Sometimes, robot joints with pneumatic or hydraulic drives are
technically complex in design, partly with linear cylinders, pivot points and
many mechanical parts.
Many constructive
solutions currently present themselves in such a way that used linear cylinders
with a pivot bearing, bearing block and swivel head pivot the parts with the
help of levers and pivot bearings. This is very unfavorable if uniform forces
are to be generated over the entire movement sequence. In the Curvedrive, on
the other hand, the same force always acts on the component to be moved – as
indicated in the picture called “Alternative”.
Different variants of the Curvedrive with
piston rod, as double cylinder and also with guide carriage are executed with
the commercial piston diameters.
In addition, various housing versions are available, which are required
for the realization of pivoting angles from 10° to 150°, special versions and
multi-position cylinders with angles of 180° and more.
The drives in the video have swivel angles
of about 90 “, but variants with swivel angles of 120° to 150° are also
possible for knee or elbow joints. The movements of the Curvedrive as a combination of two drives can
be seen in the video.
The pivotal movement may be about a single axis, such as an elbow or knee joint. If Curvedrives are assembled in a combined manner, then movable drives can be represented around several axes, which are suitable, for example, as a shoulder joint for robots – as indicated in the picture called “Application for robot joints”.
Curvedrive is a
compact and combinable unit in which the joint is at the same time also the
rotary actuator. Servopneumatic or servohydraulic drives can be implemented in
combination with attached or integrated displacement or angle measuring
systems, making them an alternative to purely electric servo drives.
The safety in the
cooperation of humans and robots is ensured by the good adjustment and
controllability of the forces, as well as uniform motion sequences.
The Curvedrive offers
a wide range of possibilities for novel design and design concepts of
innovative robotics models. Industrial robots for manufacturing and assembly
tasks, as humanoid robots, helper for the people in household and service and
as independently operating work and transport robots under difficult operating
conditions for the completion of various tasks, or as a working machine that is
operated by humans, are just a few examples from the wide range of applications:
The Curvedrive offers as an alternative to
conventional linear drives in specific applications.
Work machines and vehicles with mobile pneumatics
and hydraulics
Enrichment for
handling and automation components
Curvedrive can be used both in robotics for
small joint structures and in mechanical engineering for heavy and powerful
motion sequences.
The content above was provided to Roboticmagazine.Com by Bremer Kock company.
Robotic Magazine’s general note: The contents in press releases and user provided content that are published on this website were provided by their respective owners, and therefore the contents in these do not necessarily represent RoboticMagazine.Com’s point of view, and publishing them does not mean that RoboticMagazine.Com endorses the published product or service.
Compatible with DJI Mavic, Phantom and other SDK-enabled
drones
California,
USA, August 08, 2019 — Professional users of
prosumer-grade UAVs can now hover and land their drones precisely – for
drone-in-a-box, autonomous charging, indoor operations, remote inspection
missions and many other commercial use-cases.
Precision landing i.e. the ability to accurately
land a drone on a landing platform has until now been available mainly for
commercial-grade drones – particularly those running Ardupilot or PX4
autopilots. However, FlytBase now brings this powerful capability to prosumer
grade drones (eg. the DJI Mavic and Phantom series, including all variants)
that are SDK-enabled.
Fully autonomous precision landing is best delivered via a vision-based approach that leverages the inbuilt downward-looking camera and intelligent computer vision algorithms, while avoiding the need for external sensors, cameras and companion computers. The ability to configure and manage this capability over the cloud in real-time, customize the visual markers, and integrate with the ground control station makes it well suited for enterprise drone fleets.
Image Source: FlytBase Inc. – www.flytbase.com
Furthermore, commercially beneficial drone
missions need the ability to land the drone precisely on any target location
of interest or importance – not just on the home location. In fact, regardless
of the landing location, there also needs to be a closed loop that checks and
ensures that the drone did indeed land precisely where intended.
Precision landing can be further complicated due to operations in environments with weak or no GPS signals (such as dense urban areas with tall buildings, warehouses, retail stores, etc.), or landing on moving platforms. FlytDock enables the UAV to accurately loiter and land in such scenarios, including night landings and low light drone operations.
