Compared to traditional industrial robots, collaborative robots are smaller, more economical, easier to program, and offer significantly greater flexibility. Modern robots can quickly redistribute tasks to perform new assignments or move to different areas such as factories or warehouses. Collaborative robots can work safely alongside workers and are particularly well-suited for hazardous or repetitive tasks, as well as assisting workers in tasks requiring extremely high precision.
Therefore, it is not surprising that collaborative robots have become one of the fastest-growing segments in the robotics industry. Global annual shipments of collaborative robots are projected to exceed 47,000 units by 2026, far surpassing the 10,000 units shipped in 2021, and this growth rate will also exceed the expected growth of industrial robots.
To further optimize the design of collaborative robots to better meet market demands, TE Connectivity (hereinafter referred to as "TE") has long focused on key trends in realizing the automation of future factories, including improving the flexibility of collaborative robots, reducing total cost, and enhancing their safety and durability.
Collaborative robots: machines capable of performing multiple tasks
Industrial robots are designed to perform the same tasks repeatedly over decades, while a collaborative robot must be able to adapt to multiple task types. For example, a company might need a collaborative robot that can easily transition from simple pick-and-place tasks to assisting in the maintenance of machines with higher precision requirements.
The challenge for collaborative robot designers is creating robotic arms that not only cover the range of motion required for different tasks but also control costs. Each possible movement requires a separate axis, each with its own set of motors, sensors, cables, and connectors—all of which contribute to increased costs. For this reason, collaborative robot manufacturers have reached a consensus on adopting a standard six-axis design for flexible robots. This structure mimics the range of motion of a human arm, making the robotic arm suitable for most collaborative tasks.
However, even in this standard setup, designers still need to find the best balance between durability, sensitivity, and cost when selecting internal components. For example, rotary transformers (systems that measure rotation angles) are inexpensive and highly durable, but may not provide the precision required for fine manipulation. At the other extreme, optical encoders offer higher precision but are easily damaged and expensive. To help more customers have access to collaborative robots, TE offers a solution between these two options—the magnetic encoder. It provides higher precision than a rotary transformer but is cheaper and more durable than an optical encoder.
Optimize factory robots to ensure operator safety
By definition, collaborative robots need to work alongside humans. Their installation does not require safety cages, which reduces installation costs and minimizes their footprint in factories or warehouses. However, this structure still needs additional safety features to ensure the safety of operators.
Advances in torque sensors can make collaborative robots safer and more reliable. Torque sensors are installed on each axis of the collaborative robot arm to measure the mechanical tension within the axis motor and gearbox. We can program the torque to remain below a specific threshold, allowing the collaborative robot to automatically shut down before a potential hazard arises, preventing injury to the operator or damage to the robot arm itself.
As the adoption of collaborative robots continues to rise, we anticipate further improvements in other safety features, such as proximity and absolute position sensors. For example, an invisible fence could be created around a collaborative robot using a suite of optical and pressure sensors, triggering the machine to slow down or stop immediately if someone enters its workspace.
Ensure reliability in harsh environments
Reducing downtime and lowering maintenance costs are crucial for controlling the cost of collaborative robots, and this is one of the challenges designers face, as collaborative robots often need to operate in environments that are not friendly to electronic components and moving parts. Dust, humidity, oil, heat, vibration, and electromagnetic interference are common in factory and warehouse environments.
Therefore, TE has specifically designed components such as position and angle sensors for harsh environments. However, designers often overlook other components that are crucial for maintaining the reliability of collaborative robots, such as cables and connectors.
Cables and connectors for sensors and motors, equiaxial components, are typically installed inside the robotic arm of a collaborative robot. Even with this protection, it's still necessary to use specially designed industrial-grade cable assemblies. This ensures that the required range of motion for each arm joint is achieved while preventing any unnecessary movement during repetitive tasks.
The connections become more complex when tasks involve coordinating changes between end-effector tools and sensors. Switching between tasks typically requires mounting a new set of tools at the end of the collaborative robot arm, including grippers, sensors, cameras, and lights. In addition to protection for the collaborative robot arm, each of these components requires power and data connectivity.
Since adaptability is one of the key advantages of collaborative robots, we are committed to helping designers reduce wiring and connectivity complexity while maintaining functionality. We are developing solutions that combine power and data connectivity in a single cable, such as Single Pair Ethernet (SPE). Such a single cable can provide sufficient power and data transfer rates for any arm-end peripheral device.
Empowering the Architecture of the Future Factory
Just a few years ago, collaborative robots were hampered by immature applications or excessively high prices. Now, their rise has elevated automation to new heights. Collaborative robots are increasingly replacing human labor in performing more tasks, while also helping manufacturers optimize production processes, achieving greater efficiency and flexibility.
In the future, we will see modular manufacturing workshops where each unit can flexibly switch between discrete tasks or customized processes. Furthermore, advancements in wireless connectivity will help factories monitor and analyze the production status of each semi-automated unit. Meanwhile, the continuous development of artificial intelligence and machine learning will enable collaborative robots to learn new tasks more quickly.
Increased factory automation levels can meet manufacturers' growing demands for speed, efficiency, and customization, while also helping them address other challenges, including persistent labor shortages. While the transition from semi-automated to fully automated production will take time, the integration of collaborative robots with seamless connectivity and augmented intelligence technologies is essential to achieving this goal.
