The Rise of Cobots: Collaborative Robots Working Alongside Humans in Factories

Collaborative robots (cobots) are the fastest-growing segment of industrial automation, growing 30%+ annually. Unlike traditional robots (caged, dangerous), cobots work safely alongside humans. Universal Robots leads with $500M+ revenue. Applications: assembly, packaging, quality inspection, machine tending. Cost $25K-50K (vs $100K+ for traditional robots). SMEs are the primary adopters because cobots require no programming expertise — they're 'taught' by physically guiding them. The cobot market is projected to reach $10B by 2030.