AI drives the service robotics market in Mexico

Another notable case is Roomie IT, a project that began during the Covid-19 pandemic assisting the medical staff of the Siglo XXI General Hospital. This project has managed to expand its robotics services both nationally and internationally, demonstrating the continuous growth of this technological sector. According to Aldo Luévano, CEO of Roomie IT, this trend will continue to rise.

“A very strong push is in humanoid robotics. Today there is a lot of investment in research and development at a global level, especially in general-purpose humanoids that integrate vertical agents to address specific use cases, such as those that use generative AI,” Luévano mentions in an interview.

The CEO also highlights that the massification of AI is driving the adoption of AI agents, which will begin to focus on specific business applications, such as customer service and marketing. “From the trenches of Roomie IT we have been developing humanoid robots with AI for a long time. “Our offering includes digital agents in the virtual space and capabilities to implement generative AI in the physical space,” he adds.

These humanoids can bring generative AI into physical environments, performing service tasks and offering solutions designed to interact directly with people.

In 2023, data from Grand View Research indicates that Mexico imported industrial robots worth approximately $239 million, which represented an increase of 7.8% compared to the previous year. Likewise, it is estimated that the global service robot market will grow at a compound annual rate of 44.9% between 2023 and 2028, while in Mexico a growth of 13% is projected.

Currently, service robots in the country are being used in sectors such as hospitals, for cleaning tasks with ultraviolet light; restaurants, in customer service and food preparation; and airports, to guide passengers and carry out security tasks. Although the Mexican market is still incipient, experts agree that these technologies will not replace human labor, but will act as allies to improve the efficiency and quality of services.

For its part, Dell Technologies predicts that “Agentic” will be the word of the year in 2025, referring to computer systems capable of planning, making decisions and acting to achieve predefined objectives. According to John Roese, Global Director of Technology and AI at Dell, “AI agents, combined with robotics, will be able to provide a face to these types of services, transforming the way companies implement and build AI systems.”

Mexico is experiencing an increase in the implementation of service robots thanks to the need to optimize processes and the growing availability of advanced technological solutions. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), sales of service robots grew by 17% in 2023, reaching a market value of $55 billion.

Both Luévano and Roese agree that the pandemic accelerated the adoption of robots in tasks such as cleaning, disinfection and delivery to minimize human contact. Furthermore, in regions such as Japan and Europe, the demand for assistive robots for older adults has increased significantly. This trend reflects the growth potential of the service robotics market globally and locally.