The Rapid Growth of the Collaborative Robot Market: A New Paradigm in Manufacturing Automation by 2026
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Explosive Growth of the Collaborative Robot Market and Changes in the Industrial Ecosystem
In early 2026, the global collaborative robot (cobot) market is witnessing unprecedented growth, fundamentally altering the manufacturing automation paradigm. According to the latest report by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the global cobot market size surpassed $1.8 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $2.4 billion in 2026. This represents an average annual growth rate of 32%, significantly outpacing the overall industrial robot market growth rate of 12%, shaking up the landscape of the traditional industrial robot market. Notably, the adoption rate of cobots by small and medium-sized enterprises increased by 47% compared to 2024, indicating that many small manufacturers, previously challenged by automation, are now actively building smart factories using cobots.
The rapid growth is driven by the swift advancement of cobot technology and the achievement of price competitiveness. According to data released by Universal Robots, headquartered in Odense, Denmark, the UR20 model launched in the second half of 2025 offers 30% improved precision compared to previous models while its price dropped by 15%. Additionally, the installation and programming time has been reduced to an average of 2.5 hours, creating an environment where small and medium-sized enterprises can adopt cobots without much burden. ABB, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, reported that its cobot division’s revenue increased by 89% year-on-year to $720 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, accounting for 23% of the total robotics division revenue.
The adoption of cobots is rapidly expanding in the Korean market as well. According to the Korea Robotics Industry Association’s report at the end of 2025, the number of cobot installations in Korea increased by 57% from 8,400 units in 2024 to 13,200 units in 2025, and is expected to surpass 20,000 units in 2026. Adoption is particularly prominent in the automotive parts, electronics assembly, and food processing sectors, with small and medium-sized manufacturers in Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheongnam-do being the main adopters. Doosan Robotics announced that its annual revenue for 2025 increased by 73% to 184.7 billion won, with 80% of this revenue coming from domestic small and medium-sized enterprises. Hyundai Robotics also reported that its cobot division alone generated 31.2 billion won in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025, accounting for 41% of the total robotics business revenue.
One of the key drivers of growth in the cobot market is the integration with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Since the second half of 2025, the integration of AI-based vision systems and machine learning algorithms has dramatically improved the accuracy and adaptability of cobots. FANUC, headquartered in Yamanashi, Japan, announced that its CRX-25iA model reduced the learning time for new tasks by 65% compared to previous models through AI-based learning algorithms, achieving 99.7% accuracy even in complex assembly tasks. KUKA, headquartered in Augsburg, Germany, introduced tactile feedback technology in its iiwa LBR Med 14 R820 model launched at the end of 2025, enhancing safety by 30% during human collaboration.
Industry Applications and Market Segmentation Strategies
The use of cobots in the automotive industry is particularly noteworthy. Hyundai Motor’s Asan plant announced that it improved productivity by 22% by introducing 24 units of Doosan Robotics’ M0609 model to the door panel assembly line from the second half of 2025. By replacing the work previously handled by 12 workers with six cobots and four workers, labor costs were reduced by 35%, and the defect rate was significantly improved from 0.3% to 0.08%. Kia Motors also reported that it achieved a 15% reduction in cycle time by introducing Hyundai Robotics’ YS080 model to the seat assembly line at its Gwangju plant. As these success stories spread, inquiries about cobot adoption from domestic first-tier suppliers increased by 180% year-on-year to an average of 340 per month in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The scope of cobot use in electronics manufacturing is also rapidly expanding. Samsung Electronics’ Suwon plant introduced 48 units of Universal Robots’ UR5e model to its smartphone assembly line in 2025, improving the accuracy of micro-component assembly from 98.9% to 99.6%. In particular, the precision of cobots in camera module assembly and display attachment processes surpassed that of human workers, with a 30% improvement in work speed. LG Electronics’ Changwon plant utilized ABB’s GoFa CRB 15000 model in its air conditioner outdoor unit assembly line, reducing the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders among workers handling heavy objects by 78%. This demonstrates that cobots significantly contribute not only to productivity improvement but also to enhancing the work environment.
