Robotics · 2026-10-27
Robots will need 5-10 years to become a common part of everyday life, SoftServe survey shows
According to an internal SoftServe survey, most robotics engineers think general-purpose robots will not enter homes soon, and the first mass-market household robots will be specialized ones, such as cleaning and garden-care robots.
What the survey showed
SoftServe ran an internal survey among 61 specialists from its Robotics & Automation group. Respondents were almost evenly split between junior, middle, senior, lead and higher levels. According to the company, 85% of experts expect that robots will need at least 5-10 years to become a common part of everyday life.
Asked when robots will become a normal part of life, 44% of respondents said it would happen in five to ten years, and another 41% think it will take more than ten years.
Which robots will come first
Experts think specialized robots will appear in homes en masse first. The robot vacuum has already become a mass-market product. According to the respondents, the next categories will be:
— garden-care robot: 27% of respondents;
— companion robot for caring for elderly people: 20%;
— ironing robot: 11%.
According to the engineers, general-purpose humanoid robots that can do almost anything will take the longest to reach homes.
What to expect from robots in the coming years
Despite skepticism about general-purpose robots, respondents were more optimistic than expected. 51% believe robots will somewhat improve their lives over the next five years, and 20% expect a significant improvement.
SoftServe's head of the robotics department, Liubomyr Demkiv, explains that progress usually happens task by task: a robot must perform a specific job reliably, safely and at an affordable price in a real, unpredictable environment, rather than just impressing at demonstrations.
At the same time, as dev.ua reports, a former marketing manager at Nvidia believes robotics is still in its «LEGO era». For context, China recently presented a 4-meter humanoid robot capable of lifting more than 500 kg.
Sources: 🔗 DOU/dev.ua