Image Source: FlytBase Inc. – www.flytbase.com
For long range, long endurance, repeatable, BVLOS
missions, customers need to deploy fully autonomous drone-in-a-box
(DIAB) solutions, which require the drone to take-off, hover and land very
accurately – along with automatic
charging, environmental protection and remote control. The challenge is that
existing DIAB offerings are overpriced to the point where production
deployments are commercially unviable. The good news for customers is that
prosumer drones are rapidly maturing along the technology S-curve, and are
available at extremely compelling price points – thus driving enterprise DIAB solutions
towards off-the-shelf drone hardware coupled with intelligent software that is
built on an open architecture with APIs, plugins and SDKs. This combination –
coupled with 3rd party charging pads and docking stations that use precision
landing technology, and a cloud-based GCS – results in an integrated,
cost-effective DIAB solution, at price points potentially one-tenth of the
existing drone-in-a-box products.
Indoor drone operations may not need full DIAB
solutions – instead, inductive or conductive, API-enabled charging pads may be
sufficient. Nevertheless, they too require precision landing seamlessly
integrated into the workflow to enable autonomous charging – including the ability and robustness to navigate
in no-GPS environments. Coupled with remote configuration & control over
the cloud or a local network, and fail-safe triggers, such precision landing
capability can drive large-scale indoor drone deployments.
Remote asset inspections, for example autonomous
inspections of wind turbine farms located in far-off rural areas, may not
require BVLOS permissions if granted regulatory waivers as part of FAA pilot
programs. However, the ability to takeoff and land precisely from outdoor
charging pads or docking stations is a key capability for such asset monitoring
missions, which may need to be conducted weekly or monthly per regulatory /
maintenance mandates.
Nitin Gupta, FlytBase Director, commented, “We continue to expand the hardware-agnostic
capabilities of our enterprise drone automation platform with this latest
enhancement to FlytDock. Precision landing is now available to a customer
segment that has been severely under-served so far. In fact, most commercial
drone missions do not need expensive, monolithic drones, and can instead be reliably
executed with off-the-shelf, SDK-enabled drones. Hence, we believe it is
important to make our intelligent plugins available to drone technology
providers and system integrators who are building cost-effective UAV solutions
for their customers. Prosumer-grade drone fleets can now be deployed in
autonomous enterprise missions – with the ability to navigate and land
reliably, repeatedly, accurately.”
FlytBase is an enterprise drone automation
company with technology that automates and
scales drone applications. The software enables
easy deployment of intelligent drone fleets,
seamlessly integrated with cloud-based business applications. FlytBase technology is compatible with all major drone and hardware platforms. With IoT architecture, enterprise-grade security and reliability, the platform suits a variety of commercial drone use-cases, powered by autonomy.
The press release above was provided to Roboticmagazine.Com by FlytBase Inc.
Robotic Magazine’s general note: The contents in press releases and user provided content that are published on this website were provided by their respective owners, and therefore the contents in these do not necessarily represent RoboticMagazine.Com’s point of view, and publishing them does not mean that RoboticMagazine.Com endorses the published product or service.
Produced by UAS Magazine, the UAS Summit & Expo will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of the current state of the unmanned aircraft systems industry.
Grand Forks, ND — (July 23, 2019) — UAS Magazine announced the keynote speakers for the 2019 UAS Summit & Expo, the upper Midwest’s premier unmanned aircraft systems event, taking place August 27-28 in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
“We are excited and honored to have the leaders from several major aviation organizations presenting at this year’s UAS Summit. With General David Goldfein, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff and senior uniformed Air Force officer, the Summit will provide an opportunity for attendees and exhibitors alike to hear firsthand how the U.S. Air Force views the future of UAS. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell will join General Goldfein on stage to offer the FAA’s input on the unmanned aviation space,” says Luke Geiver, editor and program director for UAS Magazine. “Senator John Hoeven from North Dakota, often referred to as the Silicon Valley of Drones, will join Goldfein and Elwell on stage in what should be an exciting, unique and powerful one-hour keynote presentation.”
This year’s agenda has been created with informative and timely presentations. The agenda will feature speakers with expertise on a specific topic area, including: the current state of the UAS industry; realizing beyond visual line of sight; or finding the future use of UAS in large and small operations.”
