The Yaskawa Motoman HC20DTP lifts 20 kg. RO1 lifts 18 kg, but does it with better repeatability, faster setup, and AI brains that’d make ChatGPT nervous.

If you’re choosing between the two, the real question isn’t just “how heavy?” It’s “how smart, how fast, and how cheap?” Spoiler: RO1 eats HC20DTP in most categories.

‍

Overview: Yaskawa HC20DTP vs. Standard Bots RO1

Yaskawa Motoman HC20DTP

Yaskawa's HC20DTP was made to haul. With a 20 kg payload and IP67 protection, this robot thrives in washdown zones, dusty hellscapes, and FDA-scrutinized production lines. Like most Motoman cobots, it’s reliable, rugged, and a little ... stiff. Programming flexibility isn’t the headline here, but for straight-line lifting in tough conditions, it’ll do the job.

Standard Bots RO1

RO1 lifts and thinks. With 18 kg payload capacity, an IP54 protection rating, and GPT-level AI brains, it cuts deployment time, learns CNC systems like a human, and still costs less than half of what you'd expect. 

RO1 is made for automated machine tending, precision assembly, welding, pick-and-place, and lots of other jobs. It’s also great for anyone who doesn’t want to spend two weeks debugging XML just to get a robot moving.

‍

Quick comparison: HC20DTP vs. RO1

Feature-by-feature comparison

If you’re actually making a $40K to $50K call, you need more than a chart. So we’re diving deep — feature by feature — to figure out where the Yaskawa Motoman HC20DTP pulls ahead, and where RO1 hits back with startup-speed IQ and wallet-friendly flexibility.

Payload

This Yaskawa robot throws down with a full 20 kg payload (gym-bro energy), no spotter needed. It’s made for bulk handling. Palletizing, heavy assembly, and anything that makes your spine hurt just thinking about it.

RO1 clocks in at 18 kg, but it's smarter. Close enough to hang, but it makes up the 2 kg gap with AI muscle. We're talking smarter part handling, CNC machine tending, and vision-assisted logic that reduces bloat in every other part of your process.

Verdict: If you only care about raw kilos, HC20DTP wins. But if your line depends on smarter decisions per lift, RO1 hits harder per pound.

Reach

Yaskawa’s arm is NBA-ready. With 1,700 mm of reach, this Motoman cobot was clearly designed for tall racks and awkward conveyor gaps. Great for wide or spread-out workspaces.

RO1 keeps it tight. RO1 reaches 1,300 mm. It's more compact, but perfect for tight CNC cells, benchtop tasks, and setups where millimeters matter more than meters.

Verdict: Got a wide work zone? HC20DTP’s your stretch king. But for high-precision, low-footprint production, RO1’s shorter reach becomes an advantage, not a limit.

Repeatability

Yaskawa shoots decent groups. At ±0.05 mm, the HC20DTP holds steady. Good enough for general pick-and-place, assembly, or medium-tolerance automation. Not bad, just not top-tier.

RO1 is surgical. With ±0.025 mm repeatability, RO1 is built for CNC-level detail. Tight tolerance runs? Done. Multi-part assembly with no alignment nightmares? Easy.

Verdict: If precision is your thing, RO1 wins by a micron (literally). And for anything under a millimeter of tolerance, that difference matters, a lot.

Programming & integration

HC20DTP uses Yaskawa’s YRC1000 controller and standard pendant interface. It’s solid, stable, and well-known in integrator circles — but for newer teams or non-techies, it’s got a learning curve steeper than its own elbow joint.

RO1 was raised by UX designers, so that's drag-and-drop programming. Real-time visual feedback. GPT-level AI that adapts to machines, not the other way around. RO1 doesn’t just play nice with CNC and MES systems — it’s fluent in them.

Verdict: If your team doesn’t want to learn legacy code from a 500-page PDF, RO1 is the way. Period.

