Collaborative Robots Market: USD 5.72 Billion by 2031 with Automotive Segment Holding 30.35% Share - Mordor Intelligence

The collaborative robots market is growing at a 20.15% CAGR, driven by flexible automation, labor shortages, and e-commerce fulfillment.

HYDERABAD, TELANGANA, INDIA, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- According to Mordor Intelligence, the collaborative robots market is projected to grow from USD 2.28 billion in 2026 to USD 5.72 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 20.15% during the forecast period. The market is expanding as manufacturers seek flexible automation solutions that can improve productivity while working alongside human operators. Updated safety requirements, labor shortages, tax incentives, simplified programming, and growing warehouse automation needs are accelerating adoption across manufacturing and service environments.

The market is also benefiting from increasing demand for plug-and-play automation, higher payload capacities, vision-guided systems, and software-enabled robotics. Asia-Pacific remains the largest and fastest-growing regional market, supported by China's robotics investments, Japan's automation initiatives, South Korea's intelligent manufacturing programs, and expanding electronics, automotive, and logistics applications.

Collaborative Robots Market Key Growth Factors

Rapid E-commerce Fulfillment Driving Warehouse Cobots

The rapid expansion of e-commerce and same-day delivery expectations is increasing demand for collaborative robots in warehouses and fulfillment centers. Logistics operators are combining stationary cobots with autonomous mobile robots to automate picking, palletizing, depalletizing, packaging, and material handling activities. Cobots provide flexibility because they can be redeployed across different workflows without the extensive fixed infrastructure required by conventional automation systems. This is particularly valuable in high-mix fulfillment environments where product volumes and configurations change frequently.

OEM Push Toward Plug-and-Play Cobots Expanding SME Adoption

Collaborative robot manufacturers are increasingly developing plug-and-play systems that reduce installation complexity and dependence on specialized automation integrators. Simplified controllers, pre-configured task libraries, intuitive interfaces, and hand-guiding capabilities allow small and medium-sized manufacturers to deploy cobots with shorter commissioning periods. These developments are lowering total cost of ownership and opening the collaborative robots market to first-time automation users across manufacturing and logistics applications.

Labor Shortages Increasing Demand for Flexible Automation

Persistent labor shortages across manufacturing, warehousing, and other industrial sectors are encouraging companies to automate repetitive and ergonomically demanding tasks. Cobots allow organizations to automate selected activities while retaining human workers for jobs requiring decision-making, dexterity, and supervision. Their relatively compact footprints and ability to operate alongside employees make them suitable for facilities where traditional fenced industrial robots may be difficult to deploy.

Advances in Safety Standards and Collaborative Technologies Supporting Adoption

The clarification of collaborative robot safety requirements is helping manufacturers and integrators address concerns surrounding human-robot interaction. Integrated force sensing, speed monitoring, collision detection, and safety-rated control systems allow cobots to operate in shared workspaces under defined conditions. Improvements in safety assessment procedures and standardized approaches are also helping reduce deployment uncertainty and support broader adoption across industrial environments.

Ashish Gautam, Senior Research Manager, Mordor Intelligence, says: "The collaborative robots market is expanding rapidly as manufacturers and logistics operators seek flexible automation that can improve productivity while supporting human workers. Mordor Intelligence applies structured research methodologies and rigorous validation to help organizations assess the evolving collaborative robotics ecosystem, including payload advancements, safety technologies, simplified programming, warehouse automation, software integration, and regional adoption trends across the global collaborative robots market."

Collaborative Robots Market Recent Industry Developments

August 2026: Universal Robots announced testing of agentic physical AI on its collaborative robots through the Model Hardware Standard research preview, demonstrating how AI agents can coordinate multiple robot applications using natural-language instructions. The development highlights the growing integration of AI and collaborative robotics.

April 2026: ABB Robotics launched its PoWa high-speed collaborative robot family, offering payloads from 7 kg to 30 kg and speeds of up to 5.8 m/s. The new range targets higher-speed applications including machine tending, palletizing, screwdriving, and arc welding.

