# Techman Robot

> Source: https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/techman_robot
> Updated: 2026-06-26
> Categories: Humanoid Robots, Robotics Companies
> From AI Wiki (https://aiwiki.ai), a free encyclopedia of artificial intelligence. Quote with attribution.

| Techman Robot |
| --- |
| General information |
| **Full name** | Techman Robot Inc. |
| **Chinese name** | 達明機器人 |
| **Founded** | 2012 (as Quanta Storage robotics division); 2015 (as independent subsidiary) |
| **Parent company** | [Quanta Computer](/wiki/quanta_computer) (via Quanta Storage Inc.) |
| **Headquarters** | Taoyuan, Taiwan |
| **Industry** | [Robotics](/wiki/robotics), [Collaborative robots](/wiki/collaborative_robot) |
| **Key people** | Shi-Chi Ho (Chairman), Haw Chen (CEO / President) |
| **Products** | TM Robot S series cobots, TM AI Cobot, TM AI+, TM AOI Edge, TM Operator, TM Smart Factory, AMMR mobile manipulators, [TM Xplore 1](/wiki/techman_robot_tm_xplore_1) |
| **Employees** | 400+ (as of 2021) |
| **Market share** | ~10% of global cobot market (2024-2025); third- to second-largest cobot brand globally |
| **Stock exchange** | Taipei Exchange (TPEx), ticker 4585 |
| **Strategic partner** | [OMRON](/wiki/omron) (10% equity stake, 2021) |
| **Website** | [tm-robot.com](https://www.tm-robot.com/en/) |

**Techman Robot** (Techman Robot Inc., Chinese: 達明機器人) is a Taiwanese [collaborative robot](/wiki/collaborative_robot) (cobot) manufacturer and a subsidiary of [Quanta Computer](/wiki/quanta_computer) that builds the TM Robot series, widely recognized as the world's first commercial collaborative robot with a fully integrated, built-in machine vision system. Established as an independent subsidiary in 2015 (with its robotics laboratory founded inside Quanta Storage Inc. in 2012), Techman holds roughly 10% of the global cobot market and has ranked as the world's second-largest collaborative robot brand by market share since 2018, behind only [Universal Robots](/wiki/universal_robots).[1][2][5]

Quanta Computer is one of the world's largest contract manufacturers of notebook computers and AI servers, and Techman inherits that manufacturing scale. As of 2024 to 2025, Techman trails the Danish pioneer [Universal Robots](/wiki/universal_robots) (approximately 39% share) and the Japanese industrial robotics giant [FANUC](/wiki/fanuc) (approximately 21% share). The company formed a strategic alliance with the Japanese automation specialist [OMRON](/wiki/omron) in 2018, which acquired a 10% stake in Techman in 2021. Techman cobots are sold in more than 30 countries through both direct distribution and the OMRON co-branded TM Series channel.[1][3][4][5]

In 2024, Techman completed its initial public offering, with shares listed on the Taipei Exchange (TPEx) under ticker 4585. In 2025, the company unveiled its first humanoid robot prototype, the [TM Xplore 1](/wiki/techman_robot_tm_xplore_1), signaling its expansion from collaborative arms into wheeled humanoid robotics for factory and warehouse environments.[6][7]

## What is Techman Robot known for?

Techman is known for one core idea: putting the camera inside the robot. Where almost every other industrial arm and cobot requires a separately specified, mounted, and calibrated third-party vision system, Techman embeds an industrial camera, ring lighting, and an image-processing pipeline directly into the wrist of the arm, with the vision software (TMvision) built into the robot's controller. This "hands, eyes, and brains in one product" concept is the company's defining competitive differentiation and the reason the TM Robot is marketed as the cobot with a built-in vision system.[1][2][22]

Scott Huang, Chief Operations Officer at Techman, summarized the difference this way: "The distinctive features of Techman's robots compared to other robot brands lie in their built-in vision system and AI inference engine. NVIDIA RTX GPUs power up their AI performance."[14]

## History

### How did Techman Robot start at Quanta Storage (2012 to 2015)?

The origins of Techman Robot trace to 2012, when a robotics laboratory was established as a new business division within Quanta Storage Inc. (QSI), itself a subsidiary of [Quanta Computer](/wiki/quanta_computer). The robotics lab was created under the direction of Shi-Chi Ho, then General Manager of Quanta Storage. Quanta Storage had previously distinguished itself in the optical storage industry, where it developed the world's first thin CD-ROM drive and at one point rivaled MediaTek for the highest stock price on Taiwan's market. The decision to enter robotics was driven by a recognition that consumer optical storage demand was declining and that industrial automation represented a strategic growth opportunity for the Quanta group.[1][8]

