Robotics – Overview
In the wake of global digitalisation, sectors such as industry, healthcare and logistics are particularly affected by robotics, as many tasks can now be automated more quickly, precisely and efficiently.
This change is being driven by cost pressures, increasing quality requirements and technological progress, which is increasingly being driven by mechanical and cognitive artificial intelligence capabilities.
These global transformations are also shaping the stock markets – affecting individual companies as well as entire sectors and broadly diversified thematic investments.
Development and potential
The global robotics market has established itself as one of the most robust growth sectors in recent years. Despite the pandemic, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions, it has recorded average annual growth of around 15%. This trend has been driven, among other things, by the Covid-19-related increase in demand in areas such as logistics, disinfection and contactless services.
Due to rising personnel costs, the global shortage of skilled workers and increasing automation in manufacturing and e-commerce, the market volume for industrial robotics is estimated to reach around €50 billion in 2026.
Recently, the topic has once again come into focus: China's "Spring Festival Gala 2026" showcased impressive advances in humanoid robotics – a signal that caught the attention of stock markets worldwide and increased the pressure on Western manufacturers to innovate.
Fund manager Günther Schmitt: "The robotics market is facing a golden decade in which physical AI and humanoid systems will increasingly transition from prototypes to everyday industrial use."
How is robotics evolving?
While industrial robots have long been established, new growth drivers are emerging in the form of mobile robots in warehouses, collaborative cobots on assembly lines, and service robots in nursing, catering, and the hotel industry.
Advances in machine learning, sensor technology and energy efficiency are expanding the areas of application and reducing costs. Asia remains the production powerhouse, while Western companies are scoring points with software, system integration and AI models. The shortage of skilled workers is further reinforcing the trend, as robots take over monotonous and dangerous tasks while humans concentrate on creative and complex tasks.
Although challenges remain – such as high initial investments and ethical issues surrounding AI – falling prices due to economies of scale and the increasing maturity of the technology suggest that these hurdles will soon be overcome.
In the long term, robotics is pushing the boundaries of industrial efficiency: factories are becoming more flexible, supply chains more resilient and services more productive. For investors, this opens up a megatrend that will sustainably increase productivity and prosperity.
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Robotics companies in the Raiffeisen MegaTrends ESG Equities
This change benefits not only robot manufacturers, but also suppliers and companies that use new automation solutions in their operations. The sub-trend "robotics" currently has a weighting of 5.5% in the fund.
In the industrial robotics segment, FANUC is one of the global market leaders with its solutions for industrial automation. Rockwell Automation is a leading supplier of automation software and control systems.
As memory and chip specialists, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are contributing significantly to the AI-driven growth of robotics, as their technologies are crucial for control systems and edge computing applications. They enable robots to understand natural language instructions and perform complex tasks in a wide variety of environments.
Tesla and UBTech Robotics enrich the fund with their humanoid developments such as Optimus and Walker. In addition, specialised companies strengthen diversification: Kubota is driving agricultural robotics forward, Shenzhen Dobot is setting standards in educational robotics, Tower Semiconductor is developing key technologies for sensor chips, and Ouster is considered an innovator in the field of LiDAR technology. This diversity opens up additional upside potential for future technological breakthroughs.
As of the end of February 2026, subject to change at any time.
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