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Industrial robots and cobotsABB Robotics—Industrial robots and cobotsABB Robotics—Industrial robots and cobotsABB Robotics—ABB Robotics—Industrial robots and cobotsABB Robotics—
Industrial robots and cobots
Photo: Ana 2016 · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)

Industrial robots and cobots

by ABB RoboticsCH

ScalingStage 5 of 5

Mature global product line. Ownership moving to SoftBank.

Updated 9 Jul 2026Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · SoftBank completes acquisition of ABB Robotics
  1. IRB 6 launched by ASEA1974Complete.
  2. GoFa and SWIFTI cobots launched2021Complete.

Most important updates

  • 9 Jul 2026
  • 15 Jun 2026
  • Jun 2026
  • Mar 2026
  • 2 Jul 2025

Upcoming

  1. Q4 2026SoftBank completes acquisition of ABB Robotics (next)

Current obstacles

  • Programming burdenEach task still needs an expert programmer. AI that learns skills is needed to reach smaller factories.

Physics limits

  • Repeatable is not accurateAn arm returns to a taught point within hundredths of a millimetre, but hitting a new point from a model is often off by tenths or more: links bend under load and steel grows about 12 µm per metre per °C.
  • Strength costs massA stronger arm needs heavier links and motors, which it must also move. Big industrial arms weigh many times their payload, limiting speed and energy efficiency.
  • Safe contact means slow and lightFor a cobot, contact must stay below pain and injury thresholds for the body part it might hit. That caps speed and payload whenever people are nearby.

How it works

3 parts
ABB arms with suction frames lifting glass sheets off a production line; the controller keeps each tool on its planned path
ABB arms with suction frames lifting glass sheets off a production line; the controller keeps each tool on its planned pathPhoto: ICAPlants · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)
Controller

One controller family

OmniCore controllers plan each motion path and drive every joint's servo motor to keep the tool on that path.

Simulation

Build it in RobotStudio first

Engineers design and test a whole robot cell in a digital copy; the same program then runs on the real robot.

Cobots

GoFa feels contact

Torque sensors in each of GoFa's six joints detect unexpected contact and stop the arm, so it can work beside people.

Update log

5 updates

Thu 9 Jul

  • Minor: PressPartnership

Mon 15 Jun

  • Minor: PressResearch

Jun 2026

  • Minor: PressSoftware

Mar 2026

  • Minor: PressSoftware

Wed 2 Jul 2025

  • Minor: PressHardware

About ABB Robotics

The team behind Industrial robots and cobots

ABB Robotics

Industrial arms, cobots, OmniCore

ABB Robotics is one of the world's largest industrial-robot makers, with about 7,000 staff and 2024 revenue near $2.3B. In October 2025 ABB agreed to sell it to SoftBank for about $5.4B. Closing was expected in mid-to-late 2026.

  • Being bought by SoftBank for about $5.4B, the core of SoftBank's physical-AI push.
  • Makes heavy industrial arms, YuMi and GoFa cobots and the OmniCore controller.
  • Roots go back to ASEA's IRB 6 (1974), one of the first all-electric, computer-controlled industrial robots.

new.abb.com (opens new.abb.com)Company profile →

Founded
197452 yrs
Headquarters
Switzerland
Status
Subsidiaryof ABB Ltd
Valuation
$5.4BABB Ltd-ownedOct 2025
Staff
~7,000Jan 2025
Works in
RoboticsFactory armsManufacturing
Coverage
1 program · 7 updateslatest 22 Jul 2026checked 25 Sep
Acquired by
SoftBank Group (opens group.softbank)
Primer