Sales of pet robot dogs increased 55% in Russia
Source：Vedomosti
From：Taiwan Trade Center, Moscow
Update Time：2024/04/27
In Russia in 2023, 55% more robot dogs and 41% more robot assistants were bought, a representative of the analytical resource "Check Index" of the company "Platform OFD" (operator of fiscal data) told Vedomosti. We are talking about inexpensive (from 2000 to 5000 rubles) and small user devices, which are toy pets or small robots with a microphone, a video camera and a built-in voice assistant. The representative of the OFD Platform did not specify absolute sales data, noting that we are talking about the order of several tens of thousands of devices sold.
Many people use robot dogs for entertainment, entrusting them with the leisure of children and pets, explained the representative of the OFD Platform. According to him, the top purchases of robot assistants in 2023 included small devices in the "tumbler" design, with a microphone and a video camera, with the option of transmitting images and sound to the owner's phone. Such devices are used to play with a cat or dog, communicate remotely with a pet and monitor it, the source explained.
According to Denis Kuskov, CEO of Telecom Daily, interest in robotic technology is growing by 25-30% annually and this is primarily due to the fact that the technologies of such devices are being improved, and prices for them in the mass segment are decreasing.
Assistant robots are a growing market trend along with augmented reality and the metaverse, says Artur Makhlaiuk, business analyst at Fplus IT holding. They are usually mobile voice assistants and pet imitations, although hybrids are also found, he clarifies. In the first case, the idea is much ahead of the implemented projects, the expert notes. Developments in this area are being carried out, for example, by the Chinese brand Cozmo, which offers desktop secretary pets. But, Makhlayuk notes, this is too crude a product, "more like a toy than a full-fledged working tool." "In general, interest in such devices is growing now. They are a good simulator for children," the analyst adds.
Assistant robots can monitor animals or, for example, play with them, says Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of Infoline Analytics. According to Burmistrov, in some cases, buying a robot dog is an opportunity to give a child an alternative pet. This is always better than having a pet in the family, to which one of the family members may not be ready or have allergies, he adds.
"The interest in robot dogs is primarily due to the fact that this is a new technology that definitely attracts attention. And also, in the case of programmable models, with an increased interest among young people in robotics and ROS programming (Robot Operating System is an open framework for writing software for robots. – Vedomosti)," said Ilya Kainov, head of the 3Logic Group's robotic systems department.
With the development of large language models and their adaptation to run on phones and other devices, such robots will become much smarter and more useful than anything that used to be, says Vladimir Sveshnikov, co-founder of Parodist AI. In particular, they will be able to better navigate in space thanks to multimodal models that can, in addition to text, recognize images and speech and understand commands in natural language, he concluded.
Source: https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2024/02/08/1019106-prodazhi-domashnih-robotov-sobak-virosli-v-poltora-raza; https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2024/02/08/1019106-prodazhi-domashnih-robotov-sobak-virosli-v-poltora-raza