According to Ralf Steinmann, Head of the Gripping Systems business unit at Schunk: "We assume that autonomously operating CoBots, i.e. robots that are used without barriers in the immediate vicinity of humans, will be found throughout the entire production process in the medium to long term. Within Industry 4.0, they will become an important part of the smart factory. The number of robot-supported assistance systems will soon skyrocket, especially in assembly applications. Sensor technology, end-to-end networking right down to component level and safety functionality are the key areas of development in this segment. In order to shoulder these challenges, the trend is towards interdisciplinary, cross-company R&D cooperation."