Q 485. Cobots are extensively being used in Manufacturing industries. What are cobots? How are they different from traditional robots? Do cobots have any utility in service industry?

 

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A Robot is an autonomous machine/equipment that performs its tasks without any human intervention, whereas a Cobot

is an artificial intelligent robot that performs tasks in collaboration with Human workers, therefore it is different as compared to automatic robots , the Cobots are programmable and they work arm in arm with humans . So, in simpler words , they are designed to work with humans and not for humans. 

 

Just like Industrial robots, many COBOTS are being majorly used in Manufacturing industries, like Automobiles, Engines, motors, painting etc, where they can handle more risky jobs like deburring and polishing etc. 

Cobots key addon over a typical industrial robot is the flexibility to be programmable and ease of use for changing of tasks like in polishing/painting job, a COBOT could change its movement and rotate the brush/ sprayer according to the user's requirement, where a similar task with a Robotic system would require some serious modification and at an expense too.

 

Notably, key differences with COBOTS are as follows,

 

• Partnership with Humans- As mentioned above, Cobots perform as an assistant to human operators and could work alongside humans, with minimal to no human intervention to finish the task assigned. These machines are not designed with human safety as a key priority they just do their task. 
• Safety- Cobots are designed with safety features which allow effortless collaboration for them with human workspace. They are able to detect and stop movement with slightest of human touch to prevent any injury to the humans in the vicinity. This prevents to machine guard these human friendly equipment's.  
• Ease of Use- Collaborative robots or Cobots are relatively easy to program and are exceptionally adaptive. Where traditional robots require heavy programming and maintenance, cobots can be operative without much coding and are more manageable with least instructions. This becomes even more fruitful when operators are able to modify their operations and have them perform variety of tasks. 
• Functionality- In terms of Functionality , cobots are highly exceptional ,especially when they could be moved and utilized in variety of areas in production. They could be mounted on any surface, walls or even ceilings. Also, their light weight makes them even more durable and manageable. 

As for service industry, because of their speed and accuracy, Cobots can be a useful asset to service industries with easy to setup,, more agile and more precision for better and expected outcomes. Whether it is Banks, Mechanics etc it would be an exciting prospect for more Cobotic workforce especially for the sectors where human regulation is still preferred compared to complete automation.

In this era of automation and robotization, the way humans work with robots is becoming ever more important. 

Cobots or Collaborative robots are designed to work together with humans. This is in contrast to the traditional, stationary industrial robots that work separately & in isolation from human contact.

Cobots are equipped with sensors and power limiting safety features that make collaboration between robot and humans possible. This collaboration of humans and Cobots makes the production process shorter, increases the productivity, reduces the defect rate and supports the employees in their work resulting in making them more efficient & valuable instead of replacing them.

In the manufacturing industry, productivity is given lot of improtance and that is the key to success. The more productivity increased, the more profitable the business becomes.

In recent years, more and more companies have chosen to implement cobots. 

Below are seven reasons why your company should consider investing in a cobot.

1. Cobots are easy to program
2. Cobots have short set-up time
3. Cobots can be used for different applications
4. Cobots are gives consistent results
5. Positive impact on employees
6. Increases productivity and optimizes processes
7. Shorter payback period

Cobots can also be used in service industry to improve the productivity. Cobots can work together with humans to optimize their capabilities.

 

In simple words Cobots are basically robots that can work together with humans & that too without any barriers. It is also known as Collaborative Robot which comes from the fact that these are intended for direct human interaction & both humans & cobots are in close proximity within a shared space. Cobots are cost effective, safe & flexible to deploy 

 

While Industrial Robots have been in existence in the large scale manufacturing industries for quite some time now, Cobots are now slowly building their footprints especially in medium & small scale manufacturing industries & even in large scale manufacturing industries with typical applications in the automotive sector. For medium & small scaled manufacturing industries, Cobots are deployed especially for tasks that are repetitive & are risky from a safety standpoint for humans. Common examples can be loading & unloading of CNC machines where material is being fed by them to the machine, deburring application of aluminium castings, palletizing of materials as well as the welding of small parts.

 

There are noticeable differences in various aspects when it comes to Cobots & Traditional Industrial Robots. Few of them are enlisted as below:-

 

• Industrial Robots are ideal for large organizations that manufacture high volumes of the same product for longer time periods while Cobots are specifically designed for low volume & high mix production scenarios.
• Industrial Robots require expensive programming skills & has a longer set up time whereas Cobots & simple to program & easy to deploy with a less complex set up.
• Industrial Robots require safety guarding in order to keep human workers out of the robot’s work area while Cobots have safely designed tools that simplify interaction with humans.
• Industrial Robots have integrated tools that are required to perform the same set of actions for entire lifespan, however Cobots have flexible tooling that are used for performing multiple processes.
• Industrial Robots are expensive as they require large upfront investment owing to longer & complex system integration, operator trainings & generally takes longer time in order to realize the ROI whereas Cobots have minimal upfront costs due to cost effective tooling that speeds up integration & thus a quicker ROI.

