Dobot MG400

What it's for

The MG400 is a robot for the desk, not for the shop floor. Its base is only 190x190 mm, its reach 440 mm and its payload 750 g. It is a four-axis SCARA robot from the educational robots (educational robots) category that fits on a lab bench next to a laptop. Our catalog lists two uses: desktop pick-and-place and teaching.

In a laboratory (lab) it suits moving samples, printed circuit boards or small parts from tray to tray, with the sequence fine-tuned in the software. At a technical university, that is universities, it is used for exercises in kinematics, camera calibration and motion programming, exactly what the article on “Degrees of Freedom (DOF) in Humanoid Robots” is about. In a technical schools (school) it makes sense as a station for a group, because it is light and doesn't take up half the room.

In a factory (factory) you can use it for electronics testing, sorting small parts, or as a demonstration station for a customer. Four axes do mean that the gripper works in practice "from above": for tasks where a part has to be rotated in several planes, you need a six-axis cobot, for example the Dobot Nova 2 from the same manufacturer, Dobot.

Who it's for

Yes: for technical schools and universities that want several pick-and-place stations without investing in industrial-class equipment. Yes: for small plants and prototype workshops that are testing whether automating small-part handling makes sense before they buy a larger cobot. Yes: for engineers learning to integrate with a camera, a conveyor and a controller.

No: for companies looking for a robot to run in shifts with parts heavier than three-quarters of a kilogram; the 750 g payload is a hard limit, and it includes the gripper. No: for tasks needing full part orientation, because four degrees of freedom cannot deliver that. No: for anyone counting on an official distributor and on-site service; the manufacturer does not confirm one in Poland, although an offer exists on Allegro. Those just starting out on a tight budget should consider the cheaper arms further down the page.

Deployments

All we know is that the model is offered on the Polish platform Allegro and by foreign resellers. Similar desktop arms work in education and labs; the broader background is covered in the article “Educational Robots for Schools and Universities”. Similar desktop arms work in laboratories moving samples, testing electronics and sorting small items. We found no named Polish companies that have described their own MG400 deployment, so we list none.

myCobot 280: six axes instead of four and a price from USD 599, but only a 250 g payload. It is a choice for learning Python and ROS, not for tasks with a real load.

Dobot Magician: the same manufacturer, a four-axis arm with a 0.5 kg payload, a cheaper route to learning, 3D printing and laser engraving. The MG400 wins on payload and a design closer to light industry.

igus ReBeL: a six-axis cobot made of iglide polymer, 2 kg payload. It costs many times more (about 22,680 PLN (≈ EUR 5,200) in our catalog), but this is already hardware for real applications.

Dobot Nova 2: a full-fledged cobot, 2 kg payload and 625 mm reach; price on request only, so you have to do the math with the distributor.

SO-101: an open arm you assemble yourself from printed parts, for around 891 PLN (≈ EUR 205). For enthusiasts and machine-learning researchers.

Dobot is a Shenzhen company; our catalog has neither its founding date nor the MG400's launch date. The model sits between the educational Magician and the industrial arms of the Nova series, and that is how it is sold today. The version with a vacuum gripper goes on sale as a starter kit with one year of support. You can find more about the manufacturer's family on the Dobot page and in the description of the younger cobot Dobot Nova 5. It is worth following the manufacturer's range: after the desktop arms came the larger Nova-series cobots, and the MG400 remains its in-between offering in the lower class.