Cobots are Collaborative robots that are cost-effective, safe, and flexible to deploy. Collaborative robots - or cobots - are making automation easier than ever, even for small and mid-sized companies around the world. Cobots are designed to share a workspace with humans, making automation easier than ever before for businesses of all sizes. All of these benefits have made our cobots a game-changer for a wide variety of applications. [1]

Figure 1. Advantages of Mobile Cobots

Figure 1 shows Production work such as packing goods, replenishing stocks or assembly line work is characterized by terms such as "monotonous" and "repetitive" Also, this type of work is often the cause of RSI, Repetitive Strain Injury. A condition caused by performing the same movement often. [2]

Advantages of Mobile Cobots:

Improve Health & Safety working conditions

Mobile Cobots have built-in safety features that enable them to work alongside humans. This means that the Cobot not only has an emergency stop button, but they can also be programmed to stop when a human enters the area where the robot operates.Mobile robots are programmed with safety in mind, and as such are crammed full of cameras, lasers, and other sensors that allow them to safely operate around personnel and structures.

Reduced downtime of the system

The main advantage of including mobility in collaborative robots is the reduced downtime of the system.In the past, the setup of stationary robot systems or changing their set locations required a long process that needed skilled personnel every time something was altered.

A stationary robot can sit idle for some time until someone is ready to move it. It must be manually moved between tasks, or an elaborate system to move the part to the robot must be implemented. [3]

Cobots can be two-armed – and perform tasks even faster

A feature that a few companies have added to cobots is a second arm, which is something not available in traditional industrial robots. The idea is that two arms can prove useful in delicate tasks like assembly of small parts (e.g. electronics parts) or tightening screws, increasing speed and flexibility as a result. Parallel bin picking could be another application. Bin picking, the process of picking up small parts in random poses from a bin, can be executed faster with two robotic arms. [4]

References:

1. https://www.universal-robots.com/products/collaborative-robots-cobots-benefits/
2. https://wiredworkers.io/cobot/
3. https://www.agvnetwork.com/7-advantages-of-mobile-cobots
4. https://www.howtorobot.com/expert-insight/pros-and-cons-collaborative-robots-flexibility-vs-efficiency

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), Advantages of Mobile Cobots, AnaTechMaz, pp. 103