Within the laboratory, engineers developed the company's first SCARA robot and dual-arm SCARA prototypes, building foundational expertise in robot arm design, servo control, and machine vision. From the outset, the team focused on a design philosophy that combined a robot arm with machine vision in a single unified platform. This approach eliminated the need for separate third-party vision systems, external cameras, and the complex integration work that was typically required when adding vision capabilities to traditional industrial arms. The integrated concept of "hands, eyes, and brains" in one product became Techman's defining competitive differentiation.[1][2]

### When did Techman become independent and launch the TM5 (2015 to 2017)?

In 2015, the robotics division was spun out as an independent company under the Quanta Computer corporate umbrella but operating with dedicated leadership and budgets. The entity was initially incorporated as Techman Electronics Inc. in 2015 and renamed Techman Robot Inc. in 2016. Shi-Chi Ho took the role of Chairman and Haw Chen, a fellow former colleague at Lite-On Technology and Quanta Storage who had studied robotics and electronic controls at National Chiao Tung University (now National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University), became President and Chief Executive Officer.[1][8]

That same year, Techman unveiled the TM5 collaborative robot at the International Robot Exhibition (iREX) in Tokyo, Japan. The TM5 was positioned as the first commercially available cobot with a fully built-in smart vision system, integrating an industrial camera, ring lighting, and image-processing software directly into the robot's wrist and into the controller software stack. First commercial TM5 shipments occurred at the end of 2016. The robot offered a combination of features that differentiated it from competing cobots: built-in machine vision for object recognition, position correction, and barcode reading; an intuitive flow-based programming interface; compliance with international safety standards for human-robot collaboration; and rapid deployment, with basic pick-and-place applications often configured within minutes of unboxing.[1][2]

### Why did the OMRON alliance matter (2018 to 2020)?

Techman's commercial growth accelerated rapidly after the TM5 launch. In 2018, the company expanded its product line into higher-payload and longer-reach configurations with the TM12 and TM14, both unveiled at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago. The 12 kilogram payload TM12 with 1,300 millimeter reach and the 14 kilogram payload TM14 with 1,100 millimeter reach extended Techman's addressable applications into machine tending, palletizing, and heavier material handling.[1][9]

On May 11, 2018, Techman signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with [OMRON](/wiki/omron) Corporation in Kyoto, Japan, committing both companies to the worldwide promotion of collaborative robots. Through this alliance, OMRON would market and sell Techman's TM series cobots through OMRON's extensive worldwide distribution network under a co-branded "OMRON TM" identity, with shipments starting in the second half of fiscal year 2018. The partnership coincided with OMRON's broader strategy of building out an integrated automation portfolio that combined controllers (PLCs), sensors, safety devices, fixed industrial robots, and autonomous mobile robots from its earlier Adept Technology acquisition.[5][10]

The OMRON partnership was transformative for Techman's global reach. OMRON's established presence in factory automation across Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America gave Techman access to a distribution and field-service infrastructure that would have taken years to build independently. By the end of 2018, Techman had risen to become the second-largest cobot brand in the world by market share, trailing only [Universal Robots](/wiki/universal_robots).[1][5]

### Who owns a stake in Techman Robot (2021)?

In October 2021, [OMRON](/wiki/omron) deepened its relationship with Techman by acquiring approximately a 10% equity stake in the company (with completion expected by December 2021). The investment aimed to jointly develop next-generation robotics combining OMRON's factory automation portfolio with Techman's collaborative robot technology, with a stated goal of "realizing safe and productive harmony between humans and machines" while addressing global labor shortages at manufacturing sites. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed publicly.[3][4][5]

Dr. Shi-Chi Ho, Chairman of Techman Robot, said of the deal: "We are delighted to deepen our longstanding relationship with OMRON through this collaboration, which is a significant opportunity for both companies." Junta Tsujinaga, a senior general manager in OMRON's Industrial Automation Company, added that "the strengthening of our alliance with Techman at this time further pushes the evolution of collaboration between humans and machines."[4]

As of 2021, Techman held approximately 10% of the global collaborative robot market, with Universal Robots maintaining the lead at approximately 50%. Techman competed with Chinese rivals including AUBO Robotics and Shenzhen Dobot for the second-place position, depending on the data provider and the segmentation methodology used. Industry analysts subsequently noted that the consolidated top five (Universal Robots, FANUC, ABB, Techman, AUBO) collectively held roughly 52 to 64 percent of global cobot revenue.[1][11]

