Collaborative robot, cobot Collaborative robot, cobot

2023: Global Cobot Market Volume Exceeds $1 Billion

At the end of 2023, the global market for collaborative robots (cobots) exceeded $1 billion. This is 11.9% more than the previous year. The industry is growing despite the difficult macroeconomic environment, disruption of supply chains and various production difficulties. The results of the market analysis are presented in the Interact Analysis report, which was released at the end of May 2024.

Kobots are specialized machines that can work in conjunction with a person to create or produce various products. Like industrial robots, cobots consist of a manipulator and a reprogrammable control device. The main feature of cobots is safe collaboration, so that they can function "hand in hand" with a person without creating a threat to health or life. Collaborative robots are used in production when solving problems that, for various reasons, cannot be fully automated.

The Interact Analysis study says that in 2020, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the volume of the global cobot industry in monetary terms decreased by 15.2% compared to the previous year. After that, there was a phase of steady growth. So, in 2021, sales rose by 35.2%, and in 2022 - by another 17.1%. In 2023, the growth rate slightly decreased due to market uncertainties, high inflation and other negative factors. In addition, an increase in the average market value of cobots was recorded.

After reaching the bottom in 2020, the market for collaborative robots in 2021 showed a rapid recovery: growth amounted to more than 35%, and the result exceeded the indicator of 2019. However, poor economic conditions and supply chain problems put a lot of pressure on the industry in 2022 and 2023, which led to a new slowdown in growth in 2023, analysts say.

It is noted that the pandemic gave rise to the need to accelerate automation in various industries. Due to the restrictions imposed in the context of the spread of the coronavirus, the use of traditional labor has become problematic. To make enterprises more sustainable in the face of possible future crises in the field of logistics and services, the introduction of new robotic complexes, including cobots, is required. The current situation, according to analysts, will contribute to the growth of the market by 21% -22% annually from 2024 to 2028. As a result, by the end of this period, the volume of the global industry of cobots will exceed $2 billion. At the same time, by 2028, the average market value of such machines may rise by about 4.4% compared to 2023. China is expected to remain one of the key markets for cobots.

Analysts say the development of collaborative robots is gradually shifting from general-purpose systems to scenario-specific models. This trend reflects the growing demand for specialized devices capable of performing certain tasks with high efficiency. Three key factors stand out that contribute to an increase in the demand for specialized cobots.

Load and operating range diversification

Load capacity and operating range are among the main technical characteristics of collaborative robots. Manufacturers offer machines with different design features for different application scenarios. For example, light cobots are suitable for assembly tasks, while more powerful options can help in handling operations.

Application-Specific Optimization

Some collaborative robots are designed for certain application scenarios, such as laboratory automation, medical surgical care, scientific research, etc. Such models usually have special functions that provide higher accuracy, increased security or improved handling.

Integration of new technologies and functions

As the IT industry develops, cobots are acquiring advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine vision and feedback control. Realizing these capabilities allows robots to work more efficiently with humans and perform more complex tasks.

Analysts identify two key ways to supply cobots to customers: direct sales and distribution through distributors or system integrators. Since most customers are small and medium-sized companies, the distribution network accounted for more than 90% of total sales in the global market until 2020. Direct sales are mainly focused on large customers in key industries: this method allows you to take into account the needs and specifics of individual customers. And this means that manufacturers can offer the most suitable solutions to each specific consumer. By working closely with customers, cobot suppliers can increase levels of satisfaction and loyalty.

Collaborative robots are an important part of intelligent and lean manufacturing. Over the past few years (by the end of 2023), their popularity has increased sharply, which is explained by the desire for automation in industry and a constant decrease in costs, the Interact Analysis review says.[1]

2022

Global Cobot Market Valued at $1.31 Billion

On August 16, 2022, analysts at ResearchAndMarkets released a report reporting soaring sales of collaborative robots. In 2021, the volume of this market reached $1.31 billion.