Collaborative Robots Market Segmentation Insights

By Payload

Less than 5 kg

5-9 kg

10-20 kg

More than 20 kg

By Component

Hardware

Software

Services

Consulting and Integration

Maintenance and Training

By Application

Material Handling

Pick and Place

Assembly

Palletizing and De-palletizing

Welding and Soldering

Quality Testing and Inspection

Packaging

Other Applications

By End-user Industry

Automotive

Electronics and Semiconductors

General Manufacturing

Food and Beverage

Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals

Logistics and E-commerce

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Metals and Machining

Other Industries

By Programming Method

Hand-Guiding / Direct Teaching

Lead-through Teaching

Offline Programming and Simulation

By Geography

North America: United States, Canada, Mexico

South America: Brazil, Argentina

Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Nordics

Asia-Pacific: China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand

Middle East: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey

Africa: South Africa, Rest of Africa



Collaborative Robots Market Regional Insights

Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific remains the largest regional market, accounting for 40.55% of revenue in 2025, and is projected to record the fastest CAGR of 21.95% during the forecast period. The region benefits from strong manufacturing activity, government-supported robotics initiatives, and expanding adoption across electronics, automotive, battery manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare. China's robotics investments, Japan's Society 5.0 roadmap, and South Korea's intelligent robotics programs are supporting demand for collaborative automation. The region's established electronics and component manufacturing ecosystem also enables rapid commercialization of new robotics technologies.

North America

North America represents the second-largest regional market, supported by reshoring initiatives, labor shortages, advanced manufacturing investments, and growing demand for warehouse automation. US manufacturers are increasingly adopting cobots for assembly, machine tending, inspection, and material handling. Semiconductor manufacturing investments supported by the CHIPS Act are also creating opportunities for collaborative robotic systems in controlled production environments. Canada and Mexico are similarly adopting cobots to improve productivity and address labor-cost pressures across automotive and industrial manufacturing.

Europe

Europe is experiencing strong collaborative robot adoption as manufacturers focus on flexible automation, workplace ergonomics, and Industry 4.0 initiatives. Germany remains an important market because of its advanced automotive and manufacturing ecosystem, while France, Italy, and Nordic countries are supporting robotics innovation across aerospace, industrial automation, and advanced manufacturing. Rising labor costs and demand for more flexible production systems are encouraging manufacturers to deploy cobots alongside workers for repetitive and physically demanding tasks.

The Collaborative Robots Market Report is Also Available in the Following Languages

Japanese: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/ja/industry-reports/collaborative-robot-market?utm_source=einpr

French: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/fr/industry-reports/collaborative-robot-market?utm_source=einpr

German: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/de/industry-reports/collaborative-robot-market?utm_source=einpr

Spanish: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/es/industry-reports/collaborative-robot-market?utm_source=einpr

Portuguese: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/pt/industry-reports/collaborative-robot-market?utm_source=einpr

Collaborative Robots Market Competitive Landscape

The collaborative robots market has a medium level of concentration, with established industrial robotics companies competing alongside specialized collaborative robot manufacturers. Leading vendors are differentiating through higher payload capacities, improved safety systems, vision integration, intuitive programming, software ecosystems, and specialized solutions for manufacturing and logistics.

Major vendors are also expanding their presence through partnerships with system integrators, component suppliers, software developers, and automation providers. Companies are increasingly developing application-specific solutions for palletizing, machine tending, inspection, welding, assembly, and warehouse operations. The growing importance of software and connectivity is also shifting competition beyond robotic hardware toward integrated automation platforms and lifecycle services.

Collaborative Robots Industry Leaders

Universal Robots AS

FANUC Corp.

TechMan Robot Inc.

AUBO Robotics USA

ABB Ltd.

Explore More Industry Research by Mordor Intelligence

Industrial Robotics Market Size

The industrial robotics market size stands at USD 54.28 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 94.38 billion by 2031, advancing at an 11.7% CAGR. Growth is supported by increasing industrial automation, demand for high-precision production, and wider adoption of robotic systems across manufacturing industries.

Robotics Market Share

The robotics market size is estimated at USD 88.27 billion in 2026, growing from USD 73.64 billion in 2025 to USD 218.56 billion by 2031, at a 19.86% CAGR. Growth is driven by rising automation, advances in robotics technologies, and increasing adoption across industrial and commercial applications.

https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/robotics-market?utm_source=einpr

Warehouse Robotics Market Growth

The warehouse robotics market is expected to grow from USD 9.33 billion in 2025 to USD 10.96 billion in 2026 and reach USD 24.55 billion by 2031, at a 17.5% CAGR. Growth is driven by e-commerce expansion, rising warehouse automation, demand for faster fulfillment, and increasing use of robotics for material handling and order processing.

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