Quality inspection
Vision-led applications. The arm moves the camera; the camera does the work. Cobot cost is the smaller line — vision system and lighting dominate.
What this application actually is.
Quality inspection is the cobot category's slowest-payback application (12-24 months typical) because the cell cost is concentrated in vision hardware + lighting + analysis software, not the cobot arm. A $40K bare-arm budget becomes a $90-180K installed inspection cell because the inspection task — surface defect detection, dimensional verification, foreign-object detection — needs high-resolution cameras, often multiple, plus controlled lighting, plus analysis software (Cognex VisionPro, Keyence's CV-X). The cobot itself is essentially a positioning gantry for the camera. Techman cobots have a structural advantage here because their built-in 5MP camera reduces the supplementary vision spend — but for inspection tasks beyond basic presence verification, the buyer still adds a Cognex or Keyence vision system on top. Inspection cells make sense when the alternative is a dedicated optical inspection machine ($150K+) or when the inspected part justifies the per-cell premium (medical devices, automotive safety-critical parts).
Which cobot fits, and why.
The cost most buyers underestimate.
Cognex In-Sight ($8-25K), specialty lighting ($3-10K), VisionPro / In-Sight Explorer licence ($3-8K). 3D inspection adds $15-35K for Photoneo / Zivid. The inspection task drives the spend — surface defects need high-res, dimensional needs calibrated optics, FOD needs depth.