### What changed with the TM Robot S generation and AI Cobot (2022 to 2024)?

At Automate 2022 in Detroit, Techman unveiled the TM Robot S series, a major hardware and software upgrade across the product line. The S generation introduced significant performance improvements: joint speed on the sixth axis increased from 225 degrees per second to 450 degrees per second, cycle times were reduced by up to 25 percent, repeatability was improved by up to 70 percent to plus or minus 0.03 millimeters, the control box was upgraded to IP54 ingress protection, and the system added up to 31 safety functions certified by TUV and compliant with ISO 10218-1 and ISO 13849-1 Performance Level d Category 3. The S series also launched with the new TMflow 2 programming environment and a more robust teach pendant (Robot Stick) with a three-position enabling switch and reset button.[12][13]

In 2023, Techman introduced the TM AI Cobot concept, a positioning shift that emphasized native artificial intelligence integration at the level of the robot's perception stack rather than as an external add-on. The AI Cobot architecture combined Techman's built-in vision system, its TM AI+ training server software, and AI inference running directly on the robot controller. The system enabled customers to train custom vision models for defect detection, classification, and irregular shape recognition that were previously inaccessible to rule-based machine vision.[14][15]

In May 2024, at Automate 2024 in Chicago, Techman announced the TM30S, its highest-payload AI cobot to date, with a 30 kilogram standard payload (up to 35 kilograms in palletizing mode) and 1,702 millimeter reach. The TM30S targeted heavy-duty material handling, palletizing, and machine tending applications and complemented the TM25S released earlier in the S generation. In September 2024, Techman Robot's shares were listed and began trading on the Taipei Exchange (TPEx) under ticker 4585, providing additional capital for research and development and manufacturing expansion.[6][16]

### What is Techman doing in physical AI and humanoids (2025 to 2026)?

At Automate 2025 in Detroit, Techman celebrated its tenth anniversary as an independent company and made the global debut of the TM6S, a long-reach S-series cobot featuring a 1,800 millimeter reach in a 35.5 kilogram package. At Automatica 2025 in Munich, Techman positioned its product line under the banner of "Real-World Physical AI for Factories," emphasizing the combination of generative AI, simulation, and digital-twin tooling.[17][18]

Also in 2025, Techman unveiled its first humanoid robot prototype, the [TM Xplore 1](/wiki/techman_robot_tm_xplore_1). Unlike the bipedal humanoids being developed by [Tesla](/wiki/tesla), Figure AI, and [Unitree Robotics](/wiki/unitree), Techman's humanoid uses a wheeled mobile base for stability, energy efficiency, and faster commercial deployability in structured factory and warehouse environments. The system pairs a humanoid upper body with dual TM-derived arms, more than 22 actuated joints, and integrated AI vision running on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin platform. The company has indicated plans to commercialize TM Xplore 1 in 2026, with rollout targeted for the second half of the year.[7]

At [NVIDIA](/wiki/nvidia) GTC 2026, Techman Robot showcased motion-training technology for its humanoid platform, demonstrating its continued investment in AI-driven robotics built on the NVIDIA Isaac and Omniverse software stacks.[19]

## Who owns Techman Robot? Parent company and corporate structure

Techman Robot is part of the [Quanta Computer](/wiki/quanta_computer) group, the world's largest manufacturer of notebook PCs by volume and a major manufacturer of AI servers for hyperscale customers including Meta, Google, and Amazon Web Services. Within the group, Techman sits beneath Quanta Storage Inc. (QSI), originally Quanta's optical storage subsidiary. QSI provided the original robotics laboratory, the manufacturing know-how, and the initial capital that allowed Techman to develop its first products without the burden of fundraising as an independent startup. After the 2015 spin-out, Techman retained Quanta's manufacturing scale advantages, including access to Quanta's supply chain for precision components and electronics.[1][2][20]

The table below summarizes Techman's corporate position within the Quanta hierarchy.

| Layer | Entity | Role |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Group parent | Quanta Computer Inc. | World's largest notebook ODM; AI server manufacturer |
| Intermediate parent | Quanta Storage Inc. (QSI) | Optical storage and precision mechanical components; originator of robotics lab |
| Operating subsidiary | Techman Robot Inc. | Cobot design, software, manufacturing, sales |
| Equity partner | OMRON Corporation | Co-branded distribution; ~10% equity stake (since 2021) |

Following the September 2024 listing on the Taipei Exchange under ticker 4585, Techman became a separately traded public company while Quanta Computer (via QSI) retained majority control and OMRON retained its 10% equity stake.[6][16]

