Healthcare applications for robots, from surgery to companionship, are growing for innovators and entrepreneurs, says Research Nester.

CES 2012 was a mammoth display of the trend toward smart, connected devices for every form of consumer activity: toys, appliances, entertainment, health, mobility, etc. More than 20,000 new products were launched at this year’s CES and a large portion of them could be considered “smart.” “Smart” (robotic-like) products profess to add value, assure safety,…