There is no need to fear the cobots as they begin to make their presence felt in workplaces.

That was one of the messages to emerge from a free event as an island company, the Manx Technology Group, teamed up with a Scandinavian firm to bring along a robotics showcase.

The team from Universal Robots have been to various locations around the British Isles and the Manx visit was their 10th of the series.

It is estimated that in the UK there are 81 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees. In Germany it is 370 and in France it is about 160.

Mark Gray, area sales manager UK for Universal Robots and his team brought along three cobots to show what they could do.

He said: ’The cobot tour has been really good and I have to say there has been a fantastic turnout here in the island.

’This has actually been the most engaged audience we have ever had.

’More questions have been asked and people have been looking for examples of how they can be used in their workplaces.

’These cobots can be used in all sizes of companies.

’In fact small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are our key market.’

Mr Gray said people should have no fear of cobots which cost between £18,000 for the smallest ones up to around £35,000 for the largest ones.

The term ’cobot’ is an abbreviation of collaborative robot. Mr Gray said it is a robot that can work in the same workplace as a human but without the need for machine safety guards ’and that is revolutionary’.

Mr Gray said: ’The idea of using a cobot as a tool and effectively a co-worker is increasing productivity.’

As an example Mr Gray told of a company that used to build 300 street lights a day but since bringing in two cobots they were able to build 450 street lights. ’They have increased productivity and that is the key to it.

’Don’t think of the cobot as a replacement person but think of it as an extra set of hands.’

’By increasing productivity that leads to extra jobs,’ said Mr Gray.

Universal Robots is an industrial equipments supplier in Odense, Denmark, the third-largest city in the Scandinavian country.

Joe Hughes, chief executive of the Manx Technology Group said he was delighted with the response to the free event at the Palace Hotel, Douglas.

He firmly believes that the age of automation is here and is of interest to those working in manufacturing, aerospace, food and drink production, logistics, agriculture and technology.

Among the people who went to see the cobots roadshow was a contingent from manufacturing company Swagelok which makes aerospace products and fluid system components.

David Hester, managing director of the factory, in Ballafletcher Farm Road, Douglas, told Business News that the parent company in Cleveland, Ohio, has aready bought the very same device.

He said: ’We already have a project in place to bring two of these cobots to the Isle of Man. It’s just a matter of time. We are already on this path and it’s only a matter of time to find the right application.

’There are certain applications these things are good at and mostly it is working with a person, to co-work, and we are looking around our factory for the most advantageous way of using the two robots we are going to get.

’It’s not a case of if it is when.’

Asked what advantages the cobots will bring to the business he said: ’Productivity. Our costs per hour basically.

’If our costs per hour go down then we get more work and then more jobs.

’It is a bit of an irony that and people get scared of robots.

’But effectively the more of these we have then it will help us to reduce costs and the more people we will be hiring because of more work that we are going to get.’

Tongue in cheek, Business News suggested that cobots perhaps won’t be able, as co-workers, to take part in the coffee and tea breaks.

But Mr Hester replied that in fact that might not be ruled out.

He said ’Well you could probably programme them to make tea I would think.’