Industrial robots can take many physical forms and there is no absolute "best" configuration, the best will depend on the particular application as different configurations have different advantages which make them more suitable for certain tasks. Physical and geometric configurations are not the only consideration in choice of robot for task, others include:

1. Reach
2. Working volume or envelope
3. Payload capacity
4. End effector capability
5. Accuracy
6. Repeatability
7. Manoeuvrability
8. Speed of operation
9. Form of motion
10. Sensing devices

All these factors combine together to formulate the final design of the robot called its configuration. The configuration determines to a large extent the tasks to which the robot is best suited.

There are seven basic industrial robot design configurations:

1. Cartesian or Rectangular
2. Cylindrical
3. Revolute or articulated
4. Polar or spherical
5. Scara
6. Spine
7. Pendulum