The adoption of cobots in the food and packaging industry is also rapidly increasing. Orion’s Iksan plant introduced FANUC’s CR-7iA/L model to its snack packaging line from the second half of 2025, increasing packaging speed by 40% from 1,200 to 1,680 units per hour. In particular, cobots combined with AI vision systems maintained consistent quality in irregularly shaped product packaging better than human workers. Nongshim’s Anyang plant utilized KUKA’s LBR iiwa 14 R820 model in its ramen packaging process, increasing production by 33% through 24-hour, three-shift continuous operation, while reducing labor costs by 28%.
The use of cobots is also spreading in the medical device manufacturing sector. Medtronic Korea’s Cheongju plant introduced Universal Robots’ UR3e model to its pacemaker assembly line, significantly improving the precision of micro-component assembly. In particular, in electronic circuit assembly requiring precision at the 0.1mm level, cobots demonstrated five times higher accuracy than human workers, reducing the defect rate to 0.02%. As a result, inquiries about cobot adoption from domestic medical device manufacturers increased by 220% year-on-year to an average of 85 per month in 2025.
The competitive landscape of the cobot market is also rapidly changing. Universal Robots, maintaining its position as the market leader, recorded a 27% market share in the global cobot market in 2025, a 5 percentage point decrease from 32% in 2024. This is attributed to intensified competition as existing industrial robot manufacturers like ABB, FANUC, and KUKA have actively entered the cobot market. ABB’s cobot market share increased by 7 percentage points to 18% in 2025, while FANUC’s share rose by 5 percentage points to 15%. Korean company Doosan Robotics ranked fourth with a 12% share in the Asia-Pacific region, and Hyundai Robotics ranked sixth with an 8% share.
Technological Innovations and Future Prospects
The most notable technological trend in the cobot market in 2026 is the implementation of real-time remote control and monitoring capabilities through integration with 5G networks. The 5G-based cobot control system jointly developed by Ericsson and FANUC allows cobots to be controlled remotely with a latency of less than 1ms, enabling highly technical tasks to be performed without experts being physically present. Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan shipyard successfully completed a pilot project using this system, where experts at the Seoul headquarters remotely controlled welding cobots for shipbuilding tasks, reducing travel costs for experts by 80% and improving work efficiency by 25%.
AI-based predictive maintenance is also emerging as a new growth driver in the cobot market. The AI-based predictive maintenance solution jointly developed by Siemens and KUKA analyzes cobot sensor data in real-time to predict component replacement timing with 99.3% accuracy. POSCO’s Gwangyang Steelworks adopted this system, increasing cobot uptime from 97.8% to 99.4% and significantly reducing unexpected downtime from an average of 14 hours to 2 hours per month. This predictive maintenance capability reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO) of cobots by an average of 23%, playing a crucial role in the adoption decisions of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The future prospects for the cobot market are very bright. According to the latest report by the McKinsey Global Institute, the global cobot market size is expected to reach $12 billion by 2030, representing an average annual growth rate of 28%. The growth in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be particularly prominent, with China, Korea, and Japan being identified as major growth drivers. In Korea, the cobot market size is expected to reach $800 million by 2030, representing a sixfold increase from the current level.
However, along with the rapid growth of the cobot market, new challenges are also emerging. The biggest concern is cybersecurity, as network-connected cobots are increasingly becoming targets for hacking. The cobot hacking incident at a German automotive parts company at the end of 2025 brought these concerns to reality, leading to rapid growth in the cobot security solutions market. According to analysis by Check Point Software Technologies, cyberattacks targeting industrial IoT devices increased by 73% in 2025, with 23% targeting robot systems, including cobots.
Additionally, job changes resulting from cobot adoption are emerging as a significant issue. According to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 2025 report, approximately 3.4 million existing manufacturing jobs worldwide are expected to change due to cobot adoption, but at the same time, about 1.8 million new jobs in cobot operation, maintenance, and programming are expected to be created. In Korea, approximately 150,000 existing manufacturing jobs are expected to change from 2026 to 2030, while about 80,000 new cobot-related jobs are expected to be created.
For the continued growth of the cobot market, standardization and interoperability remain key challenges. Currently, different communication protocols and programming languages used by each manufacturer make it difficult for companies to operate various brands of cobots simultaneously. To address this, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) plans to release a cobot communication standard in the first half of 2026, and major manufacturers plan to update their products accordingly. Once this standardization is complete, the growth of the cobot market is expected to accelerate further, significantly lowering the adoption barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises.
This analysis is based on market trends and publicly available data, and additional expert consultation is recommended for investment decisions.
