Just as the name alludes to, a collaborative robot is a robot that can work together or "collaborate" with a human in close proximity. The distinction of a robot being collaborative, or not, depends not only on the robot hardware, but also the application.  On the robot side, the hardware must satisfy the safety requirements set forth by the RIA (Robotics Industry Association) for safe operation in a collaborative application.  On the application side, the environment the robot is working in must not present any hazardous conditions that could cause harm to a person in the robot work area.  For example, if the robot was tending an unguarded hydraulic press or if the robot was executing a hazard task like arc welding or sharpening knife blades.

Many in the industry refer to collaborative robots as robot models that can easily be set up and programmed by novice users (often hand-guided into position), and are speed- and force-limited from the factory so that their motion is in more in line with applications where users expect to collaborate with the robot.

Cobots are used in a wide variety of common applications in many industries such as pick and place of both in-process and finished goods, assembly operations, machine tending and even the inspection of products.

Articulated robots -- robots that have 5 axes or more -- are typically used in applications that require a higher degree of robot tool movement -- or articulation-- to execute the process.  For example, you would want to use an articulated robot if you had a process that required a part to be flipped over while the robot was still holding on to it or in a sealing application where the dispense tip needed to be positioned in many different angles as the robot executed its motion path.

Because of their ability to move very quickly and a large unobstructed work area below the robot, Parallel robots are used in applications that often involve very high speeds that do not require high levels of positional accuracy such as the picking and placing of items moving on conveyor belts.  Parallel robots are one of the most popular robot types in the food and beverages and packaging industries but are also used in but manufacturers in industries such as Automotive and Semiconductor.

The word SCARA is an acronym that stands for Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm or Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm. SCARA robots consist of four independent motion axes in a configuration that enables the robot to position its tooling in terms of X, Y, Z, and Theta (or rotation around the Z coordinate) within the robot's work area.  There are several variations of SCARA robots in use today, however, the most common configuration provides a work envelope that resembles a fan (hand fan) or kidney shape.  SCARA robots are known for their fast motion capabilities while also providing more accurate and rigid positioning than that of a parallel arm.

SCARA robots are used in applications where parts need to be moved from one position to another that do not require any additional articulation aside from being rotated.  Their speed enables them to be good choices for simple material handling applications such as pick and place as well as packaging.  Their high level of accuracy and rigidity also make them well suited for basic assembly processes and dispensing.

Mobile robots also known as AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) are used for a wide variety of applications across many industries but they all share a common theme of moving parts or materials from one location to another.  Unlike fixed material transport systems like conveyor systems, AMRs are able to drive around a facility unbound to a fixed route.  Their wireless communications to the facility and onboard navigation systems enable them to recieve commands on where to go and are able to navigate to the requested location without being programmed to do so and can even find an alternate path when an obstacle is encountered.  Common uses for mobile robots are the movement of pallets, part totes, work in process material transport and mixed order fulfillment. More recently, specialty applications have emerged in the non industrial sector and include the delivery of items to guests in a hotel, inventory inspection in commercial stores, and even disinfection of public spaces with special UV light.