## Who leads Techman Robot?

Techman is led by a leadership team rooted in Taiwan's optical storage industry. Chairman Shi-Chi Ho previously served as General Manager of Quanta Storage and worked earlier at Lite-On Technology, where he was a colleague of current CEO Haw Chen. The two were involved in the development of Quanta Storage's thin CD-ROM drive and led the company's pivot from optical storage into robotics. Haw Chen, who serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, holds a background in robotics and electronic control systems from National Chiao Tung University and has described his career move into robotics as a return to his original technical training. Scott Huang serves as Chief Operations Officer and has been a public face for the company's NVIDIA-related digital-twin and AI initiatives.[1][8][14]

## What products does Techman Robot make?

Techman's portfolio is organized around several major product lines: the TM Robot collaborative arms (now in the S generation), the TM AI Cobot positioning that emphasizes integrated artificial intelligence, the TM AI+ software and AOI Edge inspection platform, the TM Operator and TM Smart Factory software for fleet management, mobile manipulator (AMMR) solutions, and the emerging TM Xplore 1 wheeled humanoid robot.

### TM Robot S series collaborative arms

The TM Robot S series is Techman's core cobot lineup. All TM cobots share the same architectural principles: a six-axis articulated arm, a built-in machine vision system at the wrist (TMvision), integrated lighting, the TMflow flow-based programming environment, and safety features designed for human-robot collaboration. Models are differentiated by payload, reach, and application-specific optimizations such as palletizing range or long-reach inspection.

| Model | Payload | Reach | Repeatability | Robot weight | Typical applications |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TM5S (TM5-700 variant) | 6 kg | 700 mm | +/- 0.03 mm (S) | ~22.1 kg | Light assembly, inspection, pick-and-place |
| TM5S (TM5-900 variant) | 4 kg | 900 mm | +/- 0.03 mm (S) | ~22.6 kg | Pick-and-place, lab automation |
| TM6S | ~6 kg | 1,800 mm | +/- 0.03 mm | 35.5 kg | Long-reach inspection, large-area handling |
| TM7S | 7 kg | 900 mm | +/- 0.03 mm | ~22 kg | General handling, packaging |
| TM12S | 12 kg | 1,300 mm | +/- 0.03 mm | ~32 kg | Palletizing, machine tending |
| TM14S | 14 kg | 1,100 mm | +/- 0.03 mm | ~32 kg | Industrial assembly, material handling |
| TM16 | 16 kg | 900 mm | +/- 0.1 mm | ~32 kg | Heavy precision tasks |
| TM20 / TM20S | 20 kg | 1,300 mm | +/- 0.03 mm (S) | 32.8 kg | High-payload palletizing, mobile manipulation |
| TM25S | 25 kg | 1,902 mm | +/- 0.03 mm | 80.6 kg | Heavy palletizing, extended-reach applications |
| TM30S | 30 kg (35 kg palletizing mode) | 1,702 mm | +/- 0.03 mm | ~95 kg | Heavy material handling, automotive, logistics |

Key features common across the S generation include:

- A built-in industrial vision camera with integrated ring lighting and image-processing hardware in the robot wrist, eliminating the need for an external camera system in most applications.
- IP54 ingress protection on both the arm and the control box, supporting deployment in workshop environments with dust and splash exposure.
- Up to 31 TUV-certified safety functions and compliance with ISO 10218-1 and ISO 13849-1 Performance Level d Category 3.
- The TMflow 2 graphical programming environment running on the controller or on a Windows PC for remote development and simulation.
- A redesigned teach pendant called the Robot Stick with a three-position enabling switch, reset button, and ergonomic grip.[12][13][21]

### What makes TM cobots different? Built-in vision and TMvision

The defining technical differentiator of Techman's product line is the integration of a complete machine-vision system into the robot itself. Traditional industrial robots and most competing cobots require external vision systems that must be separately specified, mounted, calibrated, and integrated, a process that adds significant cost, complexity, and deployment time. Techman embeds the camera, ring lighting, and image-processing pipeline directly into the wrist of the arm, with the underlying vision software stack (TMvision) built into the robot's controller operating system. This is the capability that distinguishes a TM cobot from most arms that rely on bolt-on [computer vision](/wiki/computer_vision).[2][22]

| Function | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Object identification | Recognizes parts, products, and workpieces using both classical template matching and AI-trained models |
| Positioning | Computes precise object pose for accurate grasping and placement, supports pick-from-clutter applications |
| Barcode and 2D code reading | Reads 1D barcodes, QR codes, and Data Matrix codes for traceability and process control |
| OCR | Reads printed text and serial numbers on parts |
| Distance and angle measurement | Performs dimensional measurement for inspection and process control |
| Visual inspection (AOI) | Detects surface defects, missing components, and irregularities, using AI models trained in TM AI+ |
| Landmark navigation | Uses fiducial landmarks for fast workstation re-registration when the arm is moved or remounted |