Software extensibility

HC20DTP can be customized, but you’ll be working through Yaskawa’s ecosystem. Closed-ish, rigid, and not exactly hobbyist-friendly. Want GPT-style behavior trees? Not happening.

Standard Bots built RO1 to be extensible from day one. Developers can plug in external logic, vision modules, and complex automation sequences without crying into their coffee. It’s like LEGO for automation nerds.

Verdict: RO1 runs laps around the HC20DTP here. It’s built for experimentation, upgrades, and future-proof setups. HC20DTP? Not so much.

Trial & leasing

Yaskawa offers ... hope? No 30-day trials, no clear leasing model, and pricing that varies wildly by integrator. You’ll probably need to read this first before getting a quote.

RO1 is straight up. You can buy it for $37K (list price). You can test it for 30 days. And you can set it up faster than most robots finish booting. It’s also way cheaper than legacy names like Yaskawa or FANUC, which matters if you like ROI.

Verdict: This one’s not even close. RO1 gives you the flexibility to test, scale, and iterate. HC20DTP? You’re buying blind.

‍

User reviews

We dug into public reviews, user feedback, and real-world commentary to see what people actually think of the Yaskawa Motoman HC20DTP and RO1. That's after they’ve been powered on, programmed, and pushed hard. These reviews aren't just based on the specs. 

Yaskawa HC20DTP: What users think

Before you spend tens of thousands on a robot, it helps to know what actual operators (not sales decks) think after months on the floor. We pulled direct reviews from Qviro to see how the Yaskawa Motoman HC20DTP holds up under real-world pressure.

Here’s what real users had to say:

• User-friendly, fast commissioning, and cost-effective. — Shijith V., Madox Technologies, who used it for engine assembly and gave it 5/5 across every category.
  
  
• Reliable robot movements from Yaskawa … they never let us down. — Lukas Ziegler, KOGENA. He praised motion stability during integrator-led deployment.
  
  
• The small size of this waterproof cobot is ideal for mounting on mobile outdoor platforms. — Tobias Brett, NASKA Robotics, who used it to build 15 meters of wall per day on a mobile setup.
  
  
• The support is very reactive … If you come from another brand, you have no worries adapting. — Loqmane Hassane, Stäubli, switched from UR and STÄUBLI TX2 40 without friction.
  
  
• Easy to implement! Even inexperienced users learn how to operate it quickly. — A verified user, who praised onboarding speed and build quality.

And here’s what they didn’t love:

• Documentation is complex … I still don’t know where to get a lot of info. — Tobias Brett, NASKA Robotics, said he relies on support for basic questions.
  
  
• Seems impossible to understand what software features might be available. — Tobias Brett again, who flagged Yaskawa’s feature list as opaque and hard to navigate.
  
  
• The control cabinet is very loud. — Daniel Dirks, EMG, who liked the bot but noted serious acoustic drawbacks.
  
  
• Teach pendant was a little bit confusing at first. — A verified user, who said it gets powerful after 2–3 days of use, but onboarding isn’t exactly intuitive.
  
  
• Integration of the Cognex IS2000-130C was more complicated than with UR. — Loqmane Hassane, who noted tighter third-party vision integration with competing brands.

RO1: What users think

You don’t have to take our word for it. Just ask Henry, Leo, or Ultrafab. RO1 isn’t another overhyped cobot with big claims and clunky setup. It’s showing up on CNC floors, running complex parts, and making first-time users look like seasoned integrators.

Here’s what actual users had to say:

• I’d never touched a robot before … I had it running faster than engineers using other cobots. — Leo, CNC Operator
  
  
• RO1 was a no-brainer. It’s a lot more affordable, and honestly, pretty easy overall. The other cobots (like Universal Robots) say they’re easy to set up; they’re not. RO1 actually is. — Henry, Owner
  
  
• We’re planning to use RO1 for more applications. It’s performed that well. — Henry
  
  
• We went from 1,500 to 6,000 parts a day. — Alan Radcliffe, Product Manager at Ultrafab
  
  
• We created a second shift using RO1, without needing new hires. — Alan, Ultrafab
  
  
• We chose RO1 for fast setup, quick program switching, and cost. — Alan, who outlined why they selected RO1 over other options — ease, flexibility, and value

And here’s the critical feedback:

• Not every job is one-and-done. More complex use-cases may need a bit more fiddling, but RO1 can usually take on new jobs without much fuss.
  
