Definition of collaborative robots
Collaborative robots are robots that interact with or work safely near humans in shared spaces. They differ from traditional industrial robots, which are designed to work autonomously and safely by isolating themselves from human contact. The global industry association, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), defines four types of collaborative manufacturing applications:
• Coexistence: Humans and robots can work side by side, but there is no shared workspace.
• Sequential collaboration: Humans and robots share all or part of the workspace, but cannot work on parts or machines simultaneously.
• Collaboration: Robots and humans work simultaneously on the same part or machine, and both are in motion.
• Responsive collaboration: Robots respond to workers' actions in real time.
In most industrial applications of collaborative robots today, collaborative robots and human workers share the same space but complete tasks independently or sequentially (coexistence or sequential collaboration).
Current state of competition in collaborative robots
Collaborative robots emerged in China in 2014, mainly driven by foreign manufacturers such as UR and Rethink. Domestic collaborative robot companies such as JAKA, AUBO, Yuejiang, Siasun, Daming, Han's Robotics, Elite Robotics, Maihe, and Rokae are also actively expanding into the collaborative robot market.
In recent years, the traditional "Big Four" industrial robot manufacturers have also begun to develop collaborative robots. However, compared with companies such as Universal Robots, JAKA, and AUBO, traditional industrial robot companies have made slower progress in the field of collaborative robots, and the market activity is not high. This market is still mainly dominated by newcomers such as Universal Robots, JAKA, and AUBO.
From 2014 to 2019, my country's sales of collaborative robots were 600, 1,100, 2,300, 4,216, 6,400, and 8,200 units, respectively. Sales in 2020 are projected to reach approximately 12,000 units; furthermore, sales of collaborative robots are expected to continue to improve from 2021 to 2023, with cumulative sales potentially exceeding 60,000 units.