### TMflow programming

TMflow is Techman's proprietary graphical programming environment. Programs are expressed as flowcharts of function nodes representing motions, gripper actions, vision operations, logic, force-sensing routines, and external I/O. Users program by connecting nodes in a visual diagram rather than by writing text-based code, making the system accessible to factory operators and technicians without formal robotics training. TMflow 2 (introduced with the S generation in 2022 and later expanded with versions including 2.14 and 2.16) adds an AI Vision Node category, force-related nodes for delicate-touch applications such as deburring and polishing, a Script Node and Script Project system that allows developers to write C# code for advanced logic, and a TMcraft framework for building custom plug-in kits using C# and WPF. The environment can run directly on the robot controller, on a Windows PC for remote and offline development, or against a virtual robot for simulation-only workflows.[21][22]

### TM AI Cobot 2.0 and TM AI+

The TM AI Cobot positioning, introduced in 2023, emphasizes deep integration of artificial intelligence at the level of the cobot's perception and control stack rather than as an external add-on. The TM AI+ training server is a separate software product that allows users to label image data, train AI models for vision tasks, and deploy those models back to TMflow on the cobot. Typical AI vision use cases include defect detection on production lines, classification of variable products, OCR on non-standard surfaces, and detection of irregular damage that rule-based vision cannot reliably handle.[14][15][22]

### TM AI+ AOI Edge

TM AI+ AOI Edge is a derivative product line that decouples Techman's AI vision software from the cobot itself, allowing factories to perform fixed-position automated optical inspection (AOI) without a robot arm at all. The TM AI+ AOI Edge runs on an industrial PC and supports multiple cameras, enabling intelligent defect classification, adaptive inspection algorithms, and integration with existing production lines. The platform is positioned for printed circuit board manufacturing, electronics final assembly, and other high-throughput inspection environments.[22][23]

### Mobile manipulation and AMMR

Techman's Mobile Series combines TM cobot arms with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to create mobile manipulators that can navigate between workstations and perform tasks at each station. Techman has co-developed mobile manipulator systems with [OMRON](/wiki/omron) (combining OMRON's LD-series and Mobile Manipulator MD platforms with TM cobots) and has separately demonstrated TM cobots integrated with third-party AMRs such as the GESSbot platform from German automation integrator Gessmann. The Autonomous Mobile Manipulation Robot (AMMR) Cloning Solution allows users to replicate a deployed project across a fleet of identical AMMR units without manually reconfiguring each robot.[24][25]

### TM Operator and TM Smart Factory

TM Operator is Techman's fleet- and production-management layer for cobot deployments. TM Smart Factory extends this into a broader software platform for integrating multiple cobots, AOI systems, and production data into a unified factory management system that provides real-time monitoring, task scheduling, quality tracking, and data analytics for cobot-equipped production lines.[1]

### TM Xplore 1 humanoid robot

The [TM Xplore 1](/wiki/techman_robot_tm_xplore_1) is Techman's first humanoid robot prototype, unveiled in 2025 and targeted for commercial launch in 2026. The robot features a wheeled mobile base rather than bipedal legs, an articulated humanoid upper body with dual arms derived from the TM cobot lineage, more than 22 actuated joints, and integrated TMvision and AI systems running on NVIDIA Jetson Orin. Techman has positioned the wheeled design as a pragmatic choice that prioritizes stability, energy efficiency, and practical deployability in factory and warehouse environments over the broader mobility range of bipedal humanoids, while accepting the trade-off that the platform cannot easily traverse stairs or unstructured outdoor terrain.[7]

## How does Techman use NVIDIA and physical AI?

Techman has established one of the deepest strategic relationships among cobot manufacturers with [NVIDIA](/wiki/nvidia), focused on the NVIDIA Isaac robotics platform, Omniverse simulation, and the broader concept of physical AI. The partnership has several technical and commercial threads:

