Weekly Research Focus: Pool Cleaning Robots Accelerate Growth, Promising Future in a Blue Ocean Market
Pool cleaning robots are automated devices designed to clean pools by autonomously navigating to remove sand, impurities, and dirt from the water, walls, and bottom. The greatest advantage of pool cleaning robots is their ability to perform autonomous underwater cleaning. Their structure includes components for structure, drive, control, and cleaning, utilizing multi-sensor fusion algorithms for intelligent underwater navigation, and employing motors, water pumps, and cleaning brushes to achieve cleaning of the pool water, walls, and bottom.
The number of pools worldwide continues to grow, leading to a high demand for pool robots.According to statistics from Jiacheng Capital, there were 28.88 million pools globally in 2021, with a continuous growth trend. Jiacheng Capital predicts that by 2026, this number will increase to 36.92 million pools, with a compound annual growth rate of 5% from 2021 to 2026. The majority of these pools are concentrated in the European and American markets, particularly in the United States. The number of pools in the U.S. reached 10.6 million in 2021 and increased to over 19 million by 2022, including both private and public pools, with private pools accounting for over 70%. We believe that as the number of pools continues to grow globally, the demand for pool robots will also increase, indicating a sufficiently large market.
Pool robots are rapidly penetrating the market, transitioning from the initial introduction phase to a period of rapid growth.According to Jiacheng Capital’s predictions, by 2026, the penetration rate of global pool cleaning robots will reach 28%, with the U.S./Europe/Oceania penetration rates reaching 39%/35%/34%, leading the world. As mentioned earlier, the number of pools globally is expected to reach approximately 36.92 million by 2026. Based on the predicted penetration rate of 28%, the demand for pool robots will reach approximately 10.34 million units, and with an average product price of $300, the market size will reach $3.1 billion.
The competitive landscape of the industry is concentrated and lacks innovation, creating favorable conditions for Chinese brands to rise. In recent years, there has been breakthrough growth.The market for pool robots in the U.S. is relatively concentrated, with the top 10 brands accounting for over 80% market share as of 2023. The U.S. and European markets started early, but there are relatively few brands in the industry. For a long time, sales have been primarily concentrated among four brands: the Israeli brand Dolphin, the Spanish brand Polaris, the British brand BWT, and the American brand Hayward. Due to the high concentration of the market, there have been almost no technological breakthroughs or innovations in the industry for over 20 years, creating conditions for Chinese brands to rise. In recent years, as Chinese brands accelerate their international expansion, the influence of domestic pool robots in the U.S. market has also seen breakthrough growth. According to data from Mojing Overseas, in 2023, domestic brands occupied 5 out of the top 10 positions on U.S. platforms, with a combined market share of 31%, a significant increase from 15.9% in 2022, representing a growth of nearly 15.1 percentage points.
The degree of product homogeneity is high; if any manufacturer can address the two major pain points of sensor scarcity and low intelligence, it may disrupt the industry landscape.Currently, mainstream products on the market face two major pain points: a lack of sensors and low intelligence, and the degree of product homogeneity is quite high. The core functions of pool robots mainly involve the movement and control components. The most commonly used sensors in cleaning robots are laser radar sensors or other collision sensors, but these types of sensors cannot be used underwater. In underwater and surface scenarios, the number of applicable sensors is very limited, and they must meet user expectations, which is very challenging. From the overall market perspective, most manufacturers operate under their own brands, with very few pure sellers. This is due to the significant initial investment in research and development, personnel, funding, and the high technical requirements. The global leading manufacturer Maytronics is expected to experience its first double-digit negative revenue growth in nearly five years in 2024. We believe the competitive landscape is changing, and domestic manufacturers may quickly seize market share. Potential manufacturers such as Ecovacs, Roborock, Xiaomi, and Anker possess advantages in overseas supply chains and smart cleaning appliance technology reserves, which may allow them to enter the pool robot market and disrupt the competitive landscape.
Cover image source｜Doubao AI Image Generation
Source: Tianfeng Research
END
2025 Robot Industry Demand Survey Questionnaire
We sincerely invite you to participate in this demand survey; scan the code to fill it out!
If you need to consult about business cooperation,promotion,reprinting, etc., please contact: 18355423366 (WeChat same number) for coordination.
END
Highlights from 75 Robot Public Companies’ 2024 Annual ReportsThe 2024 annual reports of robot industry public companies are out! Who stands out? See the list.Academician Sun Lining: Micro-nano perception empowers the innovative development of embodied intelligent robots.Professor Xiong Rong from Zhejiang University: Challenges and progress in the development of embodied intelligent humanoid robots.“Robot Technology and Applications” 2025 Issue 1 (Total Issue 223)Director Dong Kai: Trend analysis of the development of embodied intelligent robots.Professor Shi Zhaoyao from Beijing University of Technology: “The Pivot of Agility: Breakthroughs and Applications of Joint Technology in Embodied Intelligent Robots”New breakthroughs in bionic robot technology: Learning from squirrels to navigate complex terrains intelligently.From “breaking the norm to listing” to tripling market value, Yujian Technology leads the Hong Kong stock robot track.Humanoid robots are experiencing explosive production: a price war is heating up, leading to industrial restructuring and social imagination under a technological revolution.Highlights: Robot concept public companies’ performance in the first half of 2024 is generally under pressure, but opportunities arise as robots and AI converge.Highlights from 55 Robot Public Companies’ 2023 Annual Reports: Mixed results, intensifying reshuffling.One article explains the R&D teams of Chinese humanoid robots.Amidst the heat of humanoid robots, the struggle between advancement and resistance.Who is the most outstanding? Highlights from 53 Robot Public Companies’ 2023 Mid-Year Reports.Download the financial reports of 53 robot public companies’ semi-annual reports (with PDF attached).Dialogue with Tsinghua University’s Zhao Mingguo: Accelerating evolution to replicate Boston Dynamics’ movements; what we need is confidence and innovation!The preliminary results of the National Science and Technology Awards 2023 are announced! Nine 985 universities are on the list! XJTU and Huazhong University of Science and Technology are in the top three! (with full list attached).Unprecedented! American engineers collaborate with ChatGPT4 to design AI chips.Russian President Putin approves the new version of the “2030 National Strategy for AI Development”.With a population of less than 200,000! How the Danish town of Odense became a global robot center?The “Year of Commercialization” begins, with new players adding strength to humanoid robots.Swiss researchers develop a new type of artificial muscle that is lighter, safer, and stronger!The EU halts Amazon’s acquisition of iRobot; what will become of the former giant in the robot vacuum market?Biped robots driven by muscle tissue are emerging, marking a breakthrough in biohybrid robots!Professionals discuss the robot-as-a-service model—The future of automation.Academician Report｜Pan Yunhe: Behavioral intelligence and product intelligence in artificial intelligence.Academician discusses new driving forces for promoting collaborative intelligent manufacturing in robotics.Academician discusses six key technologies for innovative design in robotics.Ximu Technology broadens new perspectives in humanoid robot research.Academician discusses the dual driving model for future AI development.Academician discusses how institutional intelligence brings “Transformers” from the screen to reality.