ASIA-PACIFIC AUTONOMOUS MOBILE ROBOTS (AMR) MARKET FORECAST 2024-2032

The Asia-Pacific autonomous mobile robots market growth evaluation entails a detailed assessment of China, Japan, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia & New Zealand, and Rest of Asia-Pacific.

China leads the regional market, supported by a strong manufacturing ecosystem and government initiatives promoting smart factories and robotics innovation. As of recent years, the country has maintained its position as the largest global robotics market, and its 14th Five-Year Plan emphasizes intelligent manufacturing and automation, creating a fertile ground for AMR deployment across warehouses and production lines. Key Chinese companies and startups are also receiving funding to develop next-generation mobile robots with enhanced AI and navigation systems.

In India, the logistics and e-commerce sectors are key growth engines for AMRs. With the country’s warehousing market projected to expand rapidly due to a booming online retail ecosystem and increasing 3PL activity, businesses are investing in automation to meet delivery expectations and reduce operational costs. The “Make in India” initiative and incentives for domestic electronics and robotics manufacturing are encouraging the integration of AMRs in both industrial hubs and fulfillment centers.

Japan, a pioneer in robotics, continues to innovate in AMR technology, particularly through the integration of AI and IoT. AMRs are being increasingly adopted in healthcare settings for tasks such as medical supply delivery and sanitation—trends that intensified during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The government’s focus on addressing an aging workforce and labor shortages through automation aligns closely with rising investments in autonomous robotics.

Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia are emerging as important AMR markets. Singapore, with its Smart Nation initiative, promotes automation in logistics and urban services, while Malaysia and Thailand are modernizing their manufacturing sectors as part of Industry 4.0 roadmaps. The availability of Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) models in these countries is lowering the barrier to entry for SMEs, enabling them to adopt AMRs with reduced upfront capital expenditure.

Across the region, key trends such as the integration of AMRs with IoT and cloud platforms, the rise of hybrid AMRs that can switch between autonomous and manual modes, and the growing use of collaborative robots (cobots) are reshaping automation strategies in warehouses and factories. However, challenges remain, including high deployment costs, safety concerns in human-robot shared environments, and a shortage of skilled technicians to manage and maintain these systems. Despite these hurdles, Asia-Pacific is poised to remain a global hotspot for AMR innovation and deployment over the next decade.

The Asia-Pacific autonomous mobile robots market is segmented into component, robot type, application, and end-user. The component segment is further categorized into hardware, software, and services.

Hardware innovations form the backbone of autonomous mobile robot performance, directly impacting their operational efficiency, precision, and reliability. At the forefront are advanced LiDAR sensors, which range in cost from $4,000 to $75,000 per unit and play a crucial role in enabling accurate navigation and high-resolution environmental mapping—both essential for autonomous decision-making. These are complemented by a range of other sensors, including cameras, ultrasonic, and infrared systems, which collectively provide real-time situational awareness for precise obstacle detection and intelligent path planning.

Equally critical are the drive and locomotion systems, which include motors, wheels, tracks, and chassis components, all working together to ensure smooth and stable movement across various surfaces. Embedded control systems and onboard computing units continuously process the influx of sensor data, running complex algorithms that allow the robots to operate autonomously and respond dynamically to their environment.

The top players operating in the Asia-Pacific autonomous mobile robots market include ABB Ltd, KUKA AG, Locus Robotics Inc, Omron Corporation, etc.

ABB Ltd is one of the global providers of power and automation technologies. The company offers products, systems, solutions, and services to improve productivity, increase power reliability, and enhance energy efficiency. It serves electric, gas & water utilities and industrial & commercial end-users. The company sells products through direct sales forces and third-party channel partners such as distributors, installers, wholesalers, machine builders, OEMs, and system integrators.

The company operates through four primary business areas: Electrification, Motion, Process Automation, and Robotics & Discrete Automation. ABB provides digitally connected and enabled industrial equipment and systems to the utilities, industry, transport, and infrastructure industries. In July 2021, ABB Ltd. acquired ASTI Mobile Robotics to expand and enhance its robotics and automation offerings. ABB Ltd is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The company operates in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East & Africa.