Investing.com --Robots remain a relatively uncommon sight across Swiss companies, with only 4% using service robots, 3% deploying industrial robots and 1% using humanoid robots, according to a UBS survey of more than 2,500 businesses conducted in March.
The figures show robotics adoption remains concentrated in specific industries rather than spread broadly across the Swiss economy. Industrial robots have gained the most traction in electrical equipment and machinery, where 38% of companies use them, followed by the metals industry at 27%.
Service robots are slightly more prevalent in services than industry, with adoption reaching 14% in education. Humanoid robots remain particularly rare, though usage reaches 10% in the materials industry and 7% in education.
Robotics trails several other emerging technologies. Some 43% of Swiss companies use at least one of the 11 technologies covered by the survey. Cloud computing leads with 32% adoption, followed by the Internet of Things at 10% and 3D printing at 8%.
Company size also plays a major role. Large businesses use all 11 technologies more frequently than small and medium-sized enterprises. Across the economy, 57% of companies currently use none of the technologies surveyed and another 25% use just one. Only 18% employ two or more.
Technology adoption is expected to increase over the next five years. The average number of technologies used per company is projected to rise from 0.8 to 1.5, though robotics and quantum computing remain longer-term options rather than candidates for broad near-term deployment.
Large companies are expected to account for much of the planned expansion in robotics.
The broader challenge is shifting from access to new technology toward companies' ability to implement it. Skills, data governance, cybersecurity, regulation, and financing could determine whether planned investments actually materialize.
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