Kagan Pittman for Engineering.com:  As Chinese companies move to expand their market share in industrial robotics, so too are companies in the West, with some of the biggest power-plays coming from R&D departments.

A recent report by Technavio predicts that global R&D spending in the robotics industry will grow at a CAGR of more than 17 percent between 2016-2020.

Technavio analysts cite the following factors as key drivers in the growth of R&D spending:

• A race for robotics patents
• Demand for lower system engineering and installation costs
• Growing demand for industrial robots from non-automotive industries

The report’s analysis considers market trends across user segments including: defense, healthcare, automotive, domestic, food and beverage, electricals, electronics, oil and gas, textiles and packaging.  Cont'd...