toolbox
Home / AI, Data & Technology / Collaborative Robot Battery Runtime Calculator

Collaborative Robot Battery Runtime Calculator

The Collaborative Robot Battery Runtime Calculator estimates operating time for a battery-powered collaborative robot or mobile collaborative platform from battery amp-hours, voltage, average power draw, usable depth of discharge, and system efficiency. It first converts the battery rating to watt-hours, then estimates how much of that energy can support the working load.

The result is useful for mobile cobot carts, battery-backed collaborative workstations, and other systems that are not continuously connected to mains power. It can help compare battery packs or plan charging windows, while recognizing that many fixed collaborative robot arms normally operate from an external power supply instead of an onboard battery.

Inputs

Ah
V
W
%
%
Result
—
Estimated battery runtime
Rated battery energy—
Usable delivered energy—
Runtime in minutes—

1. Enter amp-hour capacity
Use the battery pack's rated capacity in amp-hours.

2. Enter battery voltage
Use the nominal pack voltage that corresponds to the amp-hour rating.

3. Enter average power draw
Use the average power of the cobot system during the intended duty cycle, including relevant mobile-base or auxiliary loads.

4. Set usable depth and efficiency
Depth of discharge limits how much stored energy you plan to use; efficiency reduces that energy for electrical conversion and delivery losses.

5. Review runtime
Compare estimated hours and minutes with the required unplugged duty period and add operational margin before selecting charging intervals.

Rated energy (Wh) = Amp-hours × Volts; Runtime hours = Rated energy × Depth of discharge × Efficiency ÷ Average power (W)

Amp-hours — battery charge capacity in Ah.

Volts — nominal battery voltage.

Rated energy — approximate stored energy in watt-hours.

Depth of discharge — fraction of rated energy allowed to be used.

Efficiency — fraction of usable battery energy delivered to the system load.

Average power — mean electrical demand in watts.

Assumptions: The amp-hour conversion assumes the stated voltage is representative of the battery rating. Actual runtime changes with battery chemistry, discharge rate, temperature, aging, drive loads, and power-management behavior.

What the result means

The battery-powered collaborative system is modeled to run for about 4 hours 10 minutes at the stated average load before reaching the selected depth-of-discharge limit.

Use the result as a planning estimate and validate assumptions with observed operating data before making deployment decisions.

Given
• 80 Ah battery
• 48 V nominal voltage
• 650 W average load
• 80% usable depth of discharge
• 88% system efficiency

Calculation
Rated energy = 80 × 48 = 3,840 Wh
Usable delivered energy = 3,840 × 0.80 × 0.88 = 2,703.36 Wh
Runtime = 2,703.36 ÷ 650 = 4.16 hours

Result
Approximately 4.16 hours.

Interpretation
The battery-powered collaborative system is modeled to run for about 4 hours 10 minutes at the stated average load before reaching the selected depth-of-discharge limit.

Do all collaborative robots use batteries?

No. Many fixed cobot arms are powered from mains electricity. This calculator is for battery-powered collaborative systems, mobile cobot platforms, or battery-backed installations.

Why multiply amp-hours by voltage?

Amp-hours measure charge, not energy. Multiplying by nominal voltage gives an approximate watt-hour energy rating for the pack.

Should mobile-base power be included?

Yes, if the same battery supplies the base. Use the combined average draw of the arm, mobile platform, controller, and other relevant loads.

Can I use 100% depth of discharge?

You can model it, but many batteries and operating policies do not use the full rated capacity. Use the allowed or practical usable fraction for your battery system.

Why might actual runtime be shorter?

High loads, cold temperature, aging, conversion losses, battery-management limits, and motion patterns can all reduce usable energy or raise average power demand.