Use of robotics in nontraditional applications explodes; enables related technologies to deliver robots with greater skill sets

Framingham, MA - March 29, 2018 - International Data Corporation (IDC) today unveiled a new report, "IDC TechScape; Worldwide Service Robotics, 2018," (Document# US42954518) which provides a systematic assessment of technologies related to the adoption of service robotics. Robotic technology has evolved from a technology predominantly utilized within industrial manufacturing to a technology that now has applicability across a much wider set of industries and use cases. When thinking about this evolution, IDC considers the role of other technology areas that have helped drive innovation in the field of robotics. This new report is intended to help senior executives assess their organization's technology landscape to determine whether their efforts are aligned with analyst's assessment of the industry's overall technology adoption progress.

Across industries, companies are looking at the viability of robots as a mechanism to support process improvement, drive productivity and efficiency gains, support cost management, and offset labor related challenges that appear to be hindering business process effectiveness in some industries. While some robotic applications are designed to solve a very specific business problem, other robotic technology has been built with the flexibility to be applied across different business processes and industries. The IDC TechScape provides a visual representation of the process of technology adoption, dividing technologies into three major categories (Transformational, Incremental and Opportunistic) based on their impact on the organization and assessing the technologies relative to adoption levels within their respective categories. Technologies evaluated in the new report include 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous guided vehicles, Exoskeletons and Virtual Reality.
IDC expects that executives responsible for information technology strategies will use the IDC TechScape model to:
• Assess the progress of their own technology adoption efforts in comparison with the industry overall.
• Identify new technologies that should be added for consideration in their technology road map.
• Add new insights to increase the robustness of their own technology decision frameworks.
According to John Santagate, research director, Service Robots, at IDC, "The use of robotics in nontraditional applications is growing as technology innovators continue to push the envelope on what a robot is capable of doing." He continues, "Service robots have not evolved on their own; the current state of service robots has been enabled by the maturity of several other related technology areas that has helped deliver robots with greater and more versatile skill sets than previous generations of robotics."
The IDC TechScape is an evaluation model based on a comprehensive framework and a set of parameters that assess a technology's adoption progress relative to one another and to those factors expected to be most conducive to success in a given market over both the short term and long term. In breaking technologies into three major adoption categories — transformational, incremental, and opportunistic — the IDC TechScape aspires to provide IT buyers with an industry snapshot as to where specific technologies lie today relative to current industry best practices. In addition, the IDC TechScape identifies technologies likely to become best practices in the future and their current state of adoption maturity relative to each other. Within the discussion of individual technologies, IDC also identifies an analysts best opinions regarding key momentum factors — highlighted as IDC TechScape Markers of Momentum, where technologies are rated based on adoption speed, risk, and market interest.
To arrange a one-on-one briefing with John Santagate please contact Sarah Murray at 781-378-2674 or sarah@attunecommunications.com. Reports are available to qualified members of the media. For information on purchasing reports, contact insights@idc.com; reporters should email sarah@attunecommunications.com.
About IDC TechScapes
IDC TechScapes mitigate technology risk by helping organizations align their tolerance for risk with the anticipated maturation of a technology.

About IDC Manufacturing Insights
IDC Manufacturing Insights assists manufacturing businesses and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing asset intensive, brand oriented, technology oriented, and engineering oriented manufacturing industries. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology market. IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDG, the worlds leading technology, media, research, and events company. For more information, please visit www.idc-mi.com, email info@idc-mi.com, or call 508-988-7900. Visit the IDC Manufacturing Insights Community at http://idc-community.com/manufacturing.