myCobot 280

What it's for

The myCobot 280 is, according to its manufacturer, Elephant Robotics, the smallest and lightest widely available six-axis collaborative arm. The parameters are modest and honestly say what the robot is for: a working reach of 280 mm, a payload of 250 g, a repeatability of ±0.5 mm. It won't lift a coffee cup, but it will move a block or a light part in a simple pick-and-place task. That is enough for three types of use. The first is teaching: learning kinematics, Python and ROS on hardware that fits in a backpack. The second is prototyping: testing an application's logic before a more expensive robot comes in. The third is hobby and small projects, such as sorting or trade-fair demos. The model comes with different controllers: M5Stack, Raspberry Pi, Jetson Nano and Arduino, so you can choose the ecosystem you want to learn in. For labs working with computer vision, the variant with the NVIDIA Jetson will be of interest. This robot is not suitable for industry: a 250 g payload rules out production tasks. The difference between a cobot and a toy is explained in “What Is a Cobot and How Does It Differ from an Industrial Robot” and cobots. The model fits the applications “Universities and research”, schools and laboratories.

Who it's for

A good fit: technical schools and universities that want robotics workstations for many students without spending tens of thousands of zlotys per arm. Teachers running robotics clubs; see “How to Start Learning Robotics in Poland”. Hobbyists and startups building a first prototype who want to test an idea on cheap hardware. Programmers interested in an open SDK and Python integration.

Who it is not for: companies looking for a robot for a production line, since a 250 g payload and 280 mm reach are too little. Applications that require industrial safety certification; see “Robot Safety Standards”. People who do not want to program: this is a learning platform, not a ready-made "take it out of the box and it works" device.

Deployments

None among the sources available; there is no public account of a specific school or company using this model. What we can confirm is commercial availability: the store deltarobots.com lists it for PLN 3,990 (≈ EUR 915). Worldwide: the model is advertised for learning and prototyping, and the typical uses are university laboratories and STEM workshops. We give no deployment numbers because the sources do not contain them. In Polish schools and universities you find educational arms from various brands, and at the next level up, cobots. See “Universal Robots UR5e, UR10e and UR20 Compared” if you want to move from the myCobot to industrial hardware.

If a 250 g payload is too small and you are staying in education, the successor in the family is the myCobot 320, with a 1 kg payload from the same manufacturer, but at a clearly higher price (about USD 4,000 in a 2022 configuration). It is the choice when your project requires lifting heavier items than typical demonstrations.

The competing desktop option is the Dobot Magician from Dobot, a four-axis arm with a 0.5 kg payload, sold in Poland by Botland and STEM Polska, among others, and also useful for 3D printing and laser engraving. It has fewer axes, so it teaches six-axis kinematics less well.

The cheapest option is the SO-101, an open arm made of printed parts, about USD 230; however, it requires you to assemble it yourself.

The myCobot family from Elephant Robotics of Shenzhen (founded in 2016) stretches from educational arms to industrial ones: alongside the 280 there are the myCobot 320 and the myCobot Pro 600, from USD 8,799. No launch date has been published for the 280 itself, so we do not guess it. What we do know is its position: it is the cheapest, entry-level variant, on which the ecosystem stands. How collaborative robots work is described in “What Is a Cobot and How Does It Differ from an Industrial Robot”.