Cobotok

Cobotok are collaborative robots designed to work alongside humans in shared workspaces. They automate repetitive or precision tasks while allowing human workers to focus on more complex activities. Cobotok are commonly deployed in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and service environments where flexibility and safety are priorities.

Key features of cobotok include built-in safety mechanisms, easy-to-use programming interfaces, and modular tooling. They employ safety measures such as power-and-force limiting (PFL), speed and separation monitoring (SSM), and hand-guiding to enable close human-robot collaboration. Cobotok are typically designed with compact form factors, sensitive sensors, and adaptable grippers to operate safely alongside people.

Typical applications include machine tending, pick-and-place, packaging, quality inspection, and light assembly. They are used to augment human labor rather than replace it in many small and medium-sized enterprises, providing cost-effective automation, quick setup, and straightforward reprogramming. Hardware ecosystems often feature teach pendants, compatible vision systems, and integration with common automation software.

Industry adoption has grown since the 2010s, with major vendors such as Universal Robots, KUKA, ABB, and FANUC offering cobot platforms. Standards guiding safe collaborative operation include ISO 10218 for industrial robots and ISO/TS 15066 for collaborative robots. Many cobotok are designed to be programmable by non-specialists and to work with standard PLCs, ROS-based software, and other control systems.

Limitations of cobotok include lower payloads and reach compared with traditional industrial robots, sensitivity to certain environmental conditions, and the need for comprehensive risk assessment and maintenance. Despite these constraints, cobotok are widely used to increase throughput, improve flexibility, and enhance workforce safety in mixed production and service environments.