 

Cobots is now spreading its existence not only in manufacturing industries but in service industries as well. Some of the potential areas of Cobots application in service industries are:-

 

• Food Service : Cobots are making their way into the fast-food industry where we have them flipping burgers, frying fries.
• Warehousing : One of the common example of Cobots are Amazon’s Kiva bots which have played a significant role in boosting the overall efficiency & accuracy of warehousing operations.
• Education: Cobots are now helping students learn robotics with little programming required to function those robots.
• Entertainment: Cobots are sometimes used to carry cameras that are too heavy for humans to handle or for filming spaces too tight & can also film precise shots at high speeds & complex angles.

 

With this wide adoption of Cobots in diverse industries, the future of Robotics especially Cobots is moving in a very positive direction & will contribute a big way in disrupting the way of working of various industries at large.

The underlying definition of a Robot is that, it is a programmable machine that is capable of taking a number of undertaking complex series of actions, either assisted by Humans or unassisted.

 

 Robots, could be classified into two categories (as per IFR, International Federation of Robotics) on the basis of application and way of us as below:

1.      Industrial Robots: These are traditional robots that are programmed to work in isolation from human contact, largely in Industrial settings. Industrial robots are majorly used for Assembly operations, Heavy material movements and Machine feeding.

2.      Cobots: Also known as Collaborative Robots, are robots designed to work with direct human interactions, either in close proximities or within a shared space. These are closely related to what is called as Service Bots, and the main uses are in domestic & professional settings including below Applications:

 

a.     Pick & place objects

       (e.g. Moving documents within office space)

b.     Quality inspection

       (eg. Alicona uses its 3D metrology inspection cameras)

c.      Machine tending, like tool changes or raw material replacement

d.     Packaging & Palletizing, where tasks are repetitive and involve small payloads

e.     Process tasks, situations that requires a tool to interact with a workpiece

        (eg. da Vinci System, built with robot arms and high-tech cameras to assist surgeons during operations.)

f.      Finish tasks, such as polishing and grinding

 

The key differences between Cobot and Traditional robots are as below:

1.      A Cobot can act as an assistant to a human operator and is typically used in applications working alongside human operators. Traditional robots are programmed to complete an automated task with very little or no human interaction.

2.      Traditional robots are designed to do industrial tasks and Cobots are used in domestic & professional settings.

3.      Cobots are built with safety for humans, these are built generally as rounded and lightweight materials, whereas Traditional robots are not built for humans to work next to them and could be highly unsafe as these are built as heavy machineries.

Cobots are similar but smaller when compared to that of industrial robots.

It is also comparatively cheaper in price and much user friendly.

 

For a large-scale mass production, industrial robots can provide best efficiency. However, for small and medium scale businesses, cobots can be much more effective when it comes to automation on the shop floor.

 

Cobots are Collaborative Robots. It is more of a collaboration between Human and Robot in a shared space and can optimize human work in various aspects.

 

 

International Federation of Robotics (IFR) defines multi-level of collaboration viz., Coexistence, Sequential, Cooperation and Responsive Collaboration.

 

Traditional Robots are best fit for:

Large batches, small variability

Complex deployment

Consistent environment

Human monitoring

Focus on Robot Automation

Big Investments

Longer ROI

 

Alternatively, Cobots could be a best alternative for:

Low-volume, high-mix

Fast and Easy deployment

Agile and adapts to environment

Collaborative

Focus on End-Of-Arm-Tooling (EOAT)

Lower upfront cost

Faster ROI

 

Cobots in Service Industry:

It is often referred as RaaS (Robots-as-a-Service) and few of the utilities includes that of,

• Robotic-Assisted Knee Surgery (robotic arm assistance)  
• Food Robots - Packaging (Wrapper, Vacuum sealer)
• Food Robots - Other Applications (Palletizing, Pick-and-place, Logistical automation)
• Product Quality Inspection (Cobot arms for visual inspection using 3d Cameras)
• Aviation (Cobot co-pilot mainly for Military UCAV (Unmanned combat aerial vehicles))
• Agriculture (Farming - Once Cobot identifies flowers, fan gets activated for effective pollination (Smart Farming))
• Diary (Robotic Milking)  
• Restaurant Cobot

 

 

These cobots are identified and selected based on critical factors such as,

Reach (500 - 900 mm)

Payload (2kg - 16kg)

Footprint (Ø 128 - 200 mm)

Weight (10kg - 35kg)

 

Technology Advancements like IoT features with loaded capabilities such as heat sensors and thermal cameras help the cobots to perform more accurate tasks based on their use cases. Anticipating the rise of 5G, could lead Cobots to get fully automated and to perform tasks with greater accuracy.

A collaborative robot, also known as a cobot, is a robot that is capable of learning multiple tasks so it can assist human beings. In contrast, autonomous robots are hard-coded to repeatedly perform one task, work independently and remain

stationary.

 

Partnership with Humans: A cobot can act as an assistant to a human operator and is typically used in applications working alongside human operators. Traditional robots are programmed to complete an automated task with very little or no human interaction

 

Universal Robots cobots are versatile automation platforms that can be used for a huge range of tasks from grinding and polishing to machine tending, blood testing, food packaging and even making coffee!

All the published responses are appropriate. Mohamed Asif has responded to the second part of the question by explaining the utility in service industry with examples. Asif's response is the selected winner for this question.