Universal Robots Launches Gen 7 Cobot Platform for Physical AI at IMTS 2026

Universal Robots A/S, the Odense, Denmark-based subsidiary of Teradyne Inc., introduced Gen 7, its seventh-generation collaborative robot platform, on September 14, 2026 at the IMTS trade show in Chicago. The launch marks the company's most comprehensive platform overhaul in years, pairing three new robot arms with a re-engineered control box, a lighter teach pendant, a new tool flange and the PolyScope X robot operating system. Universal Robots said the unified system upgrade is designed to let customers and partners deploy advanced AI-powered applications directly into industrial operations.

The company, which describes itself as the original and world-leading manufacturer of collaborative industrial robots, built Gen 7 on more than 20 years of cobot innovation and more than 100,000 industrial deployments worldwide. The platform arrives as manufacturers increasingly look to move artificial intelligence out of research labs and onto production floors, a shift the industry has begun calling physical AI.

At the center of the announcement are three new g-Series arms: the UR10g-1750, the UR17g-1300 and the UR18g-950. Each is named after its payload in kilograms and its reach in millimeters. Alongside them, Universal Robots introduced the CB7 Core controller, the TP7 Core teach pendant and the SP7 Smart Panel, all anchored by PolyScope X. The company showed the platform at IMTS 2026 in Chicago, where the show runs from September 14 to September 19.

"The robots of the AI era must be advanced, not complicated," said Jean-Pierre Hathout, President of the Teradyne Robotics Group. "Built on what we have learned from over 20 years of cobot innovation and more than 100,000 industrial deployments worldwide, Gen 7 is an end-to-end redesign of our platform that reduces integration friction and dramatically expands application capabilities."

Key Facts

The three new g-Series arms cover a range of payload and reach combinations. The UR10g-1750 offers an 8 kg payload, which extends to 10 kg in an extended mode, with a 1750 mm reach, a 44.7 kg weight, a repeatability of plus or minus 0.08 mm and a maximum tool center point speed of 5 m/s. The UR17g-1300 carries a 15 kg payload, or 17.5 kg extended, with a 1300 mm reach, a 40.7 kg weight, a repeatability of plus or minus 0.05 mm and a 5 m/s maximum tool center point speed. The UR18g-950 is rated at an 18 kg payload, a 950 mm reach, a 39.2 kg weight, a repeatability of plus or minus 0.05 mm and a 4 m/s maximum tool center point speed. All three share a 204 mm diameter footprint.

The Robot Report reported on September 14, 2026 that Universal Robots A/S introduced Gen 7 at IMTS, adding the three g-Series arms, a re-engineered control box and an AI-ready tool flange anchored by PolyScope X. The Universal Robots official newsroom also reported on September 14, 2026 that the platform includes the TP7 Core pendant and the SP7 Smart Panel. The Robot Report also quoted Will Healy, director of product and industry marketing. "Nearly every application in robotics is moving towards having a camera at the wrist," Healy told The Robot Report, explaining the thinking behind the new tool flange.

The g-Series tool flange is built to deliver data, power and safety directly to the tool, with built-in force-torque sensing, impedance control and RTDE, or Real-Time Data Exchange, for dexterous manipulation and force-sensitive assembly. At the flange, the arms provide 24 or 48 volt power at 5 A peak and 3 A continuous, 1 Gb Ethernet for cameras and sensors, and M8 input and output connections that include digital I/O, analog input and RS-485. Universal Robots said the design eliminates cabling complexity and eases the connection of cameras and high-bandwidth sensors.

The CB7 Core controller offers 40% more compute power in a 30% smaller footprint than previous generations, according to the company. It enables multi-network communication, connecting to programmable logic controllers, human-machine interfaces, manufacturing execution system platforms, industrial PCs and vision systems, which reduces the need for external switches. The controller lists three 1 GbE ports, 16 configurable digital I/O connections, a 24 Vdc 4 A supply and an IP54 enclosure. It is available at launch in a standalone control box version and a compact version for integration into an automation cabinet, and it is compatible with e-Series and UR Series force- and power-limited robot arms.