  
• Ultrafab recommends doing a demo before committing. They found success quickly, but still advise others to try before buying, something Standard Bots actually offers.

How does the HC20DTP compare to other Yaskawa robots?

The Yaskawa Motoman HC20DTP is the biggest cobot in the HC series, but that doesn’t automatically make it the best fit for every job. If you’re not lifting 20 kg every day, you might be overpaying for reach and weight you’ll never use.

We’d recommend reading this deep dive on choosing the right manufacturing robot.

Which should you choose?

Not every shop needs 20 kg of cobot muscle. Here’s when it makes sense to drop cash on a Yaskawa robot — and when RO1 flexes harder for half the price.

Choose the Yaskawa Motoman HC20DTP if:

• You’re locked into old setups. Already running other Motoman cobots and using the YRC1000 controller? This one slots right in with minimal changes.
  ‍
  
• You need IP67 and food-grade grease. You’re working in wet, messy, or certified environments (e.g., pharma, food, beverage) and you need that NSF H1-rated everything.
  
  
• You really use all 20 kg of payload. Don’t lie. If you’re lifting sub-10 kg parts, you’re paying for overhead you’ll never touch.

Choose RO1 if:

• You want an AI-assisted robot that doesn’t require hand-holding. Setup takes hours, not weeks, and your CNC guy can figure it out without calling IT.
  
  
• You hate dealing with pricing games. RO1 is available at half the cost of legacy bots, with a list price of $37K and a full 30-day on-site trial.
  
  
• You’ve been burned by “easy setup” promises. RO1 replaced a UR cobot at Henry’s shop because, in his words, “the others say they’re easy; they’re not. RO1 actually is.”
  
  
• You’re scaling, not surviving. Ultrafab used RO1 to boost output from 1,500 to 6,000 parts a day, and now they’re planning more installs.

‍

Next steps with Standard Bots

Looking to upgrade your automation game? Standard Bots’ RO1 is the perfect six-axis cobot addition to any shop floor, delivering unbeatable precision and flexibility.

• Affordable and adaptable: Available at half the cost of comparable robots, with a list price of $37K
  
  
• Precision and power: With a repeatability of ±0.025 mm and an 18 kg payload, RO1 handles even the most demanding jobs
  
  
• AI-driven simplicity: Equipped with AI capabilities on par with GPT-4, RO1 integrates seamlessly with production systems for advanced automation
  
  
• Safety-first design: Machine vision and collision detection mean RO1 works safely alongside human operators

Schedule your risk-free, 30-day on-site trial today and see how RO1 can bring AI-powered greatness to your shop floor.

‍

FAQs

1. What is the payload capacity of the HC20DTP?

The HC20DTP lifts up to 20 kg, making it the beefiest of all Motoman cobots. But if you’re not maxing that out daily, you're just flexing for no reason.

2.Can RO1 handle heavy palletizing?

Yes, it’s made for heavy palletizing and similar tasks. RO1 moves 18 kg with ±0.025 mm precision and no dramatic joint flailing. Heavy tasks, light programming.

3. Which cobot is easier for non-technical teams?

RO1. One CNC operator with zero robotics experience had it running faster than engineers with a UR robot. No pendant panic, just drag-and-drop and go.

4. Is the HC20DTP easy to integrate with vision systems?

Not really. Several users said third-party vision tools (like Cognex) were harder to set up compared to UR or STÄUBLI. It's doable, but definitely not plug-and-play.

5. What’s the difference in trial options?

RO1 gives you a full 30-day on-site trial. The HC20DTP? Only if your integrator is feeling generous, and they usually aren’t.