A cobot (collaborative robot) is an industrial robot designed to work in close proximity to people, with safety functions that limit speed, force, or distance so that fencing can be reduced or removed after a risk assessment.
Cobots are usually lighter, lower-payload arms with built-in force and torque sensing. They are often programmed by hand-guiding the arm or through graphical interfaces, which lowers the barrier for non-specialists. The concept came from Northwestern University research in 1996.
Safety is governed by ISO 10218 (industrial robot safety) and ISO/TS 15066, published in 2016, which gives specific guidance for collaborative operation. Collaborative modes include safety-rated monitored stop, hand guiding, speed and separation monitoring, and power and force limiting, where contact is allowed within biomechanical limits.
A common misunderstanding: the robot is not inherently safe; the application is. A cobot carrying a sharp blade or a heavy part at speed can still be dangerous. Each cell needs a risk assessment. Cobots are also slower and carry less than conventional industrial robots, so they suit tasks where flexibility and sharing space matter more than cycle time.
Questions about Cobot
Is a cobot safe to run without fencing?
Not automatically. It is the application that has to be safe, not the robot. A cobot moving a sharp blade or a heavy part at speed can still hurt someone, so every cell needs a risk assessment before fencing is reduced or removed.
What is the difference between a cobot and a conventional industrial robot?
A cobot is built to work close to people, with safety functions that limit speed, force or distance. It is slower and carries less than a conventional industrial robot, so it fits tasks where flexibility and shared space count for more than cycle time.
What are the collaborative operation modes?
They include safety-rated monitored stop, hand guiding, speed and separation monitoring, and power and force limiting. In power and force limiting, contact with a person is allowed within biomechanical limits.
Cobot in real plants
- Oliva Torras and Universal Robots: Spanish metal manufacturer Oliva Torras runs MIG/MAG welding and automated polishing of medium-sized parts on a UR20 cobot with automatic tool change.
- Assars and Universal Robots: Powder coater Assars automated coating touch-ups with a UR20 cobot, using application engineering from Nordbo and software from Mimic.
- Emerson and Universal Robots: Emerson's measurement instrumentation production facility uses UR10e cobots for kitting, thread tapping and O-ring handling.
- Fu Zhuan Steel and Universal Robots: Sheet metal fabricator Fu Zhuan Steel uses a UR12e cobot for laser welding in small-batch, high-mix production.
- Mandom and Universal Robots: Cosmetics maker Mandom built an unmanned production line for trial product bottles in-house around UR3e, UR5e and UR10e cobots.
Vendors linked to Cobot
Universal Robots (8) · Yaskawa Electric (4) · FANUC (2) · Formic (1) · OMRON (1) · KUKA
Cobot in the digest
Related terms
AMR (autonomous mobile robot)
An AMR (autonomous mobile robot) is a wheeled robot that navigates a facility using onboard sensors and maps, planning its own route and steering around obstacles.
Bin picking
Bin picking is a robotic task in which a robot, guided by a vision system, locates and grasps individual parts from a container where they lie in random positions and orientations.
Physical AI
Physical AI is AI that perceives, reasons about, and acts in the physical world, typically through robots, vehicles, or machines.
AGV (automated guided vehicle)
An AGV (automated guided vehicle) is a driverless vehicle that moves materials along fixed or predefined paths, guided by floor wires, magnetic tape, reflectors or markers, in factories and warehouses.