The South Korean robotics industry is poised for growth. It is already the fourth largest industry as per robots in use. Dr. Lee Sang-moo, the Robot Program Director for the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology feels that the global robotics market has been on an upward trajectory this year.
The global robotics market has grown by 13% according to the International Federation of Robotics. And in the last year alone Korea has seen a 20% growth in industrial robots being sold.
Technologically Korea is trailing behind Japan, the U.S. and the EU, but it is concentrating on eco friendly high tech robot production systems, edutainment robots, life care robots, high value medical service robots and a number of similar projects which would do well in the near future.
The service robots markets are growing by leaps and bounds with 150,000 units being expected to be sold this year alone. Another hot market is that of Surveillance robots specially with the success of the system at the crude oild storage facility in Seosan.
Surgical robots are also much in demand and the Severance Hospital of the Yonsei University Health System has used the popular da vinci surgical robot for over 4,000 surgeries. The future truly belongs to the robotics industry.