According to experts, by 2027 the market volume will reach a value of $11.82 billion, demonstrating CAGR (average annual growth rate) at 44.29% during 2021-2027.

Global Cobot Market Valued at $1.31 Billion

As noted in the study, a collaborative robot, also known as a kobot, can perform various tasks to help a person. It relies on machine vision, a cognitive computing system, sensory and mobile technology to be aware of its surroundings through demonstration and reinforcing learning. It uses less energy than its larger autonomous counterparts and uses a collision detection system to avoid injuring people.

In addition, the machine minimizes errors, improves performance and offers more efficient results. As a result, they are widely used in electronics, automotive, beverage manufacturing, food industry and production (F&B) worldwide.

In the world in 2021, there was a significant increase in demand for joint-action robots with high carrying capacity. This, along with increasing automation in various industries, especially in developing countries, is one of the key factors driving the market.

In addition, there has been an increase in the integration of torque detection and force measurement technologies in robots around the world. This, coupled with the increasing use of co-operative robots for production purposes such as assembly lines and welding, is driving market growth.

In addition, an increase in demand for easy-to-use robots, which do not require a highly qualified workforce to perform operations, also stimulates market growth. Rising demand for collaboration robots in the packaging industry to boost productivity is driving market growth.

The growing use of collaborative robots in the logistics industry to address challenges such as performing complex workflows and numerous tasks in combination will drive growth in overall sales and profitability right up to 2027, the researchers said.^[2]

As noted in a study published in August 2022, in a few years, joint (collaborative) robotics has evolved from a concept into an extremely attractive industrial reality for companies and investors. Solutions such as computer vision, precision sensors or security management software have brought collaboration between humans and robots closer, demonstrating efficiency in creating more flexible and efficient manufacturing. This is also true for the service sector, that is, for the application of cobots in sectors such as logistics, medical care, education, catering and others.

According to forecasts, flexibility and ease of use are the main competitive advantages of collaborative robots in industrial applications. Although most of the new products released in the last 18 months have a payload range of 1 to 9 kg, some companies produce cobots with larger payloads (YASKAWA HC10  and HC20DT). Joint Robotics Market Analysis shows that end users in China, Asia Pacific, and Europe are attracted by low seed costs, ease of implementation, and ease of use. Small and medium-sized enterprises use cobots to improve automation efficiency, especially in labor-intensive sectors such as electronics.

Chinese cobots taught to " read" the thoughts of workers on the assembly line to help with work

In early January 2022, it became known about the creation in China of an industrial robot that can read human thoughts with 96% accuracy. As well as tracking a worker's brain waves, the robot collects electrical signals from muscles as people work together to assemble a complex product.

Cobots can accelerate the pace of the assembly line, but their application remains limited because their ability to recognize a person's intentions is often inaccurate and unstable. Some research groups have tried to create a new generation of robots that can guess a person's intentions by tracking eye or body movements. However, these passive approaches suffer from problems such as slow response and low accuracy to solve this problem, a robot created by a team of scientists having completed hundreds of hours of training on eight volunteers.

Chinese industrial robots taught to "read" the thoughts of workers on the assembly line to help with work

The volunteers were initially asked to wear a non-invasive brain wave detector, and the team found that the robot could estimate their intentions with an accuracy of about 70%. However, the brain signal was quite weak, so that the robot received a clear message, the volunteer needed to focus very much on work. But most were distracted by other thoughts after doing repetitive assembly work for a while, the researchers noted. By contrast, muscle signals collected by several sensors attached to the arm were more stable. Subsequently, these laboratory results began to be reproduced in real factory conditions.

The application of the new technology in real factory conditions will be fraught with some difficulties. While brain and muscle sensors can be placed inside a worker's cap and uniform, data quality can be affected by sweat or irregular movements. But these problems can be overcome by supplying the robot with motion data and visual data, the researchers said.

