Cobots to change face of factory floors

A robot performs a soldering job at an auto parts manufacturing company in Fuyang, Anhui province. WANG BIAO / FOR CHINA DAILY Collaborative robots, known as cobots, have become popular among electronics and other light industry manufacturers in China, as traditional industrial robots have failed to provide a feasible solution to challenges related to comprehensive automatic upgrading. Bi estimated that industrial robots and humans will interact frequently in the future, rather than totally replacing human labor, but he admitted that cobots are currently slower than traditional models. "Our strategy is changing from the automobile industry to electronics and other general industries", said Tobias Daniel, marketing and sales director of Italy-based Comau Global Robotics and Automation Products. Adam Sobieski, general manager of Universal Robots China, said on March 30 at the Shenzhen International Machinery Manufacturing Industry Exhibition that many 3C manufacturers in China－such as ZTE and Foxconn－are purchasing their cobots at impressive rates.