Rapid Growth of the Collaborative Robot Market and Manufacturing Innovation: An Analysis of Current Trends in 2026
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Explosive Growth of the Collaborative Robot Market
As of January 2026, the global collaborative robot market is experiencing unprecedented growth momentum. According to the latest report from the Robotics Industry Association (RIA), the market size for collaborative robots reached $2.3 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $2.65 billion in 2026. This corresponds to an annual growth rate of 15.2%, significantly surpassing the overall industrial robot market growth rate of 8.7%. Notably, the share of collaborative robots in the total robot market surged from 7.2% in 2023 to 11.8% in 2025, and this trend is expected to continue into 2026.
The acceleration of automation adoption by SMEs is a key factor behind this growth. According to a Q4 2025 survey by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute, 42% of small and medium-sized manufacturers in Europe plan to adopt collaborative robots within the next two years, a significant increase from 28% in the same survey in 2024. In Korea, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups reported that the adoption rate of collaborative robots among domestic small manufacturers jumped from 15.3% in 2024 to 23.7% in 2025. This is attributed to the government’s smart manufacturing innovation support projects and the improved price competitiveness of collaborative robots.
One of the key factors driving the growth of the collaborative robot market is the improvement in cost efficiency accompanying technological advancements. For instance, Denmark’s Universal Robots announced that their latest UR20 model, launched in 2025, handles a 20kg payload while being priced at $50,000, reducing the return on investment (ROI) period to an average of 11 months. Korea’s Doosan Robotics reported that their M1013 model, launched in the second half of 2025, achieved 30% improved precision by integrating a self-developed torque sensor and vision system, achieving a 99.7% success rate in electronic component assembly lines.
A notable trend since the second half of 2025 is the full-scale application of AI-based learning functions in collaborative robots. Switzerland’s ABB introduced its proprietary ‘RobotStudio AR’ technology in the GoFa series update in September 2025, allowing operators to intuitively teach robots new tasks in an augmented reality environment. This reduced the average programming time for new tasks from 4 hours to 45 minutes, enabling field operators without programming expertise to easily utilize robots. In December 2025, Tesla announced that operating 2,300 collaborative robots at its Texas Gigafactory improved the efficiency of battery pack assembly processes by 27%.
Paradigm Shift in the Manufacturing Industry and Global Competitive Landscape
The rapid growth of the collaborative robot market reflects a paradigm shift across the manufacturing industry. As the transition from traditional mass production to multi-product, small-batch production and customized manufacturing accelerates, demand for flexible and adaptable collaborative robots is surging over large industrial robots. According to McKinsey Global Institute’s 2025 manufacturing trends report, 67% of global manufacturers cited ‘building flexible production lines’ as a top priority, with 78% considering collaborative robots as a key solution.
The competitive landscape of the global collaborative robot market has significantly reshaped since 2025. While Denmark’s Universal Robots still holds the top position in market share, its share decreased from 48.2% in 2024 to 42.7% in 2025. Meanwhile, Korea’s Doosan Robotics expanded its market share from 7.8% in 2024 to 12.3% in 2025, rising to second place globally. Doosan Robotics reported a revenue of 420 billion KRW in 2025, marking an 89% growth from the previous year. Japan’s FANUC expanded its influence in the Asian market with the successful launch of the CRX series in 2025, receiving high evaluations among automotive parts manufacturers.
The rise of the Chinese market is also a noteworthy change. Chinese collaborative robot manufacturers are rapidly growing based on price competitiveness, with Shanghai-based Elite Robot and Beijing’s Jantec Robotics recording 156% and 203% revenue growth, respectively, in 2025 compared to the previous year. According to data from the China Robot Industry Alliance (CRIA), collaborative robot sales in China reached 28,400 units in 2025, a 67% increase from the previous year, with 78% being products from Chinese companies. However, European and Korean companies still maintain an edge in terms of technical completeness and reliability, suggesting that differentiation through technological innovation will be key to competition.
