Robot Orders Hold Steady in Q1 2026 as Demand Broadens Across Non-Automotive Industries

North American companies ordered 9,055 robots valued at $543 million in the first quarter of 2026, according to new data released by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). Compared to the first quarter of 2025, this represents a 0.1 percent decrease in units ordered and a 6.4 percent decline in revenue. While unit orders were essentially flat, order revenue declined year over year, driven largely by a cyclical decline in Automotive OEM orders, which fell 35.1% in units and 48.2% in revenue compared to the same quarter last year. Given the size and timing of automotive programs, that decline had an outsized impact on the total market.

General Industry Segments Post Strong Growth

Outside of Automotive OEMs, demand across much of the robotics market remained healthy. Automotive component suppliers increased orders 28.1 percent in units and 15.5 percent in revenue compared to Q1 2025, reflecting the segment’s typical lag behind OEM ordering cycles.

Several non-automotive industries also posted strong year-over-year gains in robot orders, including:

• Life Sciences/Pharma/Biomed: +54.1% units, +70.2% revenue
• Semi & Electronics/Photonics: +31.7% units, +79.2% revenue
• Plastics & Rubber: +25.2% units, +32.6% revenue
• Food & Consumer Goods: +16.0% units, +16.3% revenue
• All Other Industries: +24.5% units, +29.2% revenue

These results point to continued diversification in automation demand as companies across industries invest in robotics to improve productivity, address workforce challenges, and strengthen operational resilience.

Collaborative Robots Show Strong Growth

Collaborative robots remained one of the strongest-performing categories in the quarter. Companies ordered 1,637 collaborative robots valued at $69.8 million in Q1 2026, representing a 55.6 percent increase in units and a 78.2 percent increase in revenue compared to Q1 2025. Collaborative robots accounted for 18.1 percent of all robot units ordered and 12.9 percent of total order revenue during the quarter.

Collaborative robot adoption was especially strong in life sciences/pharma/biomed, where they represented 60.7 percent of total robot orders in the sector, as well as semiconductors/electronics/photonics at 45.9 percent and all other industries at 29 percent.

“Collaborative robots are one example of how the robotics market continues to evolve,” said Alex Shikany, executive vice president at A3. “The broader takeaway from the first quarter is that automation demand is becoming more diverse in terms of industries, applications and deployment models. That is an important signal for the long-term health of the market, especially as companies continue to invest in productivity, flexibility, quality and competitiveness.”

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