Question 1

How much do commercial robots cost?

Accepted Answer

Entry-level autonomous robots for retail or light cleaning start around $5,000. Mid-market warehouse AMRs and inspection quadrupeds run $25,000–$95,000. Industrial cobots and large floor scrubbers can exceed $150,000 once tooling and integration are included. Most enterprise buyers also weigh leasing (RaaS) options that price the same robots at $1,500–$5,000 per month.

Question 2

What's the difference between an AMR and a cobot?

Accepted Answer

An AMR (autonomous mobile robot) navigates a space, warehouses, hospitals, sidewalks, without fixed paths. A cobot (collaborative robot) is a stationary robot arm designed to work safely alongside humans on assembly, packing, or machine-tending tasks. They solve different problems: AMRs move things between locations; cobots manipulate things at a single location.

Question 3

Do commercial robots need certification?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Most jurisdictions require CE (Europe) or FCC (US) marking for any robot that emits RF. Industrial cobots typically need ISO 10218 + ISO/TS 15066 compliance; medical and personal-care robots reference ISO 13482. UL listing is common for charging electronics. Always confirm the model is certified for the specific environment you'll operate in, outdoor-rated, IP-rated for wet areas, etc.

Question 4

Can I lease a robot instead of buying?

Accepted Answer

Most enterprise robots are available as Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS), typically bundling hardware, software updates, and maintenance into a monthly fee. RaaS makes sense if you want predictable opex, expect the unit to depreciate fast, or need vendor support included. Outright purchase wins on total cost of ownership if you'll operate the unit for 3+ years and have in-house capability to maintain it.

Question 5

What integrations should I check for?

Accepted Answer

At minimum: ROS2 (the de-facto open standard), a documented REST or gRPC API, and connectors for the specific WMS / ERP / fleet manager you already run. For multi-vendor fleets, also look for VDA 5050 support, the cross-vendor interoperability standard for AMRs. Lack of a fleet manager is a common reason robots from different vendors fail to share floor space.

Start from the job you need done

Browse by job

Cleaning & maintenance

Events & shows

Food & beverage service

Delivery & transport

Monitoring & security

Manufacturing & assembly

Browse by workplace

Frequently asked

More ways to shop

Shop by brand

Shop by price

Shop by autonomy

Shop by location