Kassow Robots brought its newest seven-axis collaborative robots, the KR 1824 and KR 1240, to Automate 2026 in Chicago this week, using the industry's largest-ever show to push lightweight cobots into heavier-payload territory that has traditionally belonged to conventional industrial arms.
A bigger cobot without the bulk
The Copenhagen-based manufacturer, majority owned by Bosch Rexroth, designed the KR 1824 and KR 1240 around its signature seventh axis, which lets the arm reach around obstacles and work in confined cells that six-axis robots struggle to access. Compared with earlier KR Series models, the new robots deliver 50% higher joint torque, more than 20% faster wrist-joint speeds and 40% greater mechanical stiffness, enabling more stable handling of heavier loads, faster cycle times and improved precision.
"The introduction of the KR 1824 and KR 1240 marks an important step in expanding the capabilities of collaborative robotics," said Christoph Rieger, chief sales officer at Kassow Robots. "Our unique combination of EDGE integrated controller, mobile deployment, high payload and extended reach enable more demanding applications within dynamic production environments."
Built for mobile, space-constrained lines
All seven KR Series models, including the new 1824 and 1240, are offered in an Edge Edition that integrates the controller into the base of the robot, making the cobots well suited to mobile platforms such as automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots. The compact footprint targets palletizing, machine tending and material handling in factories where floor space is scarce, a theme echoed across the Automate floor as exhibitors pitched automation that retrofits into existing lines.
Cobots crowd the Automate floor
Kassow's launch lands amid a wave of collaborative and mobile robot news at the show, where vendors are racing to make automation easier to deploy. OMRON used the event to debut its LD-150 and LD-300 autonomous mobile robots, Kawasaki showed its eight-axis RL030N physical AI robot, and Festo introduced its HPPH cobot gripper. Together the announcements underline how quickly seven-axis flexibility, integrated controllers and higher payloads are becoming table stakes for collaborative robotics.
The new models were also showcased within Bosch Rexroth's factory-automation environment, reinforcing Kassow's positioning as a bridge between traditional industrial robots and easy-to-deploy cobots.
Reporting based on coverage from Automation.com, Kassow Robots and Automate 2026.