After a meteoric rise, the field of robotics seems to be suffering a certain slowdown in attracting investment. A rather intriguing phenomenon when we see the enthusiasm around AI.
From the year 2021, many start-ups dedicated to robotics are in a rather prosperous period and their success is dazzling. Both from the point of view of the general public and investors. A singularity that could be compared to the obvious attraction for automation in the post-pandemic context. There was a choice, just this year: cognitive robots capable of thinking, bipeds designed to replace humans in arduous tasks or even better, a robot capable of rolling, flying and walking. However, the sector is currently facing a deceleration.
A rather marked regression
The most obvious symptom of this loss of speed is the overall decline in investments devoted to the sector. As we can see in the diagram below, 2021 was a record year. In total, $9.1 billion was injected into robotics start-ups in the United States alone.
The negative slope begins in 2022, where these investments fall below the eight billion mark. This is accelerating further to reach only 2.7 billion for the year 2023. A decrease which can be explained by different factors:
- The “Wow” effect and the enthusiasm caused by certain companies is not eternal.
- With the COVID crisis over, the urgent need for automation is no longer relevant.
- Venture capital investment overall has also slowed, and this phenomenon has affected robotics.
AI: a glimmer of hope?
Although robotics has seen better days, it can count on a powerful ally: AI. This technology has caused a form of general conflagration since the release to the general public of ChatGPT. A form ofSputnik effect which has nevertheless managed to keep robotics in the sights of investors. Without it, perhaps the sector would not be doing as well.
Typically, a company like Matic, which offers a cleaning robot powered by artificial intelligence, is the kind of project that attracts attention. Who says attention necessarily said investments Consequently. This is why today a large number of start-ups are working hard to integrate intelligent use of AI into their projects. It is the technology that attracts par excellence.
Is robotics dying? Certainly not, but it is changing. A change largely due to the preponderant importance of AI in the tech field. Indicators seem to show that these two industries will go hand in hand, and that the robot segment will have to grow with artificial intelligence.
Sources: Crunchbase, TechCrunch
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