There exist the false belief that collaborative robots are used to replace people in their positions, but it is important to understand that their function is not to replace workers; on the contrary, they aim at making the work of our employees more efficient and, therefore, more productive.
On the other hand, it is also believed that only big companies, international companies or factories can use collaborative robots but they have evolved in such a way that they can adapt to any company no matter which industry it belongs to or its size.
Depending on the task, the way of working will change, but we can say that:
This kind of robot is designed to work together with human workers. As opposed to normal robots, collaborative robots use advanced visual technology and they are equipped with sophisticated sensors to detect people and stop or change their activity. Thanks to these advancements, they do not need to be closed to ensure that the people around them are safe.
Classic industrial robots are autonomous and, once a trained programmer uses them to carry out a particular task, they must fulfill the task following a fixed program.
Collaborative robots, on the other hand, work with people and they behave in a smart way. They work just like any other worker to collaborate with other employees. They help complete complex tasks that cannot be completely automated. They are useful in very repetitive processes or for tedious tasks.
They are highly flexible and do not require any expert knowledge to program. In many cases, they just need a tablet to configure the required programming.
Some of them can also program by just moving their arm in the required pattern. Such robot models truly learn the requirements independently with no need for programming.
A programmer can simply make a movement following a pattern with the arm of the robot and it will copy it. Other models can also follow work instructions by just using a graphic user interface.
With their sophisticated sensors and advanced technology, a collaborative robot can be used anywhere. They will detect objects or people in their way and they will stop whenever they have to. They are also light, easy to move and use in places outside the production plant.
This is totally opposed to classic industrial robots that are typically heavy and designed to work autonomously in a fixed environment. In other words, once those robots are installed, they will hardly move.