- **Isaac Sim for digital twin development.** Techman uses NVIDIA Isaac Sim to construct high-fidelity digital twins of TM AI cobots and the production lines they operate on, simulating motion paths, vision detection points, and cycle times before any physical deployment. The company has reported that this approach reduced robot programming time by approximately 70 percent and cycle time by approximately 20 percent in pilot deployments.[14][26]
- **Omniverse Replicator for synthetic data.** TM AI+ vision-model training increasingly uses synthetic data generated in Omniverse rather than purely real-world image captures. In a depalletizing application reported by NVIDIA, Techman generated approximately 90 percent of the training data synthetically, using OpenUSD-based assets rendered in Isaac Sim.[26]
- **Isaac Manipulator and cuMotion.** Techman has adopted the NVIDIA Isaac Manipulator workflow, which includes NVIDIA-accelerated libraries such as cuMotion, enabling manipulator robots to perceive, understand, and interact with complex environments using GPU-accelerated motion planning.[14]
- **Edge AI inference.** Techman robot controllers integrate NVIDIA GPUs that allow dozens of AI vision models to run simultaneously on the cobot for real-time defect detection. Some complex inspection products reportedly require 40 or more AI models running concurrently.[14]

A flagship reference deployment is at Volkswagen's Transparent Factory (Glaserne Manufaktur) in Dresden, Germany. There, Techman, NVIDIA, and Gessmann combined a TM AI cobot mounted on the GESSbot autonomous mobile robot with NVIDIA-accelerated AI models. The system autonomously navigates the factory floor, identifies components, and performs flexible pick-and-place tasks with an intelligent gripper-exchange mechanism. Reported outcomes include a 30 percent reduction in operating costs, a 20 percent improvement in production efficiency, and a 70 percent reduction in robot programming time relative to traditional deployment workflows.[26]

## Strategic partnerships

### OMRON Corporation

The partnership with [OMRON](/wiki/omron) is Techman's most significant strategic relationship. Established through a 2018 MOU and deepened by OMRON's 2021 equity investment, the alliance gives Techman access to OMRON's global distribution network spanning Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America. OMRON markets and sells Techman cobots under the co-branded "OMRON TM Series" identity, with the cobots integrated alongside OMRON's PLCs, vision sensors, safety controllers, and autonomous mobile robots from the former Adept Technology product line. The two companies jointly develop mobile manipulator solutions that combine OMRON LD or MD-series AMRs with TM cobot arms.[5][24]

### NVIDIA Corporation

[NVIDIA](/wiki/nvidia) is Techman's primary AI platform partner. Techman is a participant in the NVIDIA Inception and Connect programs, runs production AI inference workloads on NVIDIA GPUs embedded in robot controllers, and uses Isaac Sim and Omniverse as core development tools for both new applications and pre-deployment validation.[14][26]

### Volkswagen and Gessmann

The deployment at Volkswagen's Transparent Factory in Dresden, integrated by Gessmann using the GESSbot AMR platform, is one of the most visible real-world references for Techman's AI cobot and mobile manipulation strategy. The combined system supports flexible final-assembly tasks in low-volume, high-mix automotive production.[26]

### Educational and ecosystem partnerships

Techman has established partnerships with educational institutions and integrators in multiple regions, including a collaboration with Vincennes University and Telamon Robotics in the United States for cobot training curricula and certification programs, and a network of authorized system integrators across Europe and Asia.[1]

## How big is the cobot market and where does Techman rank?

Techman operates in a rapidly growing global collaborative robot market. The global cobot market was estimated at roughly USD 1.4 to 2.2 billion in 2024 to 2025 depending on the analyst and is widely forecast to reach USD 3 to 12 billion by 2030 to 2035, with compound annual growth rates in the high teens to low twenties. Growth drivers include persistent manufacturing labor shortages in developed economies, the need for flexible automation in small and medium enterprises that cannot justify large fixed-automation cells, and continued improvements in safety technology that allow robots to operate alongside humans without physical cages.[11][27]

The table below summarizes approximate market positions of major collaborative robot manufacturers as of 2024 to 2025, based on industry analyst reports. Exact figures vary by source and methodology.

| Manufacturer | Headquarters | Approximate cobot market share | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Universal Robots](/wiki/universal_robots) | Odense, Denmark | ~39% | Owner: Teradyne; pioneer of modern cobot category |
| [FANUC](/wiki/fanuc) | Yamanashi, Japan | ~21% | Industrial robot giant; CR series cobots |
| ABB | Zurich, Switzerland | High single digits | YuMi and GoFa cobot families |
| Techman Robot | Taoyuan, Taiwan | ~10% | Built-in vision; OMRON co-brand |
| AUBO Robotics | Beijing, China | High single digits | Strong China presence |
| [Doosan Robotics](/wiki/doosan_robotics) | Suwon, South Korea | Mid single digits | M, H and E series cobots |
| KUKA | Augsburg, Germany | Mid single digits | LBR iiwa and iisy cobots |
| Yaskawa | Kitakyushu, Japan | Mid single digits | HC series |
| JAKA Robotics | Shanghai, China | Mid single digits | Fast-growing Chinese entrant |
| Han's Robot | Shenzhen, China | Mid single digits | Elfin series |

