Hirebotics adds line tracking and linear

Hirebotics LLC has introduced two new capabilities for its collaborative robots designed to help manufacturers automate tasks involving moving parts and large assemblies. The company unveiled line tracking and modular linear rail extensions at the IMTS 2026 trade show in Chicago.

CEO Matthew Bush told The Robot Report that both features address a core problem: the work does not fit inside a fixed robotic work envelope. "One is about how big or awkward the part is. The other is about the part not holding still," he said.

Line tracking enables painting on moving conveyors

The line tracking capability allows the company's Cobot Painter to follow a part moving on a conveyor, maintaining its programmed painting path without stopping the production line. A sensor detects an arriving part and automatically starts the operation.

Hirebotics stated this system operates within its no-code, cloud-based Beacon platform, unlike traditional line-tracking setups that can require specialized programming. Bush explained the feature is for conveyor-based painting and coating where stopping the line would interrupt flow. The cobot follows the moving part and compensates for changes in conveyor speed.

The line tracking system enables several key functions:

• Calibrating tracking through the Beacon platform by teaching the robot the conveyor's direction and movement.
• Detecting conveyor movement using an encoder and sensor.
• Maintaining the programmed painting path relative to the moving part.
• Automatically detecting an arriving part and beginning the operation.

Linear rail extends reach for large parts

Manufacturers often handle parts that exceed a standard cobot's work envelope. While a Hirebotics cobot has a 68.9-inch reach, a 12-foot frame or 20-foot assembly goes far beyond that. The new linear rail, available in 5-foot increments or custom lengths, lets the cobot move along the length of a large workpiece.

Bush said the rail is useful for industries like shipbuilding, structural fabrication, trailer manufacturing, and agricultural equipment. When a frame, structural assembly or large weldment extends beyond the cobot’s work envelope, the rail lets the cobot move along the work instead of repeatedly repositioning the part, he stated.

The rail can also expand A/B workflows, allowing a cobot to work on one side while an operator sets up the next part on the other. The company plans a fully automated version for the end of 2026.

Integrating new capabilities into existing workflows

Bush said the developments stem from customer requests to automate increasingly complex tasks. Customers had already used magnetic mounting, inverted setups, and positioners to adapt cobots. "The linear rail turns that customer ingenuity into a standard Hirebotics offering," he added.

The company's broader goal is to expand what manufacturers can automate across welding, cutting, and painting using the common Beacon platform. Future updates aim to have Beacon verify the cobot's position and eventually control the rail movement automatically, creating an automated seventh axis. Bush emphasized the aim is to make automation applicable to more existing work without requiring manufacturers to build dedicated robotics departments.