Humanoid Robot Boom Boosts Cobot Supply

A ramp-up in humanoid robot production is creating a new source of demand for collaborative robot (cobot hardware, with shipments to humanoid manufacturers expected to surge more than eightfold this year.That’s according to a report from Interact Analysis, a U.K.-based industrial automation and robotics market research firm with offices in the U.S. and China. The report found global cobot shipments will jump from 5,000 units in 2025 to more than 43,000 in 2026 as developers increasingly turn to established hardware developers rather than building all components in-house.“Many humanoid manufacturers are prioritizing software and application development, making it attractive to source mature hardware,” Mike Yang, a market analyst at Interact and one of the report’s authors, told TechTarget AI and Emerging Technologies. “Demand for cobot arms is growing across factory and logistics applications, where reliability and repeatability are critical, as well as for rapidly scaling research and data-collection applications.”Related:Neura Robotics, Seco Partner to Scale Physical AI in EuropeThe most direct beneficiaries, according to Yang, are suppliers of complete cobot arms for humanoid robots and joint actuators.“Complete seven-axis arms offer humanoid OEMs mature force control, reliability and production-ready hardware, while actuator suppliers support customers pursuing in-house assembly,” he said. “The sourcing mix will vary, but both segments should benefit as humanoid production scales.”China’s supply-chain advantageChina is expected to account for most cobot supplies to humanoid manufacturers, due to both the country’s position as a hub of humanoid production, as well as the relative closeness between robot makers, cobot suppliers and component manufacturers.“Proximity to the rapidly growing domestic humanoid market enables faster feedback, product iteration and transition from prototypes to volume production,” Yang said. “Manufacturing scale, intense competition and cost competitiveness further support rapid customization and expansion.”While Chinese producers are expected to have an early lead, suppliers elsewhere are also likely to benefit as the market expands and as geopolitical tension and supply chain pressures mean companies increasingly look to diversify suppliers, especially in light of the July U.S. ban on Chinese-made robots and robotics components.Humanoids could reshape the cobot marketWhile revenues from humanoid applications remain modest in the near term, Interact estimates they could eventually add 10% to 30% to cobot vendors' revenues by 2030.Related:Hugging Face Releases Programmable, Walking Duck RobotThe surge in humanoid demand could, Yang said, put pressure on suppliers of the most advanced arms. That could create a two-tier market, with high-performance humanoid arms facing longer lead times while more standardized hardware comes under increasing price pressure.“We do not expect a broad-based capacity shortage across the cobot industry, but supply of proven, high-performance humanoid arms could become tighter as demand scales,” Yang said. “A relatively concentrated supplier base faces expansion pressure, although manufacturers are investing in capacity and new entrants are rapidly expanding the supply base, particularly in China.”The result could be greater differentiation between suppliers as humanoid manufacturers move from prototypes to larger-scale production.Cobots vs. humanoidsThe growing overlap between cobots and humanoids has raised questions about how meaningfully the two markets can be separated. Bram Vanderborght, robotics professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium and founder of European robotics startups CoEra and AILOS Robotics, said the industry should be cautious about treating the two as competing categories.“I do not see why cobots and humanoids should compete,” he said. “A humanoid is robot arms that are mounted on a moving platform, which can be legged or wheeled.”Related:Nvidia Targets Physical AI With New Jetson Edge PlatformThe more important distinction, he said, is between robots designed to operate safely around people and conventional industrial systems optimized for speed.Traditional cobots have generally operated at lower speeds to reduce the risk of injury in human-shared environments. That can limit productivity compared with conventional industrial robots, Vanderborght said.“We need to kill the difference between fast but unsafe industrial arms, and slow but safe cobots,” he said.About the AuthorContributing WriterScarlett Evans is a freelance writer with a focus on emerging technologies and the minerals industry. Previously, she served as assistant editor at IoT World Today, where she specialized in robotics and smart city technologies. Scarlett also has a background in the mining and resources sector, with experience at Mine Australia, Mine Technology and Power Technology. She joined Informa in April 2022 before transitioning to freelance work.