Robotics

OnRobot takes robot compatibility to the next level

New Digital I/O Converter Kit and Quick Changer for OnRobot end-of-arm tooling (EoAT) dramatically simplifies automation with a single platform for a full range of collaborative and light industrial robotic systems. OnRobot, a global leader in end-of-arm tooling (EoAT) for collaborative robot applications, has introduced two new products – the Digital I/O Converter Kit and Quick Changer – which together with other OnRobot EoATs, creates a unique One-System Solution that dramatically simplifies automation. OnRobot’s Digital I/O Converter Kit allows OnRobot EoATs to work with a full range of leading collaborative and light industrial robot brands. Building on that initiative, all OnRobot products now have a unified mechanical and communications interface based on the OnRobot Quick Changer, which is now an integrated part of all OnRobot products. An additional Dual Quick Changer incorporates these same new capabilities while allowing the use of two tools in one cycle, mixing and matching to suit application needs and maximising robot utilisation. Now, with a single robotic system, single platform for programming and training, and single vendor relationship, manufacturers have access to a full range of tools, full robot compatibility, and virtually unlimited possibilities for collaborative applications. This new one-system solution speeds deployment so manufacturers save time and money and can quickly realise the benefits of automation. Manufacturers are demanding more from their robotic applications, and end-of-arm tooling has become the key to optimising their investments. This integration of the Quick Changer across the current product lineup makes it easier than ever to switch between tools and robot types, allowing flexibility and reducing downtime for more efficient production and faster automation ROI. This is another step closer to a unified OnRobot one-system solution that makes it easy, fast and cost-effective for manufacturers to build collaborative applications, no matter which robots they choose.” Unified platform across […]

Your next press release will not be written by a robot

Fears that automation will take our jobs are rife but press officers need not feel threatened by new tools that translate technical research into lay summaries. By Ruth Francis I recently attended a seminar that looked at tools we can use to help promote research. One of the panelists, Sabine Louët of Science Pod, sparked a discussion I had afterwards with two other press officers about the value we bring compared to what can be automated. Louët showed examples of news content that was written by Natural Language Processing, a sub-discipline of artificial intelligence. For example, in 2014, the first news article reporting a small earthquake in Los Angeles, California was generated in this way, and others were created from crawling data on street crime or climatic events. For those of us who struggle with headline writing, A*STAR and Singapore Press Holdings in Singapore may be able to help: they are using AI to make headlines more engaging without resorting to pure clickbait. At Science Pod, they have software that can augment the work of a press officer by automatically creating a lay summary of a research article. In this way, it demystifies the original research much like a press release. Although next-generation summaries should be good enough to publish with little human intervention, press officers need not worry. These summaries are simply straight translations, not in-depth analyses or stories that we and journalists write. A good press release should do much more than simply translate a research article. We can and should engage the reader and persuade them to find out more. We do this by adding detail gleaned by talking to the researchers, finding out why they did the work and what it adds to the field and beyond. Our ability to improve prose to clarify research, to […]

Robot couple Xiaolan and Xiaotao carry food at a restaurant in Jinhua

Robotic process automation increases competitiveness

Despite the acknowledged productivity benefits of automation, many companies still handle common business practices manually, missing out on efficiencies and potential competitive advantage. Organisations should consider robotic process automation for back-office operations, and even some front-office processes, which are currently still done manually, according to NICE. Gerry Tucker, managing director, ANZ, NICE, said, “Businesses can gain significant benefits by automating certain business processes through robotic process automation. There are two types of robots: attended robots, which are used on a desktop to help humans optimise their work; and unattended robots, which live on the server and replace human activity. Using attended or unattended robots can help organisations deliver a consistent customer experience and makes workers more efficient. “For example, one of the world’s largest furniture retailers worked with NICE to implement a robotic process automation solution that could streamline order entry and fulfilment for customers. The system eliminated 100 per cent of order entry errors. It automated the processes and tasks associated with the equivalent of 16 full-time employees, letting those workers focus on more value-adding tasks. In total, the robots reduced the company’s manual workload by 5,000 hours per year, delivering a faster, more accurate automated order and delivery system. This dramatically improved the customer experience.” Robotic process automation has been defined by the Institute for Robotic Process Automation as “the application of technology that allows employees in a company to configure computer software or a ‘robot’ to capture and interpret existing applications for processing a transaction, manipulating data, triggering responses and communicating with other digital systems”. NICE has identified five ways robotics can improve an organisation’s business processes, enhance the customer experience and deliver greater employee satisfaction: 1. Increasing employee satisfaction: By relieving employees of repetitive, menial actions, organisations can improve customer service and employee satisfaction at the […]

