Robotics becoming an essential part of healthcare sector

Robotics technology has become an essential part of the healthcare sector, with the global market rising from USD 1.8 billion in 2013 to an estimated USD 3.75 billion by 2018, a study has said.
According to organisers of Robot Technology Exhibition (RTEX), healthcare has seen a rise in demand for procedures involving advanced robotics and is expected to see further growth as public and private healthcare spending and patient awareness increases.
RTEX, the The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's first robotic and automation exhibition, will feature experts and live demonstrations illustrating the advancements made in consumer and healthcare including robotic bipeds, neuro-prosthetics and managing pathological tremor with robotic support.

The exhibition will also feature a series of seminars to be held alongside the exhibition covering town automation (smart city concept), logistics and unmanned systems and vehicles.
Discussions and demonstrations include service robots for surveillance, surface-aerial marsupial robots for riverine environmental monitoring, computational intelligence for aero-space applications and autonomous mobile robots.
According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the global demand for industrial robots reached an all-time-high of about 168,000 units in 2013. By 2015, the IFR estimates the worldwide robot sales to increase by five percent on an average as a result of the opening up of huge consumer markets in the BRIC, South East Asia and the Middle East region.

"We anticipate a substantial increase in the demand for industrial and service sector robots within the next ten years. Our aim is to build on these opportunities and bring together the experts and the decision makers to address demand and challenges through robotics," said Jalal Jassbi, Managing Director of RTEX.
"It's an exciting time for the robotics sector in the region and through the seminars we hope to raise awareness and highlight the commercial as well as the practical benefits this sector has to offer," he added.