The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights FANUY, ABBNY, KYCCF, NVDA, ISRG, ILMN, NOVT, BOTZ, ROBO, ROBT and IBOT

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – September 8, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks and ETFs featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks and ETFs recently featured in the blog include: Fanuc Corp. FANUY, ABB Ltd. ABBNY, Keyence KYCCF, NVIDIA NVDA, Intuitive Surgical ISRG, Illumina ILMN, Novanta NOVT, Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF BOTZ, ROBO Global Robotics and Automation Index ETF ROBO, First Trust NASDAQ Artificial Intelligence and Robotics ETF ROBT and VanEck Robotics ETF IBOT.

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Are Robots the New Normal? Bet on ETFs to Invest in the Future

For decades, the dynamic between humans and robots was simple: rigid industrial arms locked inside safety cages, performing single repetitive assembly-line tasks. Today, that relationship has transformed dramatically, with robots now capable of decision-making and spatial reasoning.

Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence (AI) has been the catalyst, acting as the "brain" that allows robots to move beyond simple automation. 

To this end, McKinsey projects the general-purpose robotics market to skyrocket from under $1 billion as of 2025 to roughly $370 billion by 2040, presenting an opportune moment for investors to consider the future of robotics. 

However, betting on a single company can be risky; a more prudent, safer strategy is to invest through a diversified exchange-traded fund (ETF). Investing via Robotics ETFs will give one’s portfolio exposure to the entire value chain while hedging individual stock risk.

To capitalize on this macro trend, it is important to understand how the robotics ecosystem is structured, examine key market leaders and emerging innovators, and identify the top ETFs positioned to benefit from the industry’s growth.

The Future of the Robotic Ecosystem

The future of the robotics ecosystem is incredibly bright, driven by the powerful synergy of advanced hardware, AI and plummeting costs.

In particular, the emergence and rapid evolution of humanoid robots are driving growth in the robotics sector. 
Once a novelty, humanoids are now being deployed in factories and industries worldwide, handling material handling, quality inspection and logistics. 

The industrial adoption of humanoid robots is the sector's largest driver, as companies seek automation to boost efficiency and reshore manufacturing, with major players like AgiBot, Unitree and UBTECH leading the charge. 

Experts predict that the humanoid robotics market could surge from roughly $2-$3 billion today to as much as $200 billion by 2035, creating significant investment and growth opportunities in this segment of the robotics industry.

Corporates Powering the Robotics Revolution

The robotics revolution is being powered by a dynamic mix of established industrial giants and innovative emerging companies. 

Among the established leaders, Fanuc Corp. is a titan of industrial robotics, having produced its one-millionth robot and providing crucial systems for precision manufacturing. ABB Ltd. is another heavy hitter, offering a wide range of industrial robots and automation solutions for various industries. 

Keyence is yet another well-known name in this industry, providing the sensors and machine vision systems that are the "eyes" of modern factories. AI-giant NVIDIA remains a critical industry player, as its advanced chips and robotics platforms serve as the AI "brain" for robots, enabling them to perceive and make decisions. 

In the realm of surgical robotics, Intuitive Surgical remains the dominant player with its da Vinci systems, which are used in a growing number of procedures. Another well-known integrator of robotics in the medical sector is Illumina, which partners with Hamilton Robotics to automate sample preparation and next-generation sequencing (NGS). 

Alongside these well-established names are companies in the earlier stages of their robotics journey that are already showing significant growth potential. For instance, Novanta supplies the lasers, sensors and motion systems crucial for the medical robotics industry. 

Robotics ETFs to Consider for Your Portfolio

Given the rapid evolution and growth opportunities offered by the robotics sector, here are four prominent ETFs investors may consider adding to their portfolios now:

Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF

This fund, with net assets worth $3.40 billion, offers exposure to 61 companies that potentially stand to benefit from increased adoption and utilization of robotics and AI, including those involved in industrial robotics and automation, non-industrial robots and autonomous vehicles. KYCCF holds the first spot in this fund, with 10.40% weightage, while NVDA holds the second spot with 10.05% weightage. ABBNY holds the third spot in this fund, with 9.05% weightage, while FANUY holds the fourth spot with 7.54% weightage. ISRG holds 6.01% of this fund’s assets and enjoys the fifth position. 

BOTZ has gained 8.7% over the past year and charges 68 basis points (bps) in fees. 

ROBO Global Robotics and Automation Index ETF

This fund, with net assets worth $2.01 billion, offers exposure to 79 global companies that are driving transformative innovations in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence (RAAI). These companies include those developing technologies that enable intelligent systems to sense, process and act, as well as those applying these technologies to deliver RAAI-enabled products, including robots, to businesses and consumers.

ROBO has soared 24.7% over the past year and charges 95 bps in fees. 

First Trust NASDAQ Artificial Intelligence and Robotics ETF

This fund, with net assets worth $774.6 million, offers exposure to 114 companies engaged in AI, robotics and automation. Appian Corporation holds the first spot in this fund, with 2.46% weightage, while ILMN holds the seventh spot with 1.89% weightage. 

ROBT has rallied 16.7% over the past year and charges 65 bps in fees. 

VanEck Robotics ETF

This fund, with net assets worth $101.7 million, offers exposure to 70 companies involved in robotics. NVDA holds the first spot in this fund, with 5.58% weightage, while KYCCF holds the second spot with 5.50% weightage. ABBNY holds 4.76% of this fund’s assets and enjoys the fifth spot, while FAUNY holds 2.51% of this fund’s assets and enjoys the ninth spot.

IBOT has surged 35.8% over the past year and charges 47 bps in fees. 

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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