Techman's competitive advantages include its built-in vision system (a unique hardware-level differentiator that no other major cobot manufacturer has matched at the same level of integration), the manufacturing scale of parent [Quanta Computer](/wiki/quanta_computer), the global distribution leverage of [OMRON](/wiki/omron), and an aggressive software roadmap centered on AI integration with [NVIDIA](/wiki/nvidia) tooling. Its competitive challenges include a recent surge of well-funded Chinese cobot manufacturers ([Doosan Robotics](/wiki/doosan_robotics) competitors such as AUBO, JAKA, and Han's Robot) and the continuing dominance of [Universal Robots](/wiki/universal_robots) at the lower-payload end of the market.[1][11][27]

## Where is Techman Robot made and who uses it?

Techman is headquartered and primarily manufactures its products in Taoyuan, Taiwan. The company operates overseas branches in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chongqing in mainland China, Busan in South Korea, and Alblasserdam in the Netherlands, supplemented by the OMRON-led global distribution channel that covers Japan, the rest of Europe, the United States, and other major industrial markets. As of 2021, Techman reported approximately 400 employees, with subsequent growth as the company has expanded into AI cobots, mobile manipulation, and humanoid robotics. Manufacturing facilities are certified to ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management), and TM cobots are certified to ISO 10218-1 and ISO/TS 15066 for collaborative operation.[1][2]

TM cobots are deployed across a wide range of industries, including consumer electronics manufacturing (a natural sector given Quanta's customer base), automotive component manufacturing and final assembly, food and beverage, pharmaceutical and laboratory automation, semiconductor back-end packaging and inspection, and general-purpose machine tending in metal-working shops. Notable named deployments include the Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden through the Gessmann integration.[1][26]

## Awards

Techman has received industrial design and product awards across its history, including:

| Year | Award | Product |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2017 | Golden Pin Design Award | TM Robot |
| 2017 | COMPUTEX d&i Gold Award | TM Robot |
| 2018 | Red Dot Design Award | TM5 |
| 2018 | iF Design Award | TM5 |
| 2018 | Taiwan Excellence Award | TM5 |
| 2020 | Taiwan Excellence Award | TM12 |

These awards reflect Techman's emphasis on industrial design and human-centric ergonomics in addition to functional capability.[1]

## ELI5: Techman Robot explained simply

Imagine a robot arm that already has its own eyes and brain built in. Most factory robot arms can move, but they need a separate camera bolted on, plus extra software and a lot of setup, before they can actually see what they are doing. Techman makes arms (called cobots, short for collaborative robots, because they are safe to work next to people) that come with a camera and image smarts already inside the wrist. That means a factory worker can teach the robot a job by drawing simple flowchart steps instead of writing computer code, and the robot can see a part, recognize it, read its barcode, and pick it up. Techman is owned by a giant Taiwanese computer maker called Quanta, it is one of the biggest cobot brands in the world (second only to Universal Robots), and it is now also building a wheeled humanoid robot named TM Xplore 1 for warehouses and factories.

## See also

- [TM Xplore 1](/wiki/techman_robot_tm_xplore_1)
- [Collaborative robot](/wiki/collaborative_robot)
- [Universal Robots](/wiki/universal_robots)
- [OMRON](/wiki/omron)
- [Quanta Computer](/wiki/quanta_computer)
- [Doosan Robotics](/wiki/doosan_robotics)
- [NVIDIA](/wiki/nvidia)
- [FANUC](/wiki/fanuc)
- [Robotics](/wiki/robotics)
- [Computer vision](/wiki/computer_vision)
- [Humanoid robots](/wiki/humanoid_robots)

