Correspondingly, the global cobot market is expected to grow in revenue terms as well. Valued at some 600 million U.S. dollars in 2020, the market is projected to more than double in the coming years, reaching the size of 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2026.
Difference between industrial robots and cobots
Traditionally, a distinction is made between industrial robots and cobots. While industrial robots are mainly intended to work separated from humans, cobots are designed to directly interact with human employees in a shared workspace. Industrial robots tend to be big, heavy, and strong enough to lift objects weighing several hundred kilograms, making them a possible danger to humans. Industrial robots thus often operate behind a physical barrier, such as a fence or a cage.Cobots, on the other hand, are specifically designed to perform tasks alongside or in cooperation with humans. Cobots rely on precision and flexibility instead of strength and are thus small in size with a low payload capacity. Moreover, cobots tend to have rounded edges which further minimizes any risk of injuring a human.
Major companies
Not surprisingly, some of the biggest cobot manufacturers are producing industrial robots as well. Companies such as Japan-based FANUC, Switzerland’s ABB, and Germany-based KUKA AG (since 2016 owned by China’s Midea Group) are all major players in the field of robot manufacturing, developing both cobots and industrial robots.Specialized cobot producers include Taiwan-based Techman Robot, British-based Automata, Germany’s Franka Emika, or Denmark’s Universal Robots (acquired by U.S.-based automation vendor Teradyne in 2015).
