Cobots to change face of factory floors

Collaborative robots, known as cobots, have become popular among electronics and other light industry manufacturers in China, as traditional industrial robots have failed to provide a feasible solution to challenges related to comprehensive automatic upgrading.

Several emerging robot firms have released cobots, such as ABB's YuMi, Rethink Robotics' Sawyer, and Universal Robots' UR family of robots.

A cobot's identifying feature is a robotic arm that can be fixed to any production line or an automatic guided vehicle in several minutes, with a hand to pick up and place small electronic components.