ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Sales of robots for professional cleaning applications grew by eight per cent in 2022, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

This equated to almost 6,900 units being sold, with most of them dedicated to floor cleaning. And almost 4.9 million household cleaning and vacuuming robots were sold in the domestic market during the same year.

Robot sales were also up in the hospitality and agricultural sectors as companies struggling with staff shortages continued to turn to automation.

"The service robot industry is developing at a fast pace," said IFR president Marina Bill. "A shortage of skilled workers and a lack of staff applying for service jobs are both boosting demand."

The total number of service robots sold for professional use in 2022 rose 48 per cent to 158,000 units, according to the IFR.

Fastest-growing sectors were the transport and logistics industries where sales grew by 44 per cent to more than 86,000 mobile robot solutions sold in 2022.

And robot use in agriculture increased by 18 per cent with almost 8,000 units being shipped in 2022 for tasks such as milking and barn cleaning. However, overall sales of robots for use in surgical, rehabilitation and non-invasive therapy applications in the medical sector were down by four per cent.