Soon, robots could be doing much more than just vacuuming your house or assembling your next car-they could also invade your investment portfolio. That's the gist of a slew of recent reports on the industry's rapid growth.

Here's some insight from a recent one by the Boston Consulting Group:. As eye-catching as these figures are, there's a good chance they may be conservative.

That's bad news if you're a factory worker, but there's a silver lining, because all of these new robots will require more skilled techs to operate and maintain them.

Even though the automation trend is clearly set, there still aren't many pure ways for investors to play it. But that doesn't mean there are no intriguing options out there. Here are five robot makers to keep on your radar screen, two of which we recommend as buys at Investing Daily:. When you google "robotics," one of the top hits is a Guardian story about Google itself.

The deal that grabbed the most attention was Boston Dynamics, a privately held company that was spun off from MIT in and run by a group of researchers working on robots that could move like animals.

Boston Dynamics makes the Cheetah, the world's fastest legged robot, capable of running 29 miles per hour, as well as the Atlas, a two-legged humanoid robot Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert showed taking a very human-like hike through the woods in August. But despite its growing robotics business, the search giant is no pure play on the robotics theme, with its automation efforts falling into its collection of "moonshot" projects. AAPL is too pricey here, while FB and GOOGL would look better on a dip.

2 Robotics Stocks for -- The Motley Fool

Here's some insight from a recent one by the Boston Consulting Group: It's not only cheaper labor that's driving the automation trend, it's cheaper robots: For investors, the shift is a clear sign that the biggest gains in robotics still lie ahead. Here are five robot makers to keep on your radar screen, two of which we recommend as buys at Investing Daily: GOOG data by YCharts 1. Like Boston Dynamics, Japan-based Yaskawa is far from a start-up: Its machines can be found on factory floors around the world -- particularly in Asia-- performing jobs such as arc welding, packaging, coating and assembly.

Its plans include parlaying its industrial expertise into health care, where it's looking to develop robots that can help patients with limited mobility. ABB just became the first global industrial robotics company to make robots in the United States: The stock jumped in early June after ABB said Swedish activist investment firm Cevian Capital had taken a 3.

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Cevian hasn't said what it has in store for ABB, but its plans could include pushing for a spinoff of its faster-growing automation business from its slower-growth utility operations. The maker of the ubiquitous Roomba self-directed vacuum is now moving outside the home, winning the thumbs-up from the FCC for a new automated lawn mower in mid-August. The device -- which is still very much in the concept stage -- would be guided by transmitter stakes driven into the ground at specific intervals.

Aside from the Roomba, iRobot makes automated floor scrubbers, mops and pool and gutter cleaners, as well as robots for the U. Ekso Bionics Holdings EKSO On the more speculative end is Ekso, which has been trading publicly since January Unlike products from the four companies above, Ekso's robots don't aim to replace humans so much as enhance them.

The company makes the Ekso GT, an exoskeleton suit rehab centers use to help patients who've suffered from strokes or other injuries learn how to walk again.

The market for exoskeletons is very much in its infancy, but it's a real and growing opportunity: But the opportunity goes beyond rehab, with the military -- including DARPA -- and industry imagine a factory worker capable of lifting twice his or her body weight also showing interest.

But if you want to put some money into an early-stage technology with big potential, the stock is a good way to do it. You can learn more about the exoskeleton opportunity by clicking here.

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Find the product that's right for you. Sep 10, 9: This will make the elements use the width property again. Prev 0 of 5 Next. Jun 17, Jim Cramer's Take on Apple, Facebook and Alphabet AAPL is too pricey here, while FB and GOOGL would look better on a dip. Jun 16, This FANG Stock Will Be the Next Tech Selloff Victim Alphabet is ready to break down.

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Robots Are Exciting; Their Share Prices Are Not - Barron's

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