Choosing the Right Application For Cobots

The term cobot is a relatively new one in the robotic process automation industry, referring to an entire range of robots that can work collaboratively alongside their human counterparts. Differing from their industrial robot cousins, collaborative robots (or cobots) have opened up a slew of new possibilities within manufacturing and other industries making automation more accessible than it’s ever been before.

Because they can work alongside humans, collaborative robots have been designed differently from traditional industrial robots to make sure they are safe for human workers to be around at all times. One of the key differences is speed, the mechanics of a cobot mean the motion is far slower when compared to industrial robots. As robots don’t require safety enclosures to separate man from machine, if any collision with a human was to happen, there would be no threat of serious injury. Likewise, the design is also different, with a cobot featuring rounded edges and no trap points to minimise risk for those around it. You can read more about the design differences on cobots HERE.

In recent years, the introduction of cobots has accelerated massively with a 46% and 11% increase over the last two years respectively (2020 IFR Robotics Report). Despite this, though, the market share of cobots is very small by comparison. With just under 5% of the market taken by collaborative units, the report suggests, “the tremendous amount of media coverage on collaborative robots in recent years should not disguise the fact that the number of units installed is still very low.”