The cobots are coming – courtesy of Facteon

Auckland-based supplier of smart manufacturing and Industrial IoT technologies, Faction, is working with global robot manufacturer Universal Robots to supply collaborative robots (cobots) to the New Zealand market.

It describes a cobot as a dynamic robotic technology that works safely alongside human operators to perform mundane, repetitive and dangerous tasks with accuracy and at speed.

According to Facteon, unlike industrial robots, cobots can complete a variety of tasks and do not require a robotics specialist in-house, making them a more affordable option for manufacturers.

“Acting as a second pair of hands and eyes in the factory, cobots are flexible, reliable and safe,” Facteon says.

“They can be quickly reprogrammed in-house to perform a variety of production tasks such as assembly, pick and place, packaging and palletising, quality inspection, machine tending, screw driving and fastening.”

Facteon says Universal Robots commercialised its first cobot in 2008 and now has 37,000 in operation around the world.

Facteon’s head of marketing and new ventures, Nathan Soich, said cobots were a relatively new technology for New Zealand but there was already significant interest.

He said cobots had the potential to revolutionise manufacturing in a wide range of industries including the appliance, medical, pharmaceutical, automotive, food and beverage sectors.