Russia Debuts First Cobot Partner for Industrial Machine Tools
The system is being tested at one of the country’s leading optical instrument manufacturers.
At LOMO (Leningrad Optical-Mechanical Association), one of Russia’s oldest and leading optical engineering companies based in St. Petersburg, engineers are testing the country’s first collaborative robot, or cobot. The unit has been paired with a lathe and is currently undergoing commissioning, according to the Kalashnikov Concern’s press service.
The cobot is designed to operate safely in open work areas without protective barriers. Company representatives emphasized that the robot is intended to assist, not replace, human operators. Equipped with a specialized gripper, it can pick up and move workpieces, install tools, and perform other auxiliary tasks.
Designed to Work Alongside CNC Machines
The cobot’s primary role is to operate in tandem with computer numerical control (CNC) machines. It loads raw parts, removes finished components, and handles repetitive operations. That allows employees to focus on more complex tasks. With robotic assistants in place, a single operator can oversee processes running simultaneously on multiple CNC machines.
LOMO plans to deploy several additional collaborative robots at the facility in the future.
Earlier, we reported that the Kola Nuclear Power Plant upgraded a robotic crawler used to inspect equipment in high-risk zones. The updated system prevents cable entanglement and reduces diagnostic time ahead of maintenance work.