The 2019 program will have presentations given by the most influential UAS entities from the world, such as:
Northrop Grumman General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Northern Plains UAS Test Site SkySkopes Grand Sky L3 Harris Technologies Echodyne NASA FAA USAF and more
The
Summit, taking place in the original epicenter of drone research,
offers the most open airspace in the country. The Northern Plains has
become the “Silicon Valley of Drones” and the sky is now filled with
activity from commercial, government and military users.
“This
year’s Summit may be the most informative and meaningful event we’ve
ever assembled” says John Nelson, vice president of marketing and sales
for UAS Magazine.
“Whether you are commercial or military, you will gain comprehensive
insight and network with the industry’s top leaders. Grand Forks is
where commercialization and innovation are happening.”
About UAS Magazine For commercial manufacturers and operators, UAS Magazine
highlights the most critical developments and cutting-edge technologies
for unmanned aerial systems in the civil, agriculture, defense and
commercial markets worldwide. UAS Magazine’s
readership includes executives, directors, managers and operators from
companies and organizations focused on expanding their knowledge of
unmanned aerial systems. UAS Magazine is an industry hub connecting decision-makers, who are looking for new technologies, with the most innovative companies.
ABB Robotics to develop solutions for the Hospital of the Future Press release | Zurich, Switzerland | 2019-07-10
estimated to reach nearly 60,000 non-surgical medical robots by 2025, almost
quadrupling vs. 2018
ABB announced that it will introduce
collaborative robots to medical laboratories as it opens a new healthcare hub at
the Texas Medical Center (TMC) innovation campus in Houston, Texas.
The facility will be ABB’s first dedicated
healthcare research center when it opens in October 2019. ABB’s research team will work on the TMC campus with medical staff,
scientists and engineers to develop non-surgical medical robotics systems,
including logistics and next-generation automated laboratory technologies.
Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation business said, “The next-generation laboratory processes developed in Houston will speed manual medical laboratory processes, reducing and eliminating bottlenecks in laboratory work and enhancing safety and consistency. This is especially applicable for new high-tech treatments, such as the cancer therapies pioneered at the Texas Medical Center, which today require manual and time-consuming test processes.”
Today, a limiting factor to the number of
patients who can be treated is the need for highly skilled medical experts who spend
a large part of their day doing repetitive and low value tasks, such as
preparing slides and loading centrifuges. Using robots to automate these tasks
will enable medical professionals to focus on more highly skilled and
productive work, while ultimately helping more people to receive treatment
through dramatically speeding the testing process.
ABB has analyzed a wide range of current manual medical laboratory processes and estimates that 50% more tests could be carried out every year using automation, while training robots to undertake repetitive processes will reduce the need for people to do tasks which cause repetitive strain injury (RSI).
As the world population ages, countries are spending an increasingly larger proportion of their GDP on healthcare. In addition to improving the quality of patient care, increasing healthcare efficiency through automation can ease some of the societal, political and financial challenges that this will cause. The market for non-surgical medical robots is estimated to reach nearly 60,000 by 2025 with the market almost quadrupling vs. 2018, according to an internal ABB research.
ABB’s collaborative robots, which already operate in food and beverage laboratories worldwide, are well suited to medical facilities as they don’t require safety fences to operate safely and efficiently alongside people. The robots will undertake a range of repetitive, delicate and time-consuming activities including dosing, mixing and pipetting tasks as well as sterile instrument kitting and centrifuge loading and unloading.
Houston is a focal point for medical technology research globally and the TMC innovation ecosystem is the ideal location for ABB’s new healthcare hub. A 20-strong team from ABB Robotics will work in the new 5,300 sq ft (500m2) research facility, which includes an automation laboratory and robot training facilities, as well as meeting spaces for co-developing solutions with innovation partners.
Image Source: ABB Robotics – www.abb.com
“With this exciting partnership, Texas Medical Center continues to push the boundaries of innovative collaboration with cutting-edge industry partners by establishing TMC as the epicenter for ABB Robotics’ entry into the healthcare space,” said Bill McKeon, President & CEO of Texas Medical Center. “Operating a city within a city that sees 10 million patients on an annual basis, it is essential to prioritize efficiency, and precision and to develop processes that are easily repeatable in nature. By bringing ABB into the fold at TMC Innovation with this first-of-its-kind R&D facility for creating robotics solutions in healthcare, TMC is emphasizing its commitment to doing just that.”
