The rise of cooperative robots: technical and commercial insights

summary

Co-robots transform manufacturing, with its market forecast to grow from US$1.2 billion in 2023 to US$29.8 billion by 2035, with a CAGR of 34.5% based on Idtechex analysis. Unlike traditional industrial robots that operate in isolated caged environments for safety, cobots work with humans, increasing flexibility and reducing downtime. This shift coincides with industry 5.0 and highlights the human synergy, personalization, and smart factory ecosystem driven by artificial intelligence (AI), machine vision, and rerunning trends (the movement preferred by the Trump administration). Idtechex’s research report, Collaboration Robots 2025-2045: Technology, Players, and Markets, details the factors and barriers of community technology, commercial and regulatory.

Industry 5.0 and cobot integration

Industry 5.0 prioritizes Human-Robot collaboration and surpasses the focus of Industry 4.0 automation. Cobots enable this by performing tasks that require accuracy and speed while humans handle decision-making and customization. In automotive manufacturing, companies such as BMW and Ford have integrated cobots into their assembly lines, reducing cycle times by up to 20% and operating costs by 15%. Beyond automobiles, cobots are adopted by the electronics (microchip assembly, wafer transport, etc.), food and beverage (packaging, etc.), and healthcare (lab automation) sectors, with more than 60% of global cobot deployments occurring in these industries. This versatility will drive cobot demand, with 73,000 units shipped worldwide in 2025, up 31% from 2024.

Machine vision: Improved accuracy and safety

Machine vision is important for cobot functionality and enables real-time object recognition and environmental adaptation. High-resolution RGB and Time of Flight (TOF) cameras like TM robot cobots capture 2D and 3D data, achieving 95% object recognition accuracy and depth measurement errors below 10%. In electronics, cobots with vision systems inspect microchips and reduce defect rates by 30% compared to human testing. TOF sensors allow for complex tasks such as 3D surface defect detection and collision avoidance, creating detailed depth maps. For mobile cobots, the vision system is integrated with LIDAR and ultrasound sensors to ensure secure navigation in dynamic environments and provide obstacle detection response times of less than 100ms.

AI: Promoting intelligence and adaptability

AI enhances Cobots’ decision-making and interaction capabilities. Trained on a dataset of over 10,000 images, deep learning algorithms allow us to recognize a variety of objects with 98% accuracy, which is critical for warehouse automation, which creates occlusion challenges (e.g., duplicate items in bins). Natural Language Processing (NLP) allows cobots to process commands verbally, but ambient noise can reduce accuracy by 15% in factory settings (MIT, 2025). Advanced AI models, like Nvidia’s Jetson platform, process 1TB/s of sensor data, enabling real-time adaptive workflows and predictive maintenance, reducing downtime by 25% (Nvidia, 2024). Utilizing Nvidia’s ISAAC library, Universal Robots’ Polyscope X platform supports complex tasks such as autonomous path planning, improving task efficiency by 40%.

Hardware and software innovation

Cobot advancements are attributed to modular hardware and software upgrades rather than new physical designs. Sensor arrays (camera, TOF, LIDAR) cost between $500 and $2,000 per unit, while Nvidia Jetson modules (400-$1,200) provide computational power for AI tasks. Priced between 1,000 and 5,000 US dollars, the Arm End Tool (EOAT) allows for task-specific customizations, such as precision grippers for healthcare applications such as medical device assemblies. Software platforms such as Universal Robots’ Polyscope optimize data processing and reduce latency for real-time applications by 30%. These innovations allow cobots to seamlessly integrate into existing production lines, reducing setup times to 2-4 hours.

Commercial insights and market preparation

Cobot Market’s growth is driven by cost reductions and flexibility. A single cobot priced between 20,000 and 40,000 US dollars provides end users with a return on investment (ROI) of 12-30 months compared to 36-60 months of traditional robots. Due to a controlled environment, the electronics and automotive sectors are leading adoption, accounting for 55% of the market share. Reused trends, particularly in the US and the EU, have increased demand, with 70% of manufacturers planning to consolidate cobots to reduce labor costs by 2030, with developed markets reducing labor costs average per US$25. This transition is expected to drive the adoption of cobots. For more information, see Idtechex’s research report, Collaborative Robots 2025-2045: Technologies, Player, and Markets.

Conclusion

Cobots are revolutionizing automation by combining human ingenuity and robotics. Advances in machine vision and AI allow for 95% + accuracy in object recognition and 25% reduction in downtime, while modular design and software upgrades ensure adaptability. With a US$29.8 billion market expected by 2035, cobots are poised to dominate smart factories, operating efficiency, safety and customization across the industry.

About idtechex

Idtechex offers reliable and independent research into emerging technologies and their markets. Since 1999, we have helped our clients understand new technologies, supply chains, market requirements, opportunities and forecasts.