In modern industrial production, assembly work accounts for 45% of the total volume of work and 20-30% of the total cost of production. In China, there are 246 robots for every 10,000 workers, double the global average, but most of them were created using Western technologies, which sometimes do not cope with difficult conditions in China. Therefore, our state desperately needs more powerful robotic technologies to solve problems such as the reduction of the labor force against the background of a sharp decrease in the birth rate and an increase in the cost of labor. By 2025, more than 70% of large factories in China will use robots, said lead project scientist Dong Yuanfa.

Some Chinese factories have asked workers to wear helmets reading information from the brain or use AI-driven cameras to monitor facial expressions. While the goal was to identify fatigue, depression or other mental signs that could affect job performance or safety, critics warned of privacy concerns. However, a study conducted by Peking University researchers in December 2021 showed that the massive use of robots in almost 300 cities helped Chinese factories produce more top-quality products and increased the global competitiveness of the country as a whole.^[3]

2021: ABB SWIFTI cobot announcement - it runs at 5 metres per second

In early April 2021, ABB introduced a new industrial cobot that provides increased security measures. A model called SWIFTI, based on the ABB IRB 1100 industrial robot, provides a speed of more than five meters per second, that is, five times higher than that of other cobots of this class, and does not threaten the safety of workers. Read more here.

2020: Cobot Market Size Valued at $475 Million

The volume of the global market for collaborative robots in 2020 reached $475 million, according to the research company ABI Research. Experts did not specify the dynamics in comparison with 2019 and only noted that the costs of such devices increased and will grow in the future. They will increase by 32.5% annually and by 2030 will amount to $8 billion, experts predict.

The most direct advantage of Kobots is not their ability to interact with people, says Rian Whitton, lead analyst at ABI Research. - Rather, it's about the relative ease of use, the improved interface and the ability of end users to re-deploy them to solve various problems.

According to experts, it is the flexibility and ability of phased automation, more accessible in terms of service costs, that make kobots popular among small and medium-sized enterprises. Collaborative robots are increasingly popular in industry. They are significantly cheaper than traditional robots, making them available to small and medium-sized industries. After risk assessment, they can be safely implemented in almost any environment. Such devices continue to attract attention and investment thanks to ease of use, re-deployment and convenience for end users seeking automation, analysts add.

The volume of the cobot market at the end of 2020 is estimated at $475 million

The largest producer of cobots in ABI Research was named Universal Robots, which in 2020 accounted for about half of the market in monetary and physical terms. Universal Robots revenue from the sale of such robots at the end of 2020 is estimated at $219 million.

Despite the undisputed dominance of one player, competitors such as Fanuc, ABB and others begin to throw up after the initial lag. To do this, manufacturers improve the user interfaces and ease of use of their systems.

According to MarketsandMarkets, the following companies were in the lead in the collaborative robot market in 2020 (shares are not indicated):

• Universal Robots (Denmark);
• Techman Robot (Taiwan);
• Fanuc (Japan);
• Kuka (Germany);
• Doosan Robotics (South Korea);
• AUBO Robotics (USA);
• ABB (Switzerland);
• Yaskawa (Japan);
• Precise Automation (USA);
• Rethink Robotics (USA);
• Productive Robotics (США).

The largest manufacturer of cobots in ABI Research named Universal Robots

Barriers between cobots and standard industrial robots are beginning to break down as many manufacturers experiment with multifunctional solutions that can operate in cobot and industrial robot modes, Whitton said. Moreover, the Cobots are starting to take on a heavier payload under the new rules, he added.

ABI Research believes that cobots will significantly expand automation capabilities for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as allow large suppliers to develop a more flexible production line based on mobile platforms and do not require protective barriers when working with a person. Large players in the industrial automation market will receive a large market share, since they use their existing partnerships and invest more resources in the development of new cobots, the analytical report said.

