Cobot, AMR or Humanoid? Compare the Task Before the Quote

A quote for moving a loaded cart can look cheaper than a quote for loading it and moving it. Until the excluded handoffs are priced, the comparison tells you little.

Split the job into loading, transport and combined handling before selecting a robot. For repeatable work at one station, investigate a fixed arm. For moving staged material, include an autonomous mobile robot (AMR). Consider mobile manipulation when the same system must both handle objects and travel; that system need not be humanoid.

What work does the quote include?

The English/Japanese vendor worksheet includes a fictional clarification: transport is included, cart loading and unloading remain the plant’s responsibility. The supplier agrees to put the exclusion in a revised scope sheet by September 19, 2026.

That proposal cannot yet be compared with a combined loading-and-transport bid. Use the quote comparison sheet to price the same completed job, including manual handoffs. “Who puts the parts on and takes them off?” can change the purchase case.

Five examples to investigate

These five examples cover different tasks; their numbers are listing order. An arm’s wrist payload and a platform’s transported load measure different things. The profiles below link to the official specifications and deployment evidence, checked September 17, 2026.

1. Universal Robots UR20-1750

The UR20 product page now uses the name UR20-1750 . It lists a 20 kg payload, 25 kg extended payload and 1,750 mm reach. Start here for heavier handling at a defined station, with the application designed around the arm’s working envelope.

• Strength: Published reach and payload give an integrator a concrete starting point for machine tending or palletizing.
• Limit: A fixed arm does not transport material between stations. The headline payload alone does not establish suitability with your gripper, workpiece and motion.

Ask in the quote: Which payload mode is proposed, what tooling and fixtures are included, and who validates the full application’s cycle and safety conditions?

2. FANUC CRX-10iA

FANUC’s CRX-10iA is a six-axis arm with a 10 kg payload and 1,249 mm reach. Its product page describes touchscreen programming and applications including assembly and palletizing. Keep the specific model in the bid; a CRX-family demonstration may use different hardware.

• Strength: A defined model, reach and payload make station-layout and tooling discussions more specific.
• Limit: It is a stationary handling option. Reaching a part once does not establish a repeatable production cycle across all required fixtures and orientations.

Ask in the quote: Does the package include the gripper, controller, fixtures and programming for every required part variation, plus loading and unloading at the adjacent station?

3. MiR250

The MiR250 moves loads up to 250 kg on a mobile platform. MiR describes hooks, shelf carriers and other top modules as ways to build a complete transport solution. Compare the configured system with your route and transfer points, not just the base platform.

• Strength: It addresses transport between stations, with module choices for different material-transfer arrangements.
• Limit: Transporting a staged load is different from picking individual parts or loading the rack. Those handoffs must be included in the scope or assigned to people or other equipment.

Ask in the quote: Which module, docking arrangement and system interfaces are included, and who recovers a blocked route or an unsuccessful handoff?

4. Agility Digit

Agility’s June 2024 GXO agreement describes a commercial Robots-as-a-Service arrangement, moving totes from existing automation onto conveyors. It is useful evidence of a specific handoff, rather than proof of every mobile-manipulation task.

• Strength: The published deployment gives buyers a concrete tote-transfer workflow to discuss, including integration with Agility Arc and existing automation.
• Limit: Digit 5 was announced September 15, 2026 , with early access expected in the first half of 2027 and general availability by the end of 2027. The announcement attributes earlier operational results to Digit 4. Do not apply those results automatically to a Digit 5 offer.

Ask in the quote: Which generation is offered, when can it be delivered, and which tote dimensions, transfer heights, interventions and service commitments are included?

5. Figure at BMW

BMW describes its Figure 02 pilot at Spartanburg in 2025. Figure’s June 30, 2026 announcement introduces a different Figure 03 demonstration: sequencing parts while manipulating and repositioning a cart.

• Strength: The published examples show specific industrial tasks to use when asking for an application demonstration.
• Limit: They concern different generations and workflows. Neither a previous pilot’s output nor a newer demonstration establishes your installation’s throughput, staffing or commercial availability.

Ask in the quote: Which model, control system, task and acceptance test are covered? Request evidence for the proposed configuration under your part variation and recovery conditions.

Put the remaining human work beside the price

Request the same throughput, part variation and exception conditions from each bidder. Include tooling, fixtures, mobile modules, machine/IT interfaces, installation, training, maintenance and spares. Name who handles blocked destinations, failed picks and recovery, including remote assistance.

The complete application needs a qualified assessment covering tooling and workpieces; “cobot” branding does not establish installation safety. UR application guidance .

Use the worksheet to return one comparable scope sheet from each vendor. Then define the pilot output and staffing evidence needed before adding another shift.

Public sources checked September 17, 2026. VoicePing publishes this procurement guide; no robot trials or comparable installation quotes are claimed.