Kinova Gen2 Robot Arm (6DoF & 7DoF)

What Makes Kinova Gen2 Special

Gen2’s principal advantage is the combination of reach, payload and very low arm mass. The 6DoF spherical version provides 985 mm of reach while weighing 4.4 kg, and its 2.6 kg mid-range continuous payload represents a strong payload-to-weight ratio. The 7DoF version adds a redundant joint while remaining only 5.5 kg.

That seventh axis allows the controller to reposition the elbow without necessarily changing the end-effector pose. This can help avoid singularities, respect joint limits and find more useful arm postures in crowded environments. The lighter 6DoF model remains attractive where simpler kinematics, lower mass and slightly higher payload are more important.

Both configurations combine an embedded controller with low average power consumption. This makes Gen2 particularly suitable for mobile robots, portable experiments and installations where a large external controller cabinet would be impractical.

Applications, Control and Safe Integration

Gen2 can be controlled through a joystick, Kinova’s software tools, the Kinova SDK or the official ROS driver. Its supported position, velocity, admittance, torque and force modes make it useful for more than conventional point-to-point automation. Typical applications include compliant manipulation, teleoperation, mobile robotics, inspection, academic research and human–robot interaction.

Kinova has also presented Gen2 in field-robotics projects such as West Virginia University’s BrambleBee agricultural robot. This illustrates how the arm’s low weight and power requirements can benefit mobile systems.

Gen2 6DoF vs Gen2 7DoF

Model: Kinova Gen2 6DoF
Payload: 2.6 kg mid-range continuous | Full-reach rating: 2.2 kg | Reach: 985 mm | Robot Weight: 4.4 kg 
Best suited for: Lightweight research systems, mobile manipulation and applications where lower arm weight and maximum Gen2 payload are priorities.

Model: Kinova Gen2 7DoF
Payload: 2.4 kg mid-range continuous | Full-reach rating: 2.1 kg | Reach: 985 mm | Robot Weight: 5.5 kg
Best suited for: Robotics research, human–robot interaction and manipulation applications that benefit from the posture flexibility provided by a seventh axis.

Gen2 vs Other Kinova Robot Arms

Kinova's current and historical robot-arm portfolio covers several quite different applications, so Gen2 should not simply be viewed as another payload size within one cobot family.

Gen3 is the newer successor in Kinova's lightweight research-robot lineage. Like Gen2, it is available with 6 or 7 axes, but Kinova positions Gen3 for more advanced robotics research and automation and provides a newer hardware/software architecture. Gen2 remains notable for being considerably lighter and extremely power-efficient.

Gen3 lite is Kinova's compact, entry-level education and research platform. Link 6 is Kinova's dedicated industrial collaborative robot. Jaco belongs to Kinova's assistive-robotics heritage. It is designed to mount to a powered wheelchair and help users perform everyday activities more independently.