????美銀美林（Bank of America Merrill Lynch）本周發布最新報告就顯示，2014年，全球機器人市場全年銷售額達到107億美元，創下歷史記錄。當年，包括相關軟件和傳感器在內，機器人技術市場的總價值已達320億美元，預計到2020年，其市場規模將達到830億美元。

????機器人市場的發展，得益于數據分析、微芯片和傳感器等技術的進步，而隨著技術演進，未來的機器人將變得更加靈活和強大，將可以執行更為復雜的任務，如測試微型電路板等。

????報告表示，機器人制造成本的持續下降，將使更多普通人有能力購買機器人。

????該報告披露的以下五個市場機遇，值得投資者關注：

????1. 機器人變得價格更低、能力更強大

????如果你想要一臺可執行焊接任務的機器人，卻沒有足夠的資金，不妨等一等。因為機器人的價格正在持續降低。2005年，一臺焊接機器人的價格約為182,000美元。但去年，一款類似設備的價格已經下降到133,000美元，而且新設備變得更加敏捷，可以更好地理解周邊環境信息。報告稱，今天花100,000美元購買的機器人，比十年前花相同價格購買的機器人，可以執行的任務增加了一倍。

????2. 中國已是全球最大機器人購買市場

????2014年，中國購買了57,000臺機器人，占全球機器人銷量的四分之一，連續兩年成為全球最大的機器人市場。在這一年，中國每10,000名員工的機器人擁有量已達到35臺。不過，對于同一指標，日本和德國分別達到約300至385臺。因此，中國將繼續在機器人市場追趕其他國家，以便解決人口老齡化和總勞動力參與率下降的問題。數量龐大的機器人員工將有望幫助中國制造業彌補這方面的不足。

????3. 汽車行業成為機器人消費大戶

????自2010年以來，汽車行業的機器人購買量一直領先于其他所有行業。報告稱，2014年，汽車公司購買的工業機器人占工業機器人總銷量的近二分之一。這部分原因在于，汽車和卡車等制造業需要大量工作，機器人可以滿足此類重復性勞動，而成本卻遠低于工人工資。例如，在美國，一名點焊工人的時薪約為25美元，而機器人每小時的成本僅有8美元。有些汽車公司非常重視他們的機器人，甚至為它們取了特殊的名字。例如，特斯拉（Tesla）便以動漫中的超級英雄們為其機器人命名，如金剛狼和X教授等。

????4. 機器人是否會搶走你的飯碗？有可能！

????任何一份有關機器人的報告，都不得不承認一個事實，即人類擔心機器人會搶走自己的工作。美銀美林的報告也指出，在許多行業，機器人可能會取代人類，尤其是汽車制造業。但隨著機器人將人類從枯燥的重復性勞動中解放出來，未來會有出現新的工作機會。在剛剛結束不久的“2015《財富》全球論壇”上，眾多機器人專家針對職場中的機器人技術展開討論，爭論的結果與上述觀點不謀而合。

????5. “千禧一代”更易于信任由機器人處理財務問題

????在未來，金融行業將可以利用機器人技術和人工智能的進步，創造出了一種所謂的“機器人分析師”崗位，也就是由電腦計算分析數并為銀行客戶提供理財建議。報告稱，富有的“千禧一代”“比其他群體更有可能信任科技，在理財咨詢服務方面也不例外。”這方面巧合有一個最新的例證。據彭博社報道，美國銀行正在開發機器人顧問，將負責處理低于250,000美元的賬戶。（財富中文網）

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????The robot industry is experiencing a boom period that’s not likely to slow anytime soon.

????Bank of America Merrill Lynch BAC 3.81% released a report this week that said that annual global sales of robots reached a record $10.7 billion in 2014. The authors valued the overall market for robotic technologies, which also includes related software and sensors, at $32 billion for the same year. By 2020, the authors expect the robot market to be worth $83 billion.

????The growth comes amid advancements in data analytics, microchips, and sensors. Because of the improved technology, robots are more flexible, powerful, and can perform more complicated tasks like testing tiny circuit boards.

????The cost of robots is going down as well, which has made buying a robot more affordable, the authors said. Here are five interesting tidbits from the report:

????1. Robots are getting cheaper and more powerful

????If you always wanted a robot that can weld but couldn’t afford one, just wait. The price is dropping. In 2005, welding robots cost roughly $182,000. But last year, a similar machine that was more nimble and could better understand its surroundings cost $133,000. Spending $100,000 for a robot today will get you a machine that can do twice as much as a robot 10 years ago that used to cost the price, the report said.

????2. China is the biggest buyer of robots

????China bought 57,000 robots in 2014, representing a quarter of all robots sold worldwide. This is second year in the row that China led the world in buying robots as it plays catch-up to other countries. In 2014, China had 35 industrial robots per 10,000 employees. But both Japan and Germany have around 300 to 385 industrial robots per 10,000 employees, according to the report. One of the reasons China is buying a lot of robots is because of an aging population and a decline in the overall labor force participation rate, the authors wrote. An influx of robots could help the country’s manufacturing sector compensate.

????3. The automotive industry is buying a ton of robots

????It takes a lot of work to build cars and trucks. Since 2010, the automotive industry has led all other sectors in buying robots. In 2014, the authors write that auto companies bought almost one out of every two industrial robots sold. They perform repetitive task more cheaply than humans, the authors said. In the U.S., for example, the report said that it costs nearly $25 an hour for a human to spot weld while a robot costs only $8 an hour. On a side note, the authors write that some auto companies value their robots so much, they give them special names. Tesla TSLA 0.25% , for example, names some of their robots after famous comic book superheroes like Wolverine and Professor X.

????4. Will robots take your jobs? Maybe

????You can’t have a report on robots without acknowledging people’s fears that robots could replace them on the job. The authors said that it’s likely robots will replace humans in many industries, pointing to the auto industry, in particular. But new jobs could emerge as robots free people from performing menial and repetitive tasks. This sentiment was echoed at a recent discussion on robotics in the workplace by a panel of robotic experts at this year’s Fortune Global Forum.

????5. Millennials are more likely to trust robots to handle their finances

????The finance industry is taking advantage of advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence to create so-called robo-analysts, essentially computers that calculate numbers and give financial advice to banking clients. The report said that affluent millennials are more likely to “place a great deal of faith in technology compared to other generations and this is no different in financial advisory services.” Coincidentally, a Bloomberg report on Friday said that Bank of America is developing a robo-advisor that will handle accounts less than $250,000.