10 Industrial and Service Robotics Trends in the IFR’s World Robotics 2021 Report

Collaborative robots gain acceptance, but no 'killer app'

Turning to technologies, collaborative robots represent about 6% of the industrial robotics market and are growing at a relatively fast rate, according to the IFR.

“They are on their way to being an important part of the robotics industry,” Müller said.

When asked if there’s a “killer app” for cobots, Susanne Bieller, general secretary of the IFR, replied, “We’re still finding niches and applications. They will develop over time.”

“The technology is coming around; people are accepting applications that may not be suitable for any other kind of robot,” added Schunk‘s Guerry.

He also noted that “out-of-the-box” tooling and grippers are making robot deployments easier and lowering the total cost of ownership.

“Robots typically start out specialized,” Guerry said. “As they become more mainstream, they’ll need more tools, such as software, soft grippers, and vacuum and adhesive systems.”

He said cobots will enable the trend toward “batch size 1,” helping small and midsize enterprises (SME) to benefit from automation.