According to Universal Robots' own data, about 80% of the company's cobots implemented around the world work without protective fences, side by side with a person. This is an important advantage of cobots over large industrial robots, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.^[4]

2019: Global Market Value of Collaborative Robotics to Rise to $12.3 Billion in 2025

The global collaborative robot market will grow intensively in the coming years. A study conducted by the analytical firm MarketsAndMarkets on the development of the collaborative robot market states that by 2025 investments in this area will be increased several tens of times - from $373 million to $12.3 billion. The market share is growing due to the need of enterprises to automate their processes, as well as as as a result of the growing labor shortage in the labor market.

A collaborative robot (kobot) is a more versatile and flexible robotization solution than a traditional industrial robot. The new category of robotics was first introduced in 2008 by Esben Ostergaard, co-founder of Universal Robots. Ostergaard wanted to make robotics available to all companies, regardless of their size. Therefore, he developed small, comfortable, flexible and economical robots with which a person can safely work in close proximity. More and more companies around the world are now using robots to automate their manufacturing processes. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) views cobots as one of the most important technological trends that will shape the market in the future.

For small and medium-sized businesses, the acquisition of traditional industrial robots is too much of an investment, collaborative robots, on the contrary, are an affordable alternative. At the same time, these robots are very friendly and easy to install and integrate into existing production processes. Also, the decisive factor in choosing collaborative robots is their absolute safety. The special structure of the cobots allows them to work in close proximity with their human colleagues.

"Collaborative robots are becoming an increasingly sought-after solution for industrial automation. Their main advantage is the relatively low purchase price available to small and medium-sized businesses. At the same time, the return on investment is very fast, "said Pavel Bezutsky, Sales Director for Central and Eastern Europe at Universal Robots.

According to a study by MarketsandMarkets, the share of sales of collaborative robots will grow every year. According to the analyzed data, the market volume will grow from $710 million in 2018 to $12.3 billion by 2025. Every year, the segment of collaborative robots increases by an average of 50.31%. Analysts attribute this astounding growth mainly to the undisputed benefits of cobots, including, among other things, their low cost and rapid payback, which is especially true for small and medium-sized businesses. The high interest in collaborative robotics is also due to the growing degree of automation in all industries, which is directly related to Industry 4.0.

2018: Growing popularity in companies

According to Barclays Research, the number of installed collaborative robots doubles every year: at the end of 2020, the total number of cobots sold will reach 150 thousand units, and the total value of this market will exceed $3.1 billion.

By April 2018, more and more companies around the world are using cobots, which are designed to interact with people and share a workspace. In a few years, the volume of this segment of robotics will be measured in billions of dollars.

According to JapanToday, in Japan, known for its use of large industrial robots in enterprises, such miniature machines were until recently considered unprofitable because they can lift light weight and have limited capabilities. However, now they are being created by the Japanese companies Fanuc and Yaskawa Electric - one of the largest robot manufacturers in the world.

Cobot

By 2018, cobots are just beginning to be introduced into companies and make up a small part of the robot market, but according to experts, the cobot segment will grow to $10 billion over the next decade.

The concept of a robot colleague is relatively new. Danish company Universal Robots introduced cobots for industrial applications in late 2008, working closely with major German automakers such as Volkswagen.

At first, many people misunderstood what a kobot is, "says Universal Robots chief executive, Juergen von Hollen. - But cars quickly became popular in Europe because of their safety, simplicity and ability to directly help people in work.

With the support of the Berlin Industries 4.0 Strategy, aimed at promoting smart manufacturing, Kuka and Bosch brought kobots to the market in the early 2010s.

Relatively inexpensive and easy to operate, cobots are now used by companies for small-scale production and simple processes. This, in particular, helps to reduce staff costs.

Mitsubishi Electric plans to bring the kobot to market in early 2019. It will be intended for users such as electronics manufacturers and logistics companies, said Katsutoshi Urabe, senior manager in charge of selling the company's robots.

Kawasaki Heavy, another engineering giant that entered the market in 2015, together with the Swiss ABB in 2018 plan to standardize cobot programming. The participation of such large companies is expected to lead to the growth of the cobot market.^[5]

Notes