Everything was pretty standard until I got to the price. This robot is a nice improvement, but there's already many good collaborative robots (i.e. http://preciseautomation.com/PF400.html).
But if they can actually hit the price point it will be game changing:
"Another factor that will make Franka stand out is cost. At the time of this writing, the robot was available for preorder at a yet-to-be-confirmed price of €9,900, or about $10,500. That’s a startlingly low figure for such a capable robotic arm. For comparison, Rethink’s Sawyer sells for $29,000, and Universal Robots’ best-selling UR5 costs even more, at $35,000."
Heck, even $15K vs the standard $30K would be a big improvement.
Agreed this could change the game. I think there is a large network effect to this type of product. Once people get used to it, learn how to code it, build tutorials, start using it on projects, and tell their friends about it, they won't want to switch. Right now Universal Robots seems to have a large share of the existing market, but many small shops are still just getting their first robotic arm. Will be very cool to watch.
I agree that effect will exist, but it remains to be seen when it will kick in.
Ie, if there are big improvements left to be made then that network effect can be overcome a few times by each 'big leap' change. Once the market matures though, you probably will see strong lock-in as you describe.
But if they can actually hit the price point it will be game changing:
"Another factor that will make Franka stand out is cost. At the time of this writing, the robot was available for preorder at a yet-to-be-confirmed price of €9,900, or about $10,500. That’s a startlingly low figure for such a capable robotic arm. For comparison, Rethink’s Sawyer sells for $29,000, and Universal Robots’ best-selling UR5 costs even more, at $35,000."
Heck, even $15K vs the standard $30K would be a big improvement.