Consumer Electric Show is not only for TVs and smartphone but for robots!
Check this out.
Source from: http://robohub.org/7-consumer-robots-to-look-out-for-from-ces-2014/
This year’s CES in Las Vegas showcased some of the latest technologies from both established and up-and-coming robotics companies. Drones, telepresence robots, automated cleaning devices and entertaining toys filled the exhibit booths at the Robotics TechZone as visitors crowded around the demonstration areas for up close views. Yet for most founders the excitement of releasing a new robotics technology is often tempered with the reality of high hurdles to mass customer adoption and tepid (but growing) interest from venture capitalists to provide funding. Consumer robotics companies are still battling customers’ hesitance to adopt “robotic” technology. On top of that, convincing customers of the technology’s true lifetime value, finding the technological sweetspot of facilitating tasks without drastically altering user routines, and marketing to the right customer segment introduce even more barriers along the road to mass customer adoption.
Even so, the market for consumer robotics is growing. The International Federation of Robotics estimated the 2012 market size at $1.2B with expectations to grow to $6.5B by 2016. In a panel discussion on the future of consumer robotics, Matt Fisher, founder of KumoTek Robotics said that in order to be successful robotics companies have to shift away from being gadgets and show customers a return on investment. Paolo Pirjanian, CTO of iRobot, said that companies must focus on the core value they present to the customer.
Buzz and publicity often don’t translate into high sales numbers (Anchorman 2 anyone?) and from a company’s line of products perhaps only one or two will find mass appeal with customers. After speaking with founders and exhibitors at CES, here are the seven consumer robotic products that have the highest potential for mass customer adoption based on the strength of their value proposition to their intended market segment. Some of these robots are still in pilot tests while others have paying customers.
