PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1931962
PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1931962
Collaborative robots, or 'cobots,' are automation tools designed to operate safely alongside humans in a shared workspace, aiding in repetitive tasks within industrial settings while working in collaboration with human workers.
The primary components of collaborative robots consist of hardware and software. Hardware comprises the physical elements necessary for a computer's functionality. Cobots vary in payload capacities, including categories such as up to 5kg, up to 10kg, and above 10kg. These robots are utilized across various functions such as assembly, pick-and-place operations, handling, packaging, quality testing, gluing, welding, and more. They find application in diverse industries such as automotive, food and beverage, furniture, plastics and polymers, metal and machinery, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and others.
Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report's Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.
Tariffs are significantly impacting the collaborative robots market by increasing the cost of imported robot arms, sensors, controllers, safety components, and precision actuators used in cobot manufacturing. These impacts are most pronounced in automotive, electronics, and metal fabrication sectors across North America and Europe, where manufacturers rely heavily on imported robotic subsystems from Asia-Pacific. Elevated costs are slowing cobot deployment among small and mid-sized enterprises and increasing total automation project expenses. However, tariffs are also encouraging regional manufacturing, localized assembly, and supplier diversification, strengthening domestic robotics ecosystems and accelerating innovation in cost-optimized collaborative robot platforms.
The collaborative robots market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides collaborative robots market statistics, including collaborative robots industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a collaborative robots market share, detailed collaborative robots market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the collaborative robots industry. This collaborative robots market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.
The collaborative robots market size has grown exponentially in recent years. It will grow from $4.18 billion in 2025 to $5.43 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.9%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to expansion of industrial automation initiatives, rising labor shortages in manufacturing, growing demand for flexible production lines, improved safety certification standards, increasing affordability of collaborative robots.
The collaborative robots market size is expected to see exponential growth in the next few years. It will grow to $15.55 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.1%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing integration of AI-enabled robot perception, rising adoption in non-automotive industries, expansion of smart factory investments, increasing demand for rapid deployment automation, growing use of collaborative robots in logistics and packaging. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing deployment of human-robot collaborative workcells, rising adoption of low-payload cobots in SMEs, growing use of vision-guided collaborative robots, expansion of flexible and reprogrammable robotic systems, enhanced focus on worker safety and ergonomics.
Rising labor costs are expected to drive the growth of the collaborative robots market in the coming years. Labor costs include the total expenses a company incurs for each employee's salary, benefits, and associated payroll taxes. These costs are a key factor in determining an organization's direct and indirect labor expenses. As labor costs rise, companies are increasingly adopting collaborative robots to reduce expenses and address labor shortages. For example, according to Eurostat, a Luxembourg-based statistical office of the European Union, hourly labor costs in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 4.7% in the euro area and by 5.2% in the EU compared to the same quarter in the previous year. Therefore, rising labor costs are driving demand for collaborative robots.
Key players in the collaborative robots market are focusing on strategic partnerships and collaborations to leverage shared resources and expand their market presence. For instance, in February 2023, Rapid Robotics, a U.S.-based manufacturer of robotic solutions, partnered with Universal Robots, a Denmark-based manufacturer of smaller, flexible industrial collaborative robots, to accelerate cobot deployments in new ways. Additionally, in May 2023, Universal Robots partnered with Denali Advanced Integration, a U.S.-based integrator of services and global technology, to provide major enterprises with end-to-end integration and service support, reflecting growing interest in cobot automation.
In August 2025, OPTEL Group, a Canada-based provider of pharmaceutical traceability and supply chain solutions, acquired Vanguard Robotics for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition strengthens OPTEL's pharmaceutical automation capabilities by integrating collaborative robot (cobot) technology, improving operational efficiency, and addressing labor constraints in the pharmaceutical sector. Vanguard Robotics, based in Canada, provides end-of-line collaborative robotic systems.
Major companies operating in the collaborative robots market are Teradyne Inc., FANUC Corporation, KUKA AG, Denso Corporation, ABB Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Yaskawa Electric Corporation, Doosan Robotics Inc., Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Omron Corporation, AUBO (Beijing AUBO Robotics Technology Co., Ltd.), JAKA Robotics Co., Ltd., Universal Robots A/S, OnRobot A/S, Kinova Inc., Kassow Robots ApS, United Robotics Group GmbH, Seed Robotics Lda, TIRA Robotics, NEO Robotics GmbH, GLITZ Robotics Pvt. Ltd.
Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the collaborative robots market in 2025. The regions covered in the collaborative robots market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa
The countries covered in the collaborative robots market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.
The collaborative robots market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing hand guiding, safety monitored stop, and speed and separation. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The collaborative robots market also includes the sales of grippers, robotic arms, controllers, and sensors. Values in this market are 'factory gate' values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.
The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).
The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.
Collaborative Robots Market Global Report 2026 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.
This report focuses collaborative robots market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.
Where is the largest and fastest growing market for collaborative robots ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The collaborative robots market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.
The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, total addressable market (TAM), market attractiveness score (MAS), competitive landscape, market shares, company scoring matrix, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.
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