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Collaborative robots, commonly known as cobots, are designed to work alongside human employees without safety barriers, assuming proper risk assessment is conducted.
They are built with safety and flexibility, allowing them to perform various tasks, from simple to complex, while intuitive enough for non-experts to program and handle.
Cobots have not always been as accessible as they are today. They came from industrial robots, often large, expensive, and confined to safety cages.
However, the real innovation of cobots started with the creation of more approachable robots that could safely interact with humans.
For many years, large companies and manufacturers had to use traditional robots in their warehouses and factories.
These expensive and complex robots were specifically created for high-volume and repetitive production tasks.
Conversely, smaller and medium companies needed low-volume, high-precision tasks that smaller robots perform.
People typically notice a cobot's arm first — the most prominent feature signifies the robot's reach and capability.
Some cobots have single-arm designs, with a streamlined structure designed for tasks in confined spaces.
Others have multiple-arm configurations for complex tasks that mimic human hand coordination.
But what truly brings a cobot’s arm to life are its joints (also known as the axis), the points that allow the arm to bend, rotate, and extend.
These are the different types of joints in a cobot:
Cobots can have 4 to 10 joints on the arm, far exceeding the capabilities of a human hand.
End-effectors are the tools that allow robots to interact with objects. They are the point of contact between the cobot and the workpiece or product, essentially the robot’s “hand.”
The nature of the material being handled — its weight, fragility, and size — dictates the type of end-effector needed.
Here are some types of end-effectors:
End-effectors change depending on the task and the robot’s payload and compatibility.
Since cobots operate alongside people, safety features are very necessary.
These components serve as the cobot's sensory organs, allowing it to detect people and objects in their vicinity and ensuring safe interactions.
Most cobots are designed with ergonomics in mind, using lightweight materials, and have rounded edges. If they come in contact with someone, there’s usually less risk of injury.
These are some of the sensors and safety measures for cobots:
User interfaces are the touchpoints where human operators communicate with cobots.
The ease of use of these UIs significantly affects the efficiency with which workers can program, monitor, and interact with the robot system.
Two major interfaces for cobots are taught pendants and graphical user interfaces (GUI):
These systems serve as a cobot's brain and determine how effectively it can perform tasks, respond to changes, and integrate with other digital systems in a smart factory environment.
These are the core elements of a cobot’s control system:
Advanced software systems equip cobots with learning algorithms that enable them to improve their performance over time through machine learning. They are also designed with connectivity in mind to allow cobots to communicate with other machines and software systems, such as MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems.
Getting a grip on what cobots can and can’t do is essential for deploying them successfully.
Here are the basic cobot capabilities to keep in mind before you buy:
Payload capacity is the maximum weight a cobot can lift and manipulate safely.
It's very important for tasks such as material handling, machine tending, or assembly operations where weight plays a role.
Generally, most cobots can lift payloads to the weight of 10-20kg.
The higher the payload, the sturdier the cobot’s build, which can influence its size and range of motion.
Remember: You want a robot with a slightly higher payload than you need. When considering the total payload a task will require, you must account for the tooling and end-effector.
Reach is the maximum horizontal extension of the cobot arm from the base to its furthest extension point.
It dictates how far the cobot can access and is critical in layout planning.
There's often a trade-off between reach and payload. A long reach may reduce payload capacity due to the increased force on the cobot's joints and motors.
Precision refers to the cobot’s ability to reach a point within a certain tolerance and is necessary for tasks that need high accuracy, such as assembly or intricate welding.
Environmental factors, such as vibrations or thermal expansion, can also affect precision. Cobots are designed with feedback systems to correct these issues and maintain consistent accuracy.
Speed is how fast the arm can move from point A to point B. It's measured in cycle times for repetitive tasks or in degrees per second for joint movements.
While it's beneficial to have cobots work quickly to increase throughput, their speed must be regulated when sharing space with humans to avoid serious accidents.
Speed settings can be tailored within the cobot's control software, allowing for different speeds for various phases of an operation. For example, a cobot may move quickly between tasks but slow down during precise operations or when a human coworker is nearby.
