Analysis:
A key element of ABB’s long-term growth strategy is to continue to invest and innovate in underserved robotics sectors. ABB’s healthcare research center could fuel its collaborative robotics business by bringing its automation expertise to new areas such as healthcare.

Throughout the world, the healthcare sector is struggling from the combined pressures of skyrocketing costs, the need to improve the quality of services and results, rapidly aging populations, and a shortage of qualified workers.

Many highly skilled medical workers also spend a large part of their days doing repetitive and low-value tasks. ABB said its analysis showed that repetitive tasks could be completed up to 50% faster with automation in comparison with current manual processes. ABB estimated that by 2025, more than 60,000 non-surgical medical robots are expected to be working in hospitals. - Steve Crowe