-- Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 7272) announces the release of the Yamaha Motor Cobot, a new 7-axis collaborative robot that delivers smooth and fluid motion. The cobot will be launched together with its dedicated controller. The Yamaha Motor Cobot is designed to work safely alongside humans and represents the Company's first commercially available cobot model.
The Yamaha Motor Cobot employs a 7-axis configuration that achieves a degree of freedom close to that of a human arm. This enables delicate movements, such as reaching into confined spaces that cannot be accessed by 6-axis robots or approaching targets by moving around obstacles.
Each axis is equipped with an integrated torque sensor, allowing compliance control that provides smooth, fluid motion. The cobot can be configured to detect and immediately stop if it comes into contact with workers, and is on track to receive functional safety certification from TÜV SÜD, an independent testing, inspection, and certification organization.
The Yamaha Motor Cobot also features a high-speed mode for when working within safely cordoned off work areas, in addition to the reduced-speed mode designed for collaborative work. With a maximum arm reach (working envelope) of 1,300 mm and a maximum payload capacity of 10 kg, the cobot combines long reach with high load capacity, making it suitable for a wide range of industries.
The dedicated controller developed in parallel features a compact housing and a simple-to- operate pendant. With DC48V input, it allows battery sharing with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), enabling operation of the Yamaha Motor Cobot while mounted on these platforms.
Yamaha Motor offers a wide lineup of products supporting production environment automation, from single-axis robots to SCARA robots and linear conveyor modules. With the launch of this cobot, the Company can now provide even more optimized total solutions. Leveraging this strength, Yamaha Motor will continue to pursue greater efficiency and quality improvements in increasingly complex and diverse production floors.
7-Axis Yamaha Motor Cobot
dedicated controller
Market Background
With the trend toward smaller, denser, higher-performing, and more diverse products, product life cycles are also becoming shorter at a faster pace. In response, Monozukuri sites are increasingly shifting toward high-mix, variable-volume production, driving demand for more efficient production equipment and shorter delivery times. As a result, collaborative robots that can work alongside humans are seeing higher demand-not only in developed economies but also in emerging markets such as China. This growth is fueled by factors such as labor shortages, rising labor costs, and the need for advanced automation in new domains like IoT and CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric mobility). Like industrial robots, usage is centered on manufacturing industries, including automobiles, home appliances, and metals/machining sectors. However, demand is also expected to grow in industries such as food, apparel, and cosmetics.
Yamaha Motor Cobot Main Features
1) 7-axis configuration for human-like freedom of motion
The Yamaha Motor Cobot employs a 7-axis design, consisting of three translational axes (X, Y, Z), three rotational axes (roll, pitch, yaw), and an additional twisting axis comparable to the human elbow. This configuration enables the robot to reach into confined spaces, maneuver around obstacles, and approach targets from different angles. As a result, it can be adapted to a wide variety of factory layouts and be positioned with greater flexibility.
With a maximum arm reach (working envelope) of 1,300 mm and a maximum payload of 10 kg, it offers both extended reach and high-load capacity, making it suitable for a broad range of industries.
Moving around obstacles
2) High-precision torque sensors enable delicate compliance control for soft, human-like motion
Each of the seven axes has key built-in components, i.e., a drive motor, reduction gear, and a high-precision torque sensor. Through compliance control, which flexibly and actively regulates external force, the robot achieves smooth and natural motion. This makes it capable of delicate operations where subtle adjustments of force is required, such as inserting or removing connectors or buffing curved surfaces. By setting the appropriate parameters, the cobot immediately detects and halts motion if it comes into contact with a worker. This removes the risk of being caught between joints on any axis, ensuring the high level of operational safety required of collaborative robots.
Connector insertion/removal. While holding a USB cable, the cobot can make slight movements, detect contact, adjust its position, and then insert the connector smoothly.
3) Third-party certification
The Yamaha Motor Cobot is on track to receive functional safety certification from TÜV SÜD, an independent certification body. It has also been introduced ahead of launch at the Fukuroi South Factory, our main outboard motor production site, where its operation and functionality have been verified under actual production conditions. In addition to its low-speed collaborative mode, the cobot is equipped with a high-speed mode. With the implementation of appropriate safety measures, such as safety fencing and risk assessments, it can also be used as an industrial robot.
4) Easy visual programming for anyone
In addition to conventional text-based programming, Yamaha Motor Cobot supports "block programming," where instruction blocks are combined to create programs. This allows intuitive operation, even for first-time users.
5) Friendly-looking cobot design
As a cobot that operates in the same space as people without the need for safety fencing, it is essential that the design is visually friendly and avoids causing discomfort or fear. To achieve this, the arm has been designed with minimized corners and largely curved surfaces. Furthermore, a non-gloss finish has been applied to give a sense of softness and warmth, eliminating the "cold and intimidating" image often associated with conventional industrial robots.
6) Compact, dedicated controller
The controller developed exclusively for the Yamaha Motor Cobot features a compact housing that helps reduce the size of control panels. The operation pendant is also designed to be extremely simple, allowing for easy use regardless of the operator's level of experience. In addition, the controller's DC48V input enables the sharing of batteries with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). By combining the mobility of AGVs/AMRs with the flexible working capability of the cobot, tasks traditionally performed by humans can be automated with relatively minimal changes, providing a strong impetus for ramping up factory automation.
Basic Specifications