Remember that maximizing speed can increase the possibility of errors, thus lowering repeatability. Damping vibrations and controlling acceleration/deceleration are crucial.
Repeatability is the cobot’s ability to return to the same position multiple times with high accuracy, often measured in millimeters — a crucial factor for tasks that demand consistency.
It's important to differentiate repeatability from accuracy. A cobot can be highly repeatable even if it’s not accurate to a target position as long as it consistently hits the same incorrect spot. Both factors are essential for different aspects of task performance.
Adaptability refers to a cobot's ability to switch between different tasks without extensive downtime for reprogramming. Quick-change end-effectors and user-friendly programming interfaces facilitate this.
Cobots can be reconfigured with new software, tools, or tasks as operations scale or change. This is often as simple as updating the software or selecting new modes on the cobot’s interface.
Due to their advanced vision systems and high-end sensory inputs, cobots can adjust to changes in the working environment, such as lighting variations or new object positions.
These are the different types of collaborative robots based on how safe they are to work with humans:
Collaborative robots are incredibly versatile and are becoming more and more affordable, which means they are used in a range of industries.
Below are some industries that most commonly make use of cobots today:
Robots are commonly used in the automotive industry but can be death traps when operating alongside people.
The built-in safety features of cobots mean they can navigate human workspaces safely without causing harm.
For example, in the automotive industry, a cobot carrying a heavy load with sharp edges will move around slowly, completely aware of the people around it.
In the manufacturing industry, cobots are used for:
They can also be customized much more easily than regular bots.
Hospitals have started to turn to cobots for repetitive administrative tasks. These bots can also perform different jobs in the medical manufacturing industry, like creating prosthetics.
Here are some common medical automation solutions:
A specific niche of robots in healthcare is those used in surgeries and physical therapy. Cobots can work alongside medical professionals to increase precision during operations or aid in the rehab of post-op patients.
The electronics industry and tech companies have used Collaborative robots for several years. These cobots are used mostly for repetitive tasks requiring precision work.
Some examples include:
By automating these processes, skilled workers can apply their "human-only" abilities, like strategic thinking and problem-solving, without focusing on these tasks.
Smaller tech companies that use cobots can see a total ROI in less than a year, thanks to the versatility and ease of programming to customize the bots. Using cobots makes them much more productive, with lower production costs, while meeting customer demands.
Companies working with metals make use of cobots for a variety of applications, including:
Companies in the plastics and polymers industry have to inject molds repeatedly and work with materials at melting points or consisting of harmful chemicals.
This work is not only dangerous for human workers, but it can also be quite stressful due to the precision involved.
Cobots are used in this industry for:
The food and beverage industry often uses cobots in harsh working environments, like humid greenhouses or freezers.
Cobots can also work around the clock, which is helpful if there is a high production volume.
In the food industry, cobots can further be used for:
The scientific research community is often at the forefront of discoveries, so it should be no surprise that this industry has wholeheartedly embraced collaborative robots.
Cobots are also used in laboratories to automate experiments. This is especially useful in dangerous labs where harmful contamination is a risk.
As the above shows, collaborative robots can be used in various industries and ways within each industry. As cobot technology continues to advance, so does its application.
Some other industries that are starting to use cobots include:
Implementing Collaborative robots (cobots) into a production line or workplace involves strategic planning and consideration of various factors.
First, go through this checklist:
Integrating collaborative robots into various industries marks a significant stride toward a more efficient, flexible, and productive future.
Cobots stand as major catalysts for growth, not merely through their operational contributions but also by fostering an environment of continuous learning and adaptation.
But remember: they are not a replacement for the human workforce but a complement that can drive innovation.
Are you looking to scale your operations with a high-end cobot? Enter RO1 from Standard Bots — the top choice for burgeoning startups and established industrial giants.
Get in touch with our expert team now to initiate a complimentary, 30-day onsite trial and get tailored guidance for a seamless RO1 deployment!