“We are proud to co-develop collaborative robotics systems for the Hospital of the Future with one of the world’s most advanced partners and to test them in real-world laboratories to ensure they add value to healthcare professionals, driving innovation and transforming how medical laboratories operate worldwide,” added Atiya. “A key element of ABB’s long-term growth strategy is to continue to invest and innovate in service robotics, bringing our automation expertise to new areas such as healthcare and building on our automotive and electronics sectors business.”
ABB (ABB: NYSE) is a pioneering technology leader with a comprehensive offering for digital industries. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB is today a leader in digital industries with four customer-focused, globally leading businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation, supported by its common ABB Ability digital platform. ABB’s market‑leading Power Grids business will be divested to Hitachi in 2020. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees.
ABB Robotics is a pioneer
in industrial and collaborative robots and advanced digital services. As one of
the world’s leading robotics suppliers, we are active in 53 countries and over
100 locations and have shipped over 400,000 robot solutions for a diverse range
of industries and applications. We help our customers to improve flexibility,
efficiency, safety and reliability, while moving towards the connected and
collaborative factory of the future. www.abb.com/robotics
ABOUT TMC INNOVATION
Texas Medical Center (TMC)—the largest medical city in
the world—is at the forefront of advancing life sciences. Home to the
brightest minds in medicine, TMC nurtures
cross-institutional collaboration, creativity, and innovation among its 106,000-plus
employees. With a campus of more than 50 million square feet, TMC annually
hosts 10 million patients, performs over 180,000 surgeries, conducts over
750,000 ER visits, performs close to 14,000 heart surgeries, and delivers over
25,000 babies. Beyond patient care, TMC is pushing the boundaries of clinical
research across its extensive network of partner institutions on a daily basis,
pioneering effective health policy solutions to address the complex health care
issues of today, and cultivating cutting-edge digital health applications and
medical devices. For more information, please visit www.tmc.edu.
TOKYO/SEATTLE/LOS ANGELES/LONDON, June 6, 2019 – After much
anticipation, ANA HOLDINGS INC., HaptX, SynTouch, Shadow Robot Company unveiled
the next generation of robotics technology at the Amazon Re:Mars Expo.
Incorporating the latest advances from across the field of robotic and united
by the ingenuity of ANA, the teleoperation and the telepresence system features
the first robotic hand to successfully transmit touch sensations. Jeff Bezos
Amazon’s CEO tried out the touch-sensitive, dexterous haptic robotic hand
set up in an exhibit hall at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas and
described the experience as “weirdly natural.”
Bezos started out with a simple task:
picking up a plastic cup and dropping it onto a stack of cups. He then played
around with a palm-sized soccer ball and a rainbow ring-stacking puzzle stating
“OK, this is really cool.” It was the first time the collaborators of this
teleoperation and telepresence technology displayed their creation outside the
lab, to an audience made up of experts in machine learning, automation, robotics
and space, as well as the general public and to the world’s richest person,
Jeff Bezos.
Speaking to GeekWire Aerospace and Science
Editor, Alan Boyle, Bezos looked over at the Rubik’s Cube on the table. “You
want me to solve that Rubik’s Cube?” he joked. “I can’t even do that with my
hands!” When it was time to move on, Bezos gave his trademark laugh and said,
“that is really impressive.” He went on to say, “the tactile feedback is really
tremendous.” After taking off the haptic gloves, one of the spectators asked
Bezos how it felt. “Weirdly natural” he responded.
By combining Shadow Robot’s world-leading dexterous robotic
hand with SynTouch’s biomimetic tactile sensors and HaptX’s realistic haptic
feedback gloves, the new technology enables unprecedented precision
remote-control of a robotic hand. In
recent tests, a human operator in California was able to operate a computer
keyboard in London, with each keystroke detected through fingertip sensors on
their glove and faithfully relayed 5000 miles to the Dexterous Hand to
recreate. Combining touch with
teleoperation in this way is ground-breaking and points to future applications
where we might choose – or need – to perform delicate actions at a distance,
e.g. bomb disposal, deep-sea engineering or even surgery performed across
different states.
Kevin Kajitani, Co-Director of ANA
HOLDINGS INC. Avatar Division says, “We are only beginning to scratch the surface of what
is possible with these advanced Avatar systems and through telerobotics in
general. In addition to sponsoring the $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE, we’ve approached
our three partner companies to seek solutions that will allow us to develop a
high performance, intuitive, general-purpose Avatar hand. We believe that this
technology will be key in helping humanity connect across vast distances.”
