Piab has introduced piCOBOT, an end-of-arm (EOAT) vacuum tool designed specifically for the collaborative robotics market. Offered as a development kit, piCOBOT comprises a vacuum pump unit, a gripper unit and two suction cups.

The standard kit includes four different sets of suction cup models suitable for a variety of tasks, but customers can also choose freely from the company’s extensive range of suction cups for more tailored solutions.

Certified by Universal Robots, piCOBOT builds on the idea of safe and flexible human-robot workplace interaction, which has been found to be much more productive than either of them working on their own. Soft design lines guarantee that no one is injured if colliding with piCOBOT. With a piCOBOT unique URCaps, installation and programming time is decreased to a minimum for the customer.

Designed for maximum flexibility and reach, piCOBOT’s 3.8-5.6” wide and +/-15 degree tiltable gripper arms can be fitted with two suction cups. Alternatively, the gripper can be replaced by a single suction cup mount directly on the piCOBOT pump unit. For optional single or double object picking, dedicated sense valves ensure safe operation regardless of mode.

While a compact format and low build height of 2.7” allow use in space-restricted areas, the low weight of Piab’s solution offers a great advantage compared with similar competing systems. piCOBOT is able to lift objects weighing up to 15.5 lbs.

“piCOBOT weighs only 18 oz. and the gripper only adds another 7.4 oz. This provides maximum payload capacity for the cobot,” said Josef Karbassi, Vice President of Piab’s Automation Division. “We have selected features that enable energy-optimized and safe operation to make piCOBOT a genuinely flexible and user-friendly cobot end-of-arm-tool.”

While certified by UR, Piab’s piCOBOT plug-and-play EOAT is designed to fit any type of cobot arm. According to the International Federation of Robotics. But cobots are forecast to have a 34 percent share by 2025 when global spending on robotics is estimated to hit $13 billion.