In the U.S. market, the adoption of collaborative robots is emerging as a key means to address labor shortages. According to a 2025 survey by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), 83% of U.S. manufacturers reported experiencing a shortage of skilled labor, with 71% attempting to address the issue through the adoption of collaborative robots. The aerospace, medical device, and electronics manufacturing sectors are particularly active in adopting collaborative robots. Boeing announced that it automated the aircraft interior assembly process by deploying 450 ABB collaborative robots at its Seattle plant in 2025, improving productivity by 34% and reducing musculoskeletal disorders among workers by 47%.
Meanwhile, the ecosystem related to the growth of the collaborative robot market is rapidly expanding. The market for collaborative robot components such as grippers, vision systems, and sensors is growing at an annual rate of 18.5%, with specialized companies like Germany’s Schmalz and Denmark’s OnRobot standing out. In the AI-based vision system field, NVIDIA’s Jetson platform is widely adopted as an edge AI solution for collaborative robots, with shipments of Jetson modules for collaborative robots increasing by 245% in 2025 compared to the previous year. Korea’s Hyundai Rotem commercialized a self-developed torque sensor for collaborative robots in 2025, starting to supply it to Doosan Robotics and ABB, aiming for annual sales of 30 billion KRW.
Application Cases by Industry and Future Outlook
Examining actual application cases of collaborative robots reveals that their scope of use is expanding beyond traditional manufacturing to the service industry. In the automotive industry, Hyundai Motor Company introduced 180 units of Doosan Robotics’ M0609 model at its Ulsan plant in 2025 to automate bolt fastening tasks on the engine assembly line. This improved work accuracy to 99.8% and reduced the repetitive work burden on workers by 70%. BMW automated body welding quality inspections using KUKA’s iiwa collaborative robots at its Munich plant, reducing inspection time from 15 minutes to 6 minutes.
In the electronics manufacturing sector, the adoption of collaborative robots is also active. Samsung Electronics introduced a wafer handling system based on collaborative robots developed by Hanwha Systems at its Pyeongtaek semiconductor plant in 2025. This system showed 30% improved precision compared to existing systems, reducing the wafer breakage rate to 0.003%. Foxconn, a major supplier for Apple, automated the iPhone assembly process using Universal Robots’ UR16e model at its Shenzhen plant in China, improving production speed by 23%.
The medical device manufacturing sector is emerging as a new growth driver for collaborative robots. Johnson & Johnson automated the precision assembly of surgical instruments by introducing ABB’s YuMi collaborative robots at its Belgian plant in 2025. This system achieved a precision of ±0.02mm, difficult to achieve by human hands, significantly reducing product defect rates from 0.8% to 0.1%. Korea’s Huons Global automated the packaging process of disposable syringes using Doosan Robotics’ collaborative robots, increasing hourly production from 2,400 to 3,800 units.
The use of collaborative robots in the service industry is also noteworthy. Starbucks began trial operations of a collaborative robot barista at its flagship store in Tokyo, Japan, in 2025. This robot, jointly developed by Japan’s FANUC and SoftBank, can prepare 12 coffee menu items and completes beverages within an average of 2 minutes and 30 seconds after customer orders. McDonald’s announced that it operates a hamburger cooking system using collaborative robots at its test store in Chicago, USA, reducing order processing time by an average of 40%.
The future outlook for the collaborative robot market is very bright. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) predicts that the global collaborative robot market will exceed $3 billion in 2026 and grow at an annual rate of 14.8% to reach $5.2 billion by 2030. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to emerge as the largest market, accounting for 45% of the total market. Technologically, advancements in AI and machine learning are expected to significantly enhance the autonomy and learning capabilities of collaborative robots, while the combination of 5G and edge computing technologies is expected to strengthen real-time data processing and remote control functions. However, the strengthening of safety regulations, cybersecurity concerns, and the shortage of skilled robot operators may act as constraints on market growth, necessitating the preparation of response measures.
*This analysis is provided for informational purposes and should not be interpreted as investment advice. All investments carry risks, and investors should carefully consider their financial situation and investment objectives before making decisions.*