Unite.AI reported on September 14, 2026 that the platform pairs the re-engineered control box, teach pendant and tool flange with PolyScope X, presented as out-of-the-box AI-ready for advanced automation and physical AI. The TP7 Core teach pendant is more than 20% lighter than its predecessor, with multiple grip positions, configurable smart buttons, a full HD display and a new virtual joystick. The SP7 Smart Panel mounts at the flange and adds safety-compliant freedrive, LED lights and three configurable input buttons for PolyScope X Smart Skills. PolyScope X adds ISO 10218-1 safety functionality, cybersecurity compliance, open APIs and ROS2 communication. On safety, Gen 7's collaborative functions provide a PLd, Category 3 architecture certified to ISO 13849-1. All g-Series robots are TÜV certified to ISO 10218-1 and UL 1740, and Teradyne Robotics is certified to IEC 62443-4-1 ML3 for cybersecurity. At IMTS, Gen 7 is displayed alongside more than 20 ecosystem partners, including Cognex, Schunk, Magswitch, Smooth Robotics, Psyonic, Robotiq and Inbolt.

Analysis

The bigger picture here is that Universal Robots is no longer selling only robot arms. Gen 7 is a full-stack play, from the flange to the controller to the operating system, and the company is explicitly framing it as a destination platform for physical AI. That phrase, used by Will Healy of Teradyne Robotics, signals an ambition to own the point where AI models meet industrial hardware. The strategy matters because the cobot market has matured, and the real competitive ground is now software, data flow and ease of integration.

Universal Robots' decision to put 40% more compute into a controller that is 30% smaller is a direct response to that shift. AI-assisted vision, force-sensitive assembly and adaptive motion all demand processing power close to the arm, not in a distant server cabinet. By adding three 1 GbE ports and multi-network communication to the CB7 Core, the company is reducing the number of external switches and gateways a customer must buy, configure and maintain. That lowers integration friction, which Healy and Hathout both identified as a central goal.

The new g-Series tool flange reinforces the same logic. High-bandwidth sensors and cameras generate data that must reach the AI model in real time. Building power, Ethernet and safety signals into the flange, along with force-torque sensing and impedance control, makes the arm itself the data path. Healy's comment that nearly every robotics application is moving toward having a camera at the wrist is not a prediction so much as a description of where the market already is.

What this really means is that the battle for collaborative robotics is shifting from mechanical specifications to software ecosystems. PolyScope X, with its JavaScript foundation, containerized applications, graphical node-based programming and native ROS 2 support, is designed to attract developers who might otherwise build on open-source stacks or rival platforms. The more than 20 ecosystem partners at IMTS, from Cognex in vision to Schunk and Robotiq in gripping to Inbolt in AI-powered perception, show that Universal Robots intends to compete through partnerships rather than a closed system.

Why It Matters

Modern Machine Shop reported on September 14, 2026 that Universal Robots is showcasing an approach to industrial automation designed for the era of physical AI, changing how applications are deployed, scaled and continuously improved. That approach moves beyond traditional programming and standalone robot systems toward solutions that can be configured, adapted and enhanced over time. It reflects a broader shift from fixed automation cells to more intelligent, connected and evolving robotic environments capable of addressing a wider range of real-world applications.

For manufacturers, the practical consequence is a lower barrier to entry. The IMTS 2026 theme, as described by Modern Machine Shop, includes removing historical adoption barriers such as cost and complexity. A controller that needs fewer external components, a pendant that is more than 20% lighter, and a tool flange that accepts cameras and sensors without custom cabling all reduce the engineering time required to get a cobot running.

The safety and cybersecurity certifications matter as much as the specifications. PLd Category 3 under ISO 13849-1, TÜV certification to ISO 10218-1 and UL 1740 for the arms, and IEC 62443-4-1 ML3 for Teradyne Robotics give integrators a documented baseline for deployments in regulated environments.

Next Up

Universal Robots has not announced pricing for the g-Series arms or the CB7 Core controller. The platform is on display at IMTS 2026 in Chicago from September 14 to September 19.

The larger question for the coming year is whether PolyScope X and the g-Series hardware can convert Universal Robots' installed base of more than 100,000 deployments into a physical AI ecosystem. If the 20-plus partners at IMTS build real applications on the new flange and controller, Gen 7 could mark the point where collaborative robots stop being programmable tools and start being platforms for continuously improving industrial AI.