robotics

Global ex-US For professional / qualified / institutional clients and investors UBS Asset Management September 2026

Robotics From eyes and ears to brains

Robotics is moving beyond factories as cheaper sensors and smarter software expand its reach. The next opportunity may lie in AI-powered applications that allow autonomous systems to understand and act in the real world. 1. Robotics is moving beyond high-volume factory automation into services, logistics, agriculture, healthcare and other markets as scale improves and costs fall.

2. Cheaper, high-precision sensors have given machines “eyes and ears”, making them safer, easier to deploy and more adaptable to varied tasks.

3. Cobots, AGVs, autonomous vehicles, drones and early humanoid pilots show how broader intelligence is expanding the practical market for robotics.

4. The next value shift is likely to come from AI applications, as models give robots the “brain” to understand the physical world and act in real time.

5. The UBS robotics and automation strategy targets high- value applications, where AI, robotics, and automation converge to help find solutions to real-world problems.

Angus Muirhead Head of Thematic Equities and Senior Portfolio Manager