Hardware Podcasts

Who Killed the Cobot Dream? The Truth About Collaborative Robots, Ep #35

Lights Out · 27 Feb 2026 · 41m · Episode 35

What this episode covers

Hosts Nick Goellner, Eric Nekich, and David Buick investigate why collaborative robots (cobots) failed to meet the explosive growth forecasts made a decade ago, identifying five key suspects: marketing overpromise, technical limitations like speed and payload, misapplication, integration complexity, and market saturation. They explain that the industry has matured, with ISO and ANSI eliminating the term 'cobot' in 2025 in favor of 'collaborative application' to enforce application-specific risk assessments. The hosts conclude that cobots are not a universal solution but work well for specific, repetitive tasks like tending lightweight parts, citing a successful case study involving medical plastics and dedicated automation staff.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Universal Robots, SMW Autoblok, Fifth Axis
Products
Light Vice
Also
ISO, ANSI

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