Why Is Everyone Talking About Collaborative Robots? (2019)

You’ve probably heard the term collaborative robots on more than one occasion in the recent past. They are being talked about in conferences, on online and print media, trade shows and anywhere else there is an audience. Everyone is excited about Cobots, how they are disrupting the automation industry and changing the way people look at robots.

We take a look at cobots from a practical perspective, explore their bright prospects, see examples of how they are being used today and highlight key differences between cobots and other industrial robots.

What Is a Cobot?

A cobot or collaborative robot is a modern robot that is made to work alongside a human complete any tasks assigned to it. That is the simplest definition of a modern cobot. Note the part about collaboration as it is the fundamental characteristic of these new robotic solutions. Collaborative robots are becoming more popular by the day due to a number of reasons including but limited to;

  • Their low cost– They are significantly cheaper to acquire and run as compared to traditional robots.
  • They are safer to work with– Cobots are manufactured with safety in mind. They should guarantee the safety of operators when working alongside them or at least have unambiguous guidelines on safety in the workspace for humans to follow.
  • They are easy to deploy– Cobots are relatively easy to set up as compared to traditional robots. They can be programmed and reprogrammed on the fly while others can be trained using a technique referred to as “hand-guiding.”
  • They are quite versatile– Cobots can be used for a whole range of tasks provided they are equipped with the correct end of arm tooling, software and other assistive technologies such as wheels and machine vision.

Decoding the Jargon- Three Cobot Terminologies You Need to Know

  1. Flexible robot Arms– A cobot can come with an arm used to perform its functions. While not all Cobots are expected to have flexible arms, the majority of Cobots consist of a robot arm and other components. A flexible robot arm is the part that is programmed to make movements and interact with things in the workspace to complete tasks.
  2. EOATs- End of arm tooling is an important component of a modern collaborative robot.  It’s the removable part at the end of the arm that makes them versatile (also loosely referred to as the “robot wrist”.) There are all kinds of EOATs for different functions. Examples of EOATs include;
  • Grippers
  • Torque sensors
  • Vacuum/suction effectors
  • Collision sensors
  • Welding tools
  • Lifting tools
  • Laser tools
  • Among others
  1. Hand Guiding– This is a term referring to the action of using your hands to train or guide a flexible robot arm in carrying out a desired function.

3 Key Differences Between Cobots And Other Industrial Robots

 

  • Collaboration

 

Traditional robots are efficient machines meant to automate repetitive and hazardous processes in a factory floor. They don’t need much input from human beings and most of them are fully automated. In contrast, Cobots have been made to work side by side with humans. Most cobots require some sort of input from operators to carry out their functions.

 

  • Enhanced Abilities

 

Collaborative robots are probably the closest thing we have to machine intelligence at least in practical industrial applications. Some cobot arms have AI baked into their software, which enables them to learn and mimic natural arm movements and solve problems on the fly. In contrast, most traditional robots are made to do a single task repetitively. They don’t need to learn or make any changes to their procedures unless they are reprogrammed manually.

 

  • Versatility

 

Cobots are quire flexible; hence, the reason why they can be used anywhere. They can be repurposed to react to changes in needs and workloads. This is perhaps the main reason why modern e-commerce warehouses use them heavily. In comparison, traditional robots are not that flexible. They cannot be moved easily and redeployments are almost impossible. 

In Conclusion

Cobots are being used in many industries, including pharma, agriculture, food manufacturing, vehicle assembly, retail spaces, warehousing, among others. There is a lot of excitement about them and they will be a force going forward.