Jake Rubin, Founder and CEO of HaptX says, “Our sense of touch is a
critical component of virtually every interaction. The collaboration between
HaptX, Shadow Robot Company, SynTouch, and ANA brings a natural and realistic
sense of touch to robotic manipulation for the first time, eliminating one of
the last barriers to true telepresence.”
Dr. Jeremy Fishel, Co-Founder of
SynTouch says, “Users will see just how essential the sense of touch
is when it comes to dexterity and manipulation and the various applications it
can have within industry.”
Rich Walker, Managing Director of the
Shadow Robot Company says, “Our remotely controlled system can help transform work within
risky environments such as nuclear decommissioning and we’re already in talks
with the UK nuclear establishment regarding the application of this advanced
technology. It adds a layer of safety between the worker and the radiation zone
as well as increasing precision and accuracy within glovebox-related tasks.”
Paul Cutsinger, Head of Voice Design
Education at Amazon Alexa says, “re:MARS embraces an optimistic vision for scientific
discovery to advance a golden age of innovation and this teleoperation
technology by the Shadow Robot Company, SynTouch and HaptX more than fits the
bill. It must be seen.”
[END]
Image Source: Shadow Robot Company – www.shadowrobot.com Image Source: Shadow Robot Company – www.shadowrobot.com
About ANA
Following the
“Inspiration of Japan” high quality of service, ANA has been awarded
the respected 5-Star rating every year since 2013 from SKYTRAX. ANA is the only Japanese airline to win this
prestigious designation seven years in a row. Additionally, ANA has
been recognized by Air Transport World as “Airline of the Year” three
times in the past 10 years – 2007, 2013 and 2018, becoming one of the few
airlines winning this prestigious award for multiple times.
ANA was founded
in 1952 with two helicopters and has become the largest airline in Japan, as
well as one of the most significant airlines in Asia, operating 80
international routes and 118 domestic routes. ANA offers a unique dual hub
model which enables passengers to travel to Tokyo and connect through the two
airports in the metropolitan Tokyo, NARITA and HANEDA, to various destinations
throughout Japan, and also offers same day connections between various North
American, Asian and Chinese cities.
ANA has been a
member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint venture partnerships with
United Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and
Austrian Airlines.
Besides the full
service and award winner carrier ANA, the ANA Group has two LCCs
as consolidated subsidiaries, Vanilla Air Inc. and Peach Aviation Limited.
The ANA Group carried 53.8 million passengers in FY2017, has
approximately 39,000 employees and a fleet of 260 aircraft. ANA is a
proud launch customer and the biggest operator of the Boeing 787
Dreamliner.
Founded in 2012 by Jake Rubin and Dr. Robert Crockett, HaptX is a
technology company that simulates touch sensation with unprecedented realism.
HaptX Gloves enable natural interaction and realistic haptic feedback
for virtual reality, teleoperation, and telepresence for the first time.
HaptX is a venture-backed startup with offices in San Luis Obispo, CA and
Seattle, WA. www.haptx.com
About SynTouch Inc.
SynTouch
developed and makes the only sensor technology in the world that endows robots
with the ability to replicate – and sometimes exceed – the human sense of
touch. Its flagship product – the BioTac – mimics the physical properties and
sensory capabilities of the human fingertip. Founded in 2008 and headquartered
in Los Angeles, SynTouch develops tactile instrumentation that helps customers
quantify how their products feel. www.syntouchinc.com
About Shadow Robot Company:
The Shadow Robot Company is one of the UK’s leading robotic developers, experts at grasping and manipulation for robotic hands. Shadow has worked with companies and researchers across the globe, looking at new ways to apply robotics technologies to solve real-world problems. They develop and sell the Dexterous Hand, recently used to advance research into AI, and the Modular Grasper, an essential tool for supporting industry 4.0. Their new Teleoperation System is being developed for the AVATAR X space program (their third space collaboration after NASA and ESA) and can be deployed in nuclear safety and pharma labs. www.shadowrobot.com
The Tactile Telerobot is the world’s first haptic telerobotic system that transmits realistic touch feedback to an operator located anywhere in the world. It is the product of joint collaboration between Shadow Robot Company, HaptX, and SynTouch. All Nippon Airways funded the project’s initial research and development. It has been described as ” Weirdly natural… this is really impressive, the tactile feedback is really tremendous !” by Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos. Learn more at tactiletelerobot.com
Interested readers can also view further information at: https://www.shadowrobot.com/telerobots/
And here is a youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rZYn62OId8&feature=youtu.be
The press release above was provided to Roboticmagazine.Com by Shadow Robot Company.