## References

1. [Techman - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techman)
2. [TM Robot, Cobot with a Built-in Vision System - Techman Robot](https://www.tm-robot.com/en/tm-robot/)
3. [OMRON to Invest in Taiwan's Collaborative Robot Company Techman Robot Inc. - OMRON Global (October 2021)](https://www.omron.com/global/en/media/2021/10/c1025.html)
4. [OMRON buys 10% stake in cobot maker Techman Robot - The Robot Report](https://www.therobotreport.com/omron-invests-in-taiwans-collaborative-robot-company-techman-robot-inc/)
5. [OMRON Corp. and Taiwan's Collaborative Robot Company Techman Robot Inc. Form Strategic Alliance - PR Newswire (May 2018)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omron-corp-and-taiwans-collaborative-robot-company-techman-robot-inc-form-strategic-alliance-on-collaborative-robots-300648261.html)
6. [Taiwan's first cobot brand Techman Robot goes public - DigiTimes (September 2024)](https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20250926PD233/techman-subsidiary-quanta-2025-technology.html)
7. [Techman Robot unveils TM Xplore I humanoid prototype, targets 2026 launch - Robotics and Automation News (August 2025)](https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2025/08/27/techman-robot-unveils-humanoid-prototype-aims-for-2026-launch/93937/)
8. [This Made-in-Taiwan Robot Is Drawing International Attention - CommonWealth Magazine (June 2019)](https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=2436)
9. [TM Robot Medium-Heavy Payload Series: TM 12 and TM 14 Robot - Techman Robot](https://www2.tm-robot.com/en/heavy-payload/)
10. [OMRON invests in Taiwan's collaborative robot company Techman Robot Inc. - OMRON UK](https://industrial.omron.co.uk/en/news-discover/news/omron-invests-in-techman-robot-inc)
11. [Collaborative Robot Market Analysis Report 2025-2030 - GlobeNewswire (July 2025)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/07/09/3112356/28124/en/Collaborative-Robot-Market-Analysis-Report-2025-2030-with-Universal-Robots-FANUC-ABB-Techman-Robot-Aubo-Robotics-Technology-Co-and-Kuka-Leading.html)
12. [Techman Robot to Showcase Newly Upgraded TM Robot S at Automate 2022 - Techman Robot](https://www.tm-robot.com/en/tm-news-post/techman-robot-to-showcase-newly-upgraded-tm-robot-s-at-automate-2022/)
13. [Techman Robot showcases newly upgraded TM Robot S at Automate 2022 - The Robot Report](https://www.therobotreport.com/techman-robot-showcases-newly-upgraded-tm-robot-s-at-automate-2022/)
14. [Techman Robot Selects NVIDIA Isaac Sim to Optimize Automated Optical Inspection - NVIDIA Blog (May 2023)](https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2023/05/28/techman-robot-isaac-sim/)
15. [Revolutionize your Automation using TM AI Cobot - Techman Robot](https://www.tm-robot.com/en/revolutionize-your-automation-using-tm-ai-cobot/)
16. [Techman Robot Unveils New High-payload AI Cobot TM30S at Automate - PR Newswire (May 2024)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/techman-robot-unveils-new-high-payload-ai-cobot-tm30s-at-automate-302139134.html)
17. [Techman Robot Showcases AI Cobot Innovations at Automate 2025 - PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/techman-robot-showcases-ai-cobot-innovations-at-automate-2025-302453587.html)
18. [Techman Robot Unveils Real-World Physical AI for Factories at Automatica 2025 - Techedge AI](https://techedgeai.com/news/techman-robot-unveils-real-world-physical-ai-for-factories-at-automatica-2025/)
19. [Nvidia GTC 2026: Techman Robot showcases motion training tech - DigiTimes (March 2026)](https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20260318PD239/techman-nvidia-training-2026-gtc.html)
20. [Quanta Computer - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quanta_Computer)
21. [TMflow - Techman Robot](https://www.tm-robot.com/en/tmflow/)
22. [AI Vision - Techman Robot](https://www.tm-robot.com/en/ai-vision-series/)
23. [TM AI+ AOI Edge - Techman Robot](https://www.tm-robot.com/en/tm-ai-aoi-edge/)
24. [TM Series Collaborative Robots - OMRON Robotics](https://robotics.omron.com/products/collaborative-robots/tm-series/)
25. [Mobile Solution - Techman Robot](https://www.tm-robot.com/en/mobile-solution/)
26. [From Digital Twin to AI Deployment: Volkswagen, Techman Robot, and NVIDIA Advance Smart Factory Integration - Techman Robot](https://www.tm-robot.com/en/from-digital-twin-to-ai-deployment-volkswagen-techman-robot-and-nvidia-advance-smart-factory-integration/)
27. [Collaborative Robots Industry Research Report 2025: An $11.64 Billion Market by 2030 - GlobeNewswire (February 2026)](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/02/18/3239966/28124/en/Collaborative-Robots-Industry-Research-Report-2025-An-11-64-Billion-Market-by-2030-from-2-15-Billion-in-2024-Featuring-Techman-AUBO-Comau-BGSW-KUKA-YASKAWA-DENSO-FANUC-ABB-Seiko-Ep.html)