High-yield, repetitive industrial robots have long dominated automation, but a new generation of safe, collaborative robots is starting to shift this landscape. Ursula O’Sullivan-Dale reports
The primary distinction between traditional industrial robots and collaborative robots (or cobots) lies primarily in their design and interaction with human workers.
Industrial robots are typically fixed within fenced or caged cells to keep them separate from people on the factory floor. These machines, built for speed and precision, operate in high-volume settings and handle repetitive tasks autonomously. However, their isolation from human workers limits flexibility and requires dedicated workspaces.
Cobots, on the other hand, are specifically engineered to work alongside human operators without the need for physical barriers. Equipped with advanced sensors, cobots detect proximity to people, ensuring safe and efficient collaboration. This feature is invaluable as it allows for a level of flexibility traditional industrial robots lack. The ability to integrate with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) further enhances cobots’ versatility, allowing them to be highly mobile and responsive to shifting production needs. By eliminating the time-intensive process of dismantling and reinstalling stationary systems, cobots save considerable downtime, which is especially beneficial for industries with frequent product changes or customised production requirements.
This flexibility makes cobots suitable for low- and high-volume production environments. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), cobots enhance productivity by enabling companies to meet diverse, lower-batch production demands tailored to customer specifications. Larger factories also benefit, as cobots allow quick and seamless transitions between applications and tasks. This adaptability has a direct impact on operational efficiency and offers a compelling alternative for companies looking to balance volume with variability.
However, despite their advantages, cobots may not suit every automation need. The decision to integrate cobots should be informed by factors such as workplace layout, existing workflows, process reengineering needs, and software compatibility. Company size, demand fluctuations, and the potential for future scalability are also crucial considerations when evaluating cobots against the high-volume production capabilities of traditional industrial robotics.
Accessible automation for SMEs
One of the main appeals of automation is its capacity for continuous operation, reducing dependence on human labour and minimising idle time. While this benefit is shared by both traditional industrial machines and cobots, SMEs often face budgetary constraints that make large-scale automation unfeasible. Cobots offer a more accessible entry point for these businesses, allowing them to harness the benefits of automation without the substantial capital investment required for high-yield machinery.
Parth Joshi, chief product officer at AutoStore, emphasises the value of a gradual approach to automation. “A common and effective strategy is
to start small and expand gradually,” he says. “For instance, beginning with order picking through automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) enables businesses to evaluate the benefits of automation and then scale up.”
This incremental approach allows SMEs to automate critical areas without overcommitting resources, thus mitigating financial risk. By starting with a specific area of the operation – such as order fulfilment – companies can evaluate initial gains in efficiency, accuracy and productivity before expanding across other areas.
The design of cobots also makes them ideal for SMEs focused on safety and operational reliability. Cobots are engineered to work closely with human employees, reducing accident risk through built-in safety mechanisms. This feature is especially valuable for smaller businesses, where the absence of even one employee can disrupt productivity. Clemens Zunk, chief of staff at ProGlove, notes that the evolving capabilities of cobots are opening up new possibilities for SMEs, “making automation accessible to a broader array of sectors”.
Moreover, the cost-benefit ratio of cobots often favours SMEs that cannot justify high expenditure on traditional robots. With faster implementation times and lower unit costs, cobots offer a practical solution for companies with limited resources. Tristan Holiday, senior manager at BearingPoint, highlights that “advances in collaborative robotics enable businesses to rethink their operations, allowing workers to focus on higher-value tasks while cobots handle routine, repetitive functions.”
Enhancing employee satisfaction
As workforces age and labour shortages continue to impact various industries, cobots are proving essential for alleviating the strain on workers and supporting productivity. By automating repetitive and physically taxing tasks, cobots help to create safer, more engaging work environments that enhance employee satisfaction and retention. This benefit is especially valuable in industries struggling to attract and retain talent, such as warehousing, logistics and manufacturing.
Holiday observes that automation’s role in reducing monotony can make workplaces more appealing. “By automating repetitive tasks, companies foster a more stimulating environment, which is attractive to employees and helps with staff retention,” he notes. Retaining skilled workers is not only crucial for continuity but also more cost-effective than the cycle of constant hiring and training.
Cobots play a particularly significant role in reducing the physical strain on workers. For example, tasks that involve heavy lifting or repetitive motion, such as those on assembly lines, can lead to injuries and contribute to shorter career spans. By taking on these tasks, cobots reduce workplace injuries, help extend employees’ careers, and minimise absenteeism due to physical strain. “From medical laboratories to construction sites, restaurants to manufacturing lines, businesses are finding ways to apply this flexible and increasingly affordable technology to improve operational savings while enhancing employee satisfaction,” adds Holiday.
In addition to improving daily work experiences, cobots can also enhance the customer experience. Holiday suggests that cobots deployed in settings such as restaurants can add novelty to the customer journey, as serving robots deliver a blend of efficiency and entertainment. This innovation appeals to businesses looking to differentiate themselves while also benefiting from operational efficiency gains.
Direct human-machine interaction
The rise of e-commerce and rapid changes in consumer expectations are driving the demand for flexible automation solutions that can adapt to dynamic workflows. In response, cobots are becoming essential tools in sectors such as logistics, where they support workers in fast-paced environments by performing tasks that require precision and reliability. Unlike traditional robots that are bolted down and restricted to a single task, cobots bring mobility and adaptability to assembly lines, helping with tasks such as lifting, positioning components, and performing precise assembly.
Joshi explains that cobots come in various forms, each tailored for specific roles across different industries: safety-monitored stop cobots operate alongside people and stop immediately if a human enters their workspace, ensuring safety without the need for barriers; hand-guiding cobots allow direct human interaction, enabling operators to control the cobots’ movements for fine adjustments; speed and separation monitoring cobots use sensors to adjust their speed or halt operations based on the proximity of nearby workers power and force limiting cobots restrict the force exerted to reduce injury risks if they come into contact with people; and mobile cobots combine the mobility of autonomous vehicles with cobot capabilities, allowing them to move materials and perform tasks across multiple locations within a facility.
These features enable cobots to function as versatile assistants, supporting humans directly on the factory floor without compromising safety. Joshi adds that the modularity of some cobots’ designs makes them especially useful for tasks such as error handling in robotic piece-picking or kitting processes, where both human and robot collaboration is essential for maintaining accuracy and efficiency.
partial automation approach
Zunk advocates for a human-centric approach to automation, emphasising that successful deployment hinges on designing cobots with worker needs in mind. “Partial automation, when implemented with the worker in mind, opens up significant opportunities for employees to broaden their horizons and integrate new technologies effectively into their workflows.” Zunk cautions, however, that technologies lacking a human-centred design risk being underutilised or abandoned.
As automation continues to advance, fostering effective human-machine collaboration becomes essential. This approach aligns with Industry 4.0 objectives, where smart, interconnected systems and devices enable seamless collaboration between human workers and machines. Joshi observes that “the industry is transitioning from basic machine-human interactions to environments where humans and machines work together. This shift represents not only a technological upgrade but a fundamental reimagining of industrial processes.”
By integrating cobots into workflows with a focus on human workers, businesses can unlock the full potential of these systems, creating environments where technology enhances – not replaces – human capabilities.
For many companies, partial automation with cobots represents a realistic and cost-effective way to improve workflows incrementally without the extensive retrofitting costs associated with full-scale automation. Zunk explains that this allows companies to see a quicker return on investment by minimising the need for large-scale infrastructure changes or reconfigurations. “Human-machine collaboration combines human creativity with machine precision, making it ideal for organisations without the resources for full automation.”
Cobots shine in warehouse environments, where they handle repetitive tasks and maintain continuous operation. This capability addresses the growing need for reliable, non-stop productivity as businesses respond to labour shortages. As Holiday says, “manual picking functions see big efficiency gains when cobots streamline repetitive processes, enabling staff to focus on more complex tasks that add greater value.”