Robotic Magazine’s general note: The contents in press releases and user provided content that are published on this website were provided by their respective owners, and therefore the contents in these do not necessarily represent RoboticMagazine.Com’s point of view, and publishing them does not mean RoboticMagazine.Com endorses the published product or service.
With New Patent Granted, AKA Brings a Step
Closer to More Affective Human-Robot Interaction
Santa Monica, CA, April 12, 2019 — AKA, an AI development company, today
announced the issuance of PCT Patent (PCT/KR2018/006493, REG 1019653720000) for
“Method of Determining Emotion of
Computer Dialogue Agents.”
The
patented technology involves a method for determining the emotions of computer
dialogue agents.
Developed
based on a psychoevolutionary theory–Plutchik’s
wheel of emotions–which classifies emotions to eight basic categories,
AKA’s new patented technology makes it possible to determine the emotion of a
computer dialogue agent by using dimensionality reduction techniques to map
sentences into a color-emotion space.
To determine the emotional content of a sentence, the method employs dimensionality reduction techniques to map emotions as points in the three dimensional space. It uses sentences’ pleasure, arousal and dominance values produced by a regression algorithm trained on in-house data to project a point into the 3-dimensional coordinate system. The point is then mapped into a color-emotion space as specified by Plutchik’s wheel of emotions. The final value of the emotion is determined by the point’s position in the color-emotion space: the type of emotion, the intensity of emotion, as well as a color to represent it. This information is finally used to determine the facial expression of Musio, the color of its heart, and as a parameter in guiding the dialogue between the user and Musio.
Source AKA – www.akaintelligence.com
“We believe
this is a very important patent received,” said Raymond Jung, CEO of AKA. “it
will further strengthen our AI Engine, MUSE, with more accurate emotional
expressions in human-robot communications.”
For more
information about AKA’s patent in Method of Determining Emotion of Computer,
please visit here.
About AKA
AKA is
developing AI engines to help improve communication between people and all
things digital. AKA’s technology integrates artificial intelligence and big
data to more effectively deliver essential communication tools, such as
speaking, writing, facial expressions, and gestures, that are often overlooked.
The press release above was provided to Roboticmagazine.Com by AKA Intelligence in April 2019.
General Note about Press Releases: The contents in press releases that are published on this site were provided by their respective owners of those press releases, and therefore these contents do not necessarily represent roboticmagazine.com point of view, and publishing them does not mean roboticmagazine.com endorses the published product or service.
Carnegie Mellon Robot, Art Project To Land on Moon in 2021
June 6, 2019
CMU Becomes Space-Faring University With Payloads Aboard Astrobotic Lander
PITTSBURGH—Carnegie
Mellon University is going to the moon, sending a robotic rover and an
intricately designed arts package that will land in July 2021.
The
four-wheeled robot is being developed by a CMU team led by William
“Red” Whittaker, professor in the Robotics Institute. Equipped with
video cameras, it will be one of the first American rovers to explore
the moon’s surface. Although NASA landed the first humans on the moon
almost 50 years ago, the U.S. space agency has never launched a robotic
lunar rover.
The arts package, called MoonArk, is
the creation of Lowry Burgess, space artist and professor emeritus in
the CMU School of Art. The eight-ounce MoonArk has four elaborate
chambers that contain hundreds of images, poems, music, nano-objects,
mechanisms and earthly samples intertwined through complex narratives that blur the boundaries between worlds seen and unseen.
“Carnegie
Mellon is one of the world’s leaders in robotics. It’s natural that our
university would expand its technological footprint to another world,”
said J. Michael McQuade, CMU’s vice president of research. “We are
excited to expand our knowledge of the moon and develop lunar technology
that will assist NASA in its goal of landing astronauts on the lunar
surface by 2024.”
Both payloads will be delivered to the moon by a Peregrine lander, built and operated by Astrobotic Inc