A cobot (from collaborative robot) is a robot intended to physically interact with humans in a shared workspace. Thanks to sensors, collaborative robots (cobots) are able to interact directly and safely with humans. This is in contrast with other robots, designed to operate autonomously in a workspace with limited guidance.
Examples of cobots
Today, cobots are produced by almost all major traditional robot manufacturers. Since about 2016 they realize that they will play an indispensable role next to the well-known factory robots because of their flexibility, lower purchase price and safety. Cobots were invented by Rethink robots from the United States. This company has gone bankrupt, but will go down in history.
Applications of cobots
Because of their versatility and flexibility, cobots are suitable for many different applications. In the metal industry they can do CNC loading, bending, deburring, polishing and welding. In a laboratory they test and perform analyses that are repetitive and require precision and consistency. Especially when projects are time sensitive, the cobot is a godsend. It works all day and all night if it is programmed in this way. And programming is simple: the intuitive software makes it easy to program the cobot yourself, without having to write a line of code. Because the tasks of the cobot are stored in software, you can also change tasks quickly.