Robotics & automation
Companies building industrial robots, factory automation systems, and the software running them: Keyence, Fanuc, ABB, Intuitive Surgical (surgical robots), plus AI-adjacent industrials. Less concentrated and less hype-driven than pure AI funds.
Returns shown in USD (your base currency). Past performance is not a reliable guide to future results.
- Broader and less concentrated than pure AI funds
- Owns real industrial businesses, not just hype
- Rides aging-population labour-shortage trend
- Still a narrow theme: can underperform for years
- Cyclical: factory spending falls in recessions
- Higher fee (0.40%) than broad-market funds
About this fund
Industrial automation companies, robotics specialists, and AI-adjacent industrials. Less concentrated than pure AI ETFs.
Alternatives to RBOT
Close substitutes in the same category. Cheapest first.
Available on Interactive Brokers
Low-cost access to Robotics & automation and 10,000+ funds worldwide.
Frequently asked questions
Is RBOT.L accumulating or distributing?
iShares Automation & Robotics UCITS ETF (RBOT.L) is an accumulating ETF, so its dividends are reinvested automatically inside the fund instead of paid out as cash. The value compounds in the share price, which keeps things simple since the dividends are reinvested for you instead of arriving as cash you would otherwise have to reinvest yourself.
What is the annual fee (TER) for RBOT.L?
RBOT.L has a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.40% per year. On a $10,000 holding that is roughly $40 a year, charged inside the fund rather than billed to you separately. A lower fee leaves more of the return compounding for you over time.
Can I buy RBOT.L on Interactive Brokers?
Yes. RBOT.L trades on LSE, USD and is available to investors worldwide through Interactive Brokers (IBKR). IBKR is the most popular way to buy UCITS ETFs because of its low FX conversion cost (around 0.03%) and low trading commissions.
What does RBOT.L invest in?
iShares Automation & Robotics UCITS ETF (RBOT.L) tracks the iSTOXX FactSet Automation & Robotics. Companies building industrial robots, factory automation systems, and the software running them: Keyence, Fanuc, ABB, Intuitive Surgical (surgical robots), plus AI-adjacent industrials. You buy one fund and get the whole basket in a single trade.
Is RBOT.L a UCITS ETF, and where is it domiciled?
Yes, RBOT.L is a UCITS ETF domiciled in Ireland. For non-US investors, Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs are usually preferred over US-domiciled ones: US dividend withholding tax is 15% under the tax treaty (versus 30% on US-domiciled funds for many non-US investors), and the holdings sit outside US estate tax.
How risky is RBOT.L?
On the TickerCompare 1 to 5 scale, RBOT.L is rated higher risk (5/5), based on how much its price has moved historically. Higher-risk funds can fall further in a downturn, so match the choice to your time horizon and how much volatility you can stomach.