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10 Advancements in Industrial Automation A lthough robots have been a fixture in the industrial landscape for decades, technological innovations are driving a new wave of factory automation. The emergence of collaborative robots, or cobots, as well as cobot- sized smaller robots, is bringing new levels of efficiency and productivity to smaller businesses that can't afford (and don't need) the capabilities of industrial robots. Cobots (Figure 1) are smaller, cheaper, and easier to program than traditional industrial robots—and they are much more flexible. A modern robot can be quickly reassigned to perform new tasks as needed or moved to a different area of a factory or warehouse. Cobots are also designed to operate safely alongside people, making them well suited for dangerous or repetitive tasks or assisting human operators in tasks that require extreme precision. It's no surprise, then, that cobots are one of the fastest-growing segments of the robotics industry. Worldwide cobot shipments are expected to pass 47,000 annually by 2026, up from 10,000 in 2021, a growth rate above the projected growth for industrial robots. To help cobot designers meet this demand, TE Connectivity focuses on key trends shaping the future of factory automation: increased flexibility, lower total cost of ownership, enhanced safety, and durability. Cobots: Creating One Machine to Perform Multiple Tasks Unlike industrial robots, which are designed to perform the same task repeatedly for decades, a single cobot must be adaptable for multiple jobs. For example, a company might need a cobot that can easily transition from a simple pick-and- place task to a machine-tending role that requires more precision. The challenge for cobot designers is creating an arm that provides the range of motion required to complete different tasks while still keeping costs down. Each potential movement requires a separate axis with its own set of motors, sensors, cables, and connectors—which adds to the cost. For that reason, cobot manufacturers have settled on a standard, six-axis setup for flexible robots. This configuration mimics the range of motion in a human arm, making it suitable for most collaborative tasks. The Growing Role of Cobots in Factory Automation Alex Megej, VP & CTO, Appliances, TE Connectivity