 3, 2002