Once the domain of science fiction novels, robots are poised to transform a broad range of different industry categories in the coming years. Here are just a few key examples — covering the uses of robots today and in the future — based on reports by several market research firms.

According to a market research report by BIS Research, the global unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sense and avoid systems market was valued $508.7 million in 2016 and is expected to witness a growth rate of 38.90%, between 2016 and 2022 to reach a market value of $3.7 billion by 2022.

According to a new market research report by BIS Research, titled Global E-cigarette and T-Vapor Market, Analysis and Forecast (2017-2025), the global e-cigarette and t-vapor market is expected to reach a value of $86.43 billion by 2025.

Since the time the “electronic revolution” hit the telecommunication industry, the competition in the field has exponentially increased leading to furious investment and innovation, helping to give rise to the digital economy. The digital economy supported the development of many electronic appliances such as smart phones, watches, TVs, refrigerators, security systems, and of course, environmentally friendly electric vehicles.

Forbes recently published an article written by Ken Long, a Senior Industry Analyst at The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com. The article highlights seven key facts you need to know before investing in drone technology.

Read the article to learn:

• Forecasts of U.S. drone sales to 2020
• Which markets are poised to explode and which will climb at moderate rates
• Where you can find possible investment opportunities

The International Data Corporation (IDC) FutureScape series provides clear predictions and expert insights to help technology suppliers, investors, IT professionals, and business executives strategize for the future.

Eight of these studies are highlighted below which cover a variety of areas undergoing transformative change including oil and gas, robotics, 3D printing, retail, connected vehicles, and more. Read on to learn about IDC’s 2017 predictions, and click to the report pages to access more detailed information.

Baseball managers have long kept tabs on their star players to make sure they stayed ready and rested for the big series.

Back in 1892, for example, when the Cleveland Spiders played the Boston Beaneaters in what was then called the World’s Championship Series, their star pitcher was Cy Young. Young was generally clean living, but he would occasionally get up early to go hunting for wild turkey in nearby woods, a potentially troublesome activity his manager had to watch out for.

Unsanctioned hunting is less of an issue in the Major Leagues now. Today, however, a manager has to make sure his starters don’t injure themselves by fiddling with a drone.

Many participants in the US repair services industry, particularly small independent repair shops, have faced mounting challenges over the last decade. During this period, one key trend has been manufacturers’ increasing control over the repair of their products. Recent events, however, have given pause to this trend and even promise to reverse it.

For decades, the tastes and preferences of the largest generational cohort — the baby boomers — have been an important factor shaping key trends in the US small appliances market. This group, noted also for its affluence, is now joined by another even larger generational group: the millennials.

Like it or loathe it, it seems like everyone has one. No, not “an opinion,” a smartphone.

How many people in the US have a smartphone? About 60% of the total population in 2015. No small feat, considering the devices really only gained consumer market traction when Apple introduced the first-generation iPhone in June 2007.

What’s driving smartphone adoption? It certainly isn’t the ability to share meaningful voice conversations with friends and family — you don’t need a smartphone for that. The real value lays in the ever-expanding range of capabilities smartphones possess and the services they can access.