6-DOF collaborative arm · 2018
Universal Robots UR5e
The most-installed collaborative arm on earth. Not the most dynamic or precise, but the ecosystem — grippers, vision, PLC integration, thousands of integrators — is unmatched.
$34k
Universal Robots
6 DOF
Closed source
Why it matters
If the goal is a robot that works in a factory next week, this is the low-risk, high-support choice.
Where it falls short
No joint torque sensing — force control is estimated, so it is worse than a Panda for compliant contact tasks.
Read this if you plan to copy itThe parts below are the same classes of component at this platform scale — they are not the exact vendor parts. Use them to understand the architecture and to price a home-built equivalent.
What it is made of
| Subsystem | Comparable part | Price | Primary spec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission | Harmonic Drive CSF-14-100 | $1.2k | 100:1 |
| End Effectors | Robotiq Hand-E | $4.7k | 50 mm |
| Sensors | Intel RealSense D435i | $350 | 0.3 – 3 m (optimal), up to ~10 m |
Software you would touch
URScript · RTDE · ur_rtde (Python/C++) · ROS 2 driver