DOBOT Nova Series Cobot

What Makes the Nova Series Different from Other Dobot Cobots

The DOBOT Nova Series is different from many other DOBOT cobots because it is not mainly positioned as a heavy factory robot. It is more focused on compact, light-duty, people-facing automation. That makes it a good fit for places like cafés, restaurants, retail stores, healthcare-related service setups, classrooms, labs, and tight production spaces.

Compared with DOBOT’s larger CRA Series, CRAF Series, CRA-IP68 Series, and CR 30H, the Nova Series has much lower payload and reach. But that is also the point. The Nova robots are easier to place in small spaces, lighter to handle, and better suited to applications where appearance, safety, and simple operation matter. For example, a Nova robot may make more sense for serving drinks, preparing food, small-part handling, or physiotherapy support, while a larger CRA or CR 30H robot is more suitable for demanding industrial jobs such as palletising, welding support, machine tending, or heavier material handling.

So, in simple terms: Nova is DOBOT’s compact commercial and light-industry cobot family, while DOBOT’s bigger cobot lines are more focused on factory performance, heavier payloads, longer reach, harsher environments, or force-control applications.

Applications

The DOBOT Nova Series is best understood as a compact cobot family for lighter automation tasks where space, safety, and ease of use matter. Nova 2 is the smaller option, with a 2 kg payload and 625 mm working radius, making it suitable for smaller handling tasks, food and beverage automation, light dispensing, retail demonstrations, education, and compact pick-and-place setups. Dobot has specifically promoted Nova 2 for restaurant and retail automation, including coffee and noodle preparation style examples.

Nova 5 increases the payload to 5 kg and extends the working radius to 850 mm. That makes it more suitable for applications needing a longer reach or slightly heavier tools and workpieces. Dobot has presented Nova 5 for physiotherapy-style tasks, where the arm needs enough reach to access areas such as the neck, back, and waist. The newer industrial-applications positioning also extends Nova into consumer electronics, semiconductors, automotive parts, cosmetics, and other light-industry tasks.

Model Comparison

Model: Nova 2s / short-reach industrial option
Payload: 2 kg | Working Radius: 500 mm | Robot Weight: 10.9 kg | Repeatability: ±0.05 mm
Best suited for: Ultra-tight workspaces, compact light-industry layouts, small handling tasks, cosmetics/electronics lines, and applications where the shortest Nova reach is enough.

Model: Nova 2
Payload: 2 kg | Working Radius: 625 mm | Robot Weight: 11 kg | Repeatability: ±0.05 mm
Best suited for: Retail automation, small food and beverage tasks, coffee or noodle-style automation, education, light dispensing, small pick-and-place, and compact service setups.

Model: Nova 5
Payload: 5 kg | Working Radius: 850 mm | Robot Weight: 14 kg | Repeatability: ±0.05 mm
Best suited for: Larger service tasks, physiotherapy-style applications, longer-reach handling, light industrial automation, compact production lines, and applications that need more reach and payload than Nova 2.

Practical Buying / Selection Note

Choose Nova 2 if the task is light, compact, and mainly about small-object handling, dispensing, food preparation, education, or public-facing automation. Choose Nova 5 if the application needs more reach, more payload, or a larger working area while still staying within a compact cobot format. Consider the shorter Nova 2s-style industrial option only where space is extremely limited and the 500 mm working radius is enough.

If the task involves heavier parts, larger workspaces, higher industrial throughput, harsh environments, force-controlled finishing, or heavy payload handling, Dobot’s other cobot lines may be a better fit.