This 41-page research report details the innovative companies building collaborative robot solutions for the SMB market:their technology, their research, where they’re going and why.

In light of increased competition, this year will see the emergence of a new class of mechanical worker, the likes of which have never been seen before, and which will revolutionize commerce and industry, lose people their jobs, and create new jobs in the process.

Continuing into 2013, the SMB market will become a new battle ground for robotics companies as more low-cost “co-bots” enter the market.

While relatively young robotics companies such as U.S.-based Rethink Robotics and Universal Robots (Denmark) have targeted SMBs from the outset, the handful of well-established industrial robotics corporations, which have been integral in growing robotic automation in heavy-duty industries, are expected to push their own products geared towards smaller businesses.

Combined with concurrent developments in vision, manipulation, computation and additive manufacturing, the next generation of robots is poised to be smarter, faster, stronger and less expensive than current models. Plus, they’ll be working in direct contact with humans.

Whether you’re a solutions provider, end user, integrator or investor, this report will help you understand the roots, drivers and future outlook of the collaborative robot landscape.

Table of Contents:

I. Impact of the new robotics for 2013

II. Next-gen workers

III. The importance of the SMB universe

IV. Rise of the iconoclasts: Rethink Robotics & Universal Robots

V. Kawada’s HIRO & the EU’s “cobots”

VI. Responses from the Majors: KUKA, ABB & Yaskawa’s Motoman Division

VII. An interesting outlier: Redwood Robotics

VIII. The future of collaborative robotics: barriers and breakthroughs