The Worldwide Robotics and Drones Spending Guide examines the robotics and drones opportunity from a use case, technology, industry, solution type, and geography perspective. This comprehensive database delivered via IDC's Customer Insights query tool allows the user to easily extract meaningful information about the robotics and drones market by viewing data trends and relationships and making data comparisons.

Markets and Technologies Covered


  • 3 robotic system technology groups with 19 technology categories: Hardware (effector, sensor, consumer robot, industrial robot, service robot, enterprise network, server, and storage), software (command and control, network infrastructure software, and specific applications), and services (application management, education and training, facility modification, hardware deployment and support, network consulting, management and integration, operations and technology consulting, and systems integration)
  • 3 drone system technology groups with 17 technology categories: Hardware (effector, sensor, consumer drone, industrial drone, service drone, server, and storage), software (command and control, network infrastructure software, and specific applications), and services (application management, education and training, hardware deployment and support, network consulting, management and integration, operations and technology consulting, and systems integration)
  • 46 use cases, including: Assembly, automated production — mining; autonomous vehicles — mining; construction site inspection; surveillance; aerial photography; consumer; inspection; mixing; filling and preparation; painting; pick and pack; power line, foliage and telephone line inspection; produce inspection; security; surgical; vehicle and infrastructure inspection; and welding
  • 20 industries: Banking, insurance, securities and investment services, discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, construction, resource industries, retail, wholesale, professional services, personal and consumer services, transportation, healthcare provider, federal/central government, state/local government, education, telecommunications, media, utilities, and consumer
  • 5 solution types: Consumer drone, enterprise drone, consumer robot, industrial robot, and service robot

Geographic Coverage


  • 9 regions: United States, Canada, Japan, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America, PRC, and Asia/Pacific

Data Deliverables


This spending guide is delivered on an annual basis via a web-based interface for online querying and downloads. For a complete delivery schedule, please contact an IDC sales representative. The following are the deliverables for this spending guide:

  • Annual five-year forecasts by geography, technology, industry, and use case, delivered once a year

Key Questions Answered


Our research addresses the following issues that are critical to your success:

  1. Which industries have the highest adoption of robot and/or drone solutions today?
  2. What are the most prevalent commercial use cases of robot and drone solutions today?
  3. Which commercial use cases of robot and drone solutions will see the highest growth over the next five years?
  4. Which regions will grow above or below average over the next five years?
  5. Which technologies and services will have demand driven by robot and/or drone implementations?
  • Jessica Goepfert

    Group Vice President, Data & Analytics

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  • Philip Wirth

    Research Manager, Customer Insights & Analysis

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  • Eman Elshewy

    Research Manager, Customer Insights and Analysis (META), IDC

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  • Carla La Croce

    Senior Research Analyst, Data and Analytics, Europe

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  • Roberto Membrila

    Program Manager, CI&A, Latin America

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