Flexiv Enlight Adaptive Cobot

A Robot That Can Sense Touch Across Its Body

The defining feature of Enlight is its whole-body tactile perception. Each of the robot's seven joints contains a multi-dimensional force sensor, allowing the system to measure forces and torques caused by contact at different parts of the arm. Flexiv says this enables Enlight to recognise single touches, track multiple contact points and recognise patterns of physical interaction.

This is different from a robot that relies primarily on a force-torque sensor mounted at its wrist. Enlight's distributed sensing architecture means contact with the arm itself can become useful information. Flexiv describes the combined joint sensors as an omnidirectional perception network capable of recognising contact with people or objects and determining the force being applied.

That capability is particularly relevant for physical-AI research and applications where robots need to react to their environment rather than simply follow predetermined trajectories. It also supports more intuitive physical interaction between people and the robot; for example, Flexiv specifically lists single-touch, multi-point-touch and pattern-recognition interaction modes.

Flexible Motion for Complex Environments

Enlight combines this tactile capability with an unusually flexible mechanical design. It has seven degrees of freedom, and four of its joints can rotate from −360° to +360°. Flexiv developed this extended range specifically to help the robot perform complex trajectories and work in confined spaces containing existing equipment.

The arm is also relatively compact and light. Enlight weighs 15 kg, carries a 5 kg payload and provides 752 mm of reach. It can be installed in any orientation and uses the standard ISO 9409-1-50-4-M6 tool flange, allowing different end-of-arm tools to be attached. Flexiv also offers a camera module for applications requiring visual guidance.

Its software reflects the same general-purpose approach. Enlight's documented primitives include conventional joint and linear movement alongside force-controlled contact and higher-level functions such as polishing and connector insertion. Developers requiring deeper control can also use Flexiv RDK, including C++ and Python interfaces.

Flexiv Enlight vs Rizon

Both Enlight and Rizon are seven-axis, force-controlled adaptive robots, but their strengths are different.

Enlight is the newer and substantially lighter platform. It weighs 15 kg, carries 5 kg, reaches 752 mm, and adds distributed force-torque sensing across all seven joints. Its four 720°-rotation joints and whole-body touch perception make it particularly suited to dexterous manipulation, physical-AI development, human interaction and work in confined or highly variable environments.

Rizon is Flexiv's more established industrial adaptive-robot family. The current series offers 4 kg and 10 kg payload configurations, 876–984 mm reaches and arm weights from 20–39 kg. It is therefore the stronger option where longer reach or a payload above 5 kg is required. Rizon also has a mature industrial application history covering areas such as assembly, processing, testing and material handling.

In simple terms, Rizon prioritises broader industrial payload/reach options, while Enlight prioritises low weight, extreme articulation and whole-body tactile sensing.