World Robotics Report 2016: Collaborative robots as market driver

Universal Robots welcomes new report that documents how “cobots” are now the hottest growth segment in industrial automation with forecasts showing no signs of slowing. The World Robotics Report 2016 recently released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) forecasts that compact, user-friendly collaborative robots will become a key driver in the automation market. The report predicts the worldwide annual sales of industrial robots to increase by at least 13 percent on average per year from 2017 to 2019. Human-robot collaboration will have a “breakthrough“ in this period, enabling robots and humans to work safely side-by-side without any fences, while increasing production efficiency and quality. “As the market leader of the cobot industry, Universal Robots welcomes the report which confirms the validity of our mission: lowering barriers and enabling automation in areas previously considered too complex or costly,” said Chief Commercial Officer of Universal Robots, Daniel Friis. “Our installed base of more than 10,000 cobots worldwide illustrates the dramatic growth potential of this game-changing automation technology. We enable small and medium-sized enterprises to optimise their competitiveness on the global stage with an industry leading payback period.” Industries predicted by IFR to adopt cobots at an increasing rate include automotive, the plastics industry, electronics assembly and the machine tool industry. These are all sectors where Universal Robots is seeing strong traction. “UR robots are now increasingly deployed on the auto assembly line, working hand-in-hand with employees, by relieving them of ergonomically unfavourable tasks. We have recent case studies documenting how cobots quadrupled injection moulding production, and how our new UR3 table-top robot is now a sought-after automation tool for light assembly, such as circuit board handling,” said Friis. In Australia and the Asia region in particular, strong, continued robot growth is forecasted by IFR, with the recent report suggesting a rise […]

Robot revolution: rise of the intelligent automated workforce

-Danushka Bollegala, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Computer Science, University of Liverpool. Losing jobs to technology is nothing new. Since the industrial revolution, roles that were once exclusively performed by humans have been slowly but steadily replaced by some form of automated machinery. Even in cases where the human worker is not completely replaced by a machine, humans have learnt to rely on a battery of machinery to be more efficient and accurate. A report from the Oxford Martin School’s Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology said that 47% of all jobs in the US are likely to be replaced by automated systems. Among the jobs soon to be replaced by machines are real estate brokers, animal breeders, tax advisers, data entry workers, receptionists, and various personal assistants. But you won’t need to pack up your desk and hand over to a computer just yet, and in fact jobs that require a certain level of social intelligence and creativity such as in education, healthcare, the arts and media are likely to remain in demand from humans, because such tasks remain difficult to be computerised. Like it or not, we now live in an era dominated by artificial intelligence(AI). AI can be seen as a collection of technologies that can be used to imitate or even to outperform tasks performed by humans using machines. We might not first see it but we cannot avoid running into one or more systems that use some form of an AI algorithm in our day-to-day activities – such as searching for some information using Google, purchasing a recommended product on Amazon, or recognising faces in an image uploaded to Facebook. Deep learning Recent breakthroughs in AI are largely attributable to a technique called deep learning. Often known as machine learning or neural networking, […]

Joint development of Japan’s first anti-explosive remotely operated mobile robot

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) have jointly developed the remotely operated “Sakura No. 2 (anti-explosive model)” robot. It features greatly reduced risk of electrical spark or heat creation that can cause explosions or fire when inflammable gas is present. It is the first mobile robot in Japan that can be remotely operated either wirelessly or by wire. Applications and demand will be developed for safe and efficient data collection, inspection and light work in environments that require equipment to be anti-explosive such as tunnel accidents and petrochemical plants. The robot is based on the “Sakura No. 2” robot developed by CIT that has built up experience in applications such as accident resolution support activities in nuclear power plants, and the advanced anti-explosive design has been realized by utilizing MHI’s broad technical capabilities in industrial fields. It received outsourcing support and assistance from the “Project to develop systems to handle the social challenges of infrastructure maintenance management and renewal” of The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO). It also passed the anti-explosive model inspection of the Technology Institution of Industrial Safety (TIIS) in Japan. Further, it is planned to obtain anti-explosive certification based on the ATEX Directive that is widely adopted in Europe and around the world. In order to make the robot anti-explosive, the pressure resistant anti-explosive casing that houses components such as the lithium ion batteries and battery management system (BMS). The casing for the electrical parts such as the motor and controller have a higher internal pressure than the external atmosphere, giving a two-fold internal pressure plus pressure resistant anti-explosive protection. This means that inflammable gases cannot penetrate to the interior of the casing due to the pressure difference, and if the casing internal pressure drops, for example if the […]

AUTOMATICA 2016 Shows the Future 4.0

AUTOMATICA 2016 (June 21 to 24) exceeded all expectations: around 45,000 visitors (+ 30 percent) and 839 exhibitors from 47 countries (+ 16 percent). One-third of the visitors came from foreign countries. Managing Director Falk Senger: “AUTOMATICA has reached a new dimension. It showed the future of production with deep insights into the possibilities of digitalization, human-robot collaboration and professional service robotics.” Automation and robotics make Industry 4.0 possible in the first place. Tremendous energy could be felt at the trade fair thanks to the topic. Service robotics recorded a big increase at AUTOMATICA and provided a fascinating insight into the everyday life of tomorrow: the care car in a hospital or the inventory robot for department stores, service robots as driverless transport systems or assistants for people. New production methods – new work processes: Work 4.0 is a main topic at AUTOMATICA. Man and machine will work together in the team in the future. People are the focus with their emotional intelligence, and robots assist them. Interest from China was never so great. The number of visitors and exhibitors has more than tripled. The Chinese automation boom is becoming increasingly noticeable at AUTOMATICA. A total of 13 delegations came just from China. Song Xiaogang, General Secretary of the China Robotics Industry Alliance (CRIA): “AUTOMATICA is absolutely one of the leading trade fairs for Automation and Robotics, which gives a very strong impression to the Chinese visitors and exhibitors. Through communication and exchange, CRIA delegation believe, there is a bright future of Sino-German cooperation in automation and robotics.” Full halls and a great atmosphere: 96 percent of the exhibitors and 98 percent of visitors evaluate the trade fair as excellent, very good or good. Sixty-eight percent of visitors believe that the trade fair will increase in importance in the future. […]

AUTOMATICA 2016 -A new robot generation

For the first time, this year, all renowned robotics manufacturers with innovations across the board are at AUTOMATICA in Munich from June 21 to 24. Gone are the days when progress was defined by improvements in details. This time solutions are signaling a new era of automation with new approaches that do justice to the demands of human-robot collaboration (MRC) and Industry 4.0. The robotics business around the world is booming. The World Robot Association IFR reported a global sales record of eight percent in 2015 in the industrial robot sector. The number of industrial robots sold worldwide reached the mark of 240,000 units for the first time. “The worldwide sales of industrial robots in 2015 confirmed that we are in very exciting times for the robot industry,” Per Vegard Nerseth, Managing Director at ABB Robotics, stated. “With the start into 2016, the traditional drivers in our industry are being complemented by a huge demand for solutions in the Internet of Things (IoT) as well as the services & people areas. I believe that this development will result in a new record year.”MRC: A new generation of robots is ready for the market Collaborating robots are paving a revolutionary new way for SMEs to automate their production on an optimum technical level and consequently secure their competitive position while cutting costs. Manufacturers are taking different approaches in developing their collaborative robots. While one faction, including ABB, Kuka, Universal Robots, Yaskawa and Co. relies on special machines for MRC, Stäubli and Fanuc design their standard robots for MRC applications. A big advantage for AUTOMATICA visitors: All major robot manufacturers are represented at the trade fair, which enables a direct comparison of these solutions. Industry 4.0 and MRC Stäubli will highlight the performance of his new TX2 six-axle series in a variety […]

Factory Robo-Imager, factory automation solution

Factory Robo-Imager is a system that combines the FARO Factory Array Imager with a collaborative-robot to provide highly adaptable, safe and automated in- and near-line inspection solutions. This product line pairs the FARO Factory Array Imager, with a human-collaborative robot in two configurations: either a fixed installation or turnkey mobile station. The Robo-Imager fixed installation can be mounted anywhere in the factory and deliver automated measurements while the Robo-Imager Mobile is the same Robo-Imager mounted on an instrumented cart that can be quickly moved to wherever measurement tasks are required. The FARO Factory Array Imager is a new metrology-grade 3D sensor with blue light technology, capable of quickly capturing high-resolution measurement data for dimensional inspection on parts, assemblies and tools. When coupled with a collaborative-robot, the Robo-Imager provides a turnkey solution to automate the inspection and verification of parts at any location in the production environment. “The manufacturing world is quickly evolving, with smart factories, LEAN thinking, and emphasis on automation, driving the need to shift quality control and inspection processes closer to the production line,” stated Dr. Simon Raab, President and CEO of FARO Technologies. “To that end, FARO is committed to developing new metrology solutions for Factory Automation. The Robo-Imager does just that, moving metrology from the QC lab to the shop floor for improved productivity.”

Development of a wall-climbing drone

In the picture: CAROS, a drone-type wall-climbing robot system. The integrity of large structures like bridges, high-rise buildings, wind turbines, and large aircrafts is deeply related with security. Nowadays, due to the aging of large structures and the potential concerns about their collapse, interest in structural health monitoring has risen all over the world. Though there has been a great deal of research on the inspection of inaccessible large structures using mobile robots, since most existing robots require the installation of additional infrastructure or use magnetic-based technology or vacuum adhesion, it is difficult to apply those technologies to structures with diverse surface shapes and materials. Professor Hyun Myung in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed CAROS (Climbing Aerial RObot System), which does not require installation of any additional infrastructure and which features maximised mobility and safety as a wall-climbing robot. This robot has higher mobility than existing wall-climbing robots because it can fly. It also has an advantage in that it can restore its pose after an accidental fall due to an unexpected disturbance. Since the robot can stick to the surface, it can perform close inspection and maintenance of the structure. Firstly, the CAROS team designed and analysed the structure/mechanism of the drone to maximise the flight stability and grip force on walls. Secondly, they developed the algorithms of flying/climbing mode transformation and wall-climbing control, respectively. These algorithms enable the CAROS to change its mode when it meets a wall while flying. To make these algorithms, the forward and backward kinematics are derived and applied to the system. Lastly, the team developed an autonomous navigation algorithm using sensory information to recognize 3D environments. This technology also can be used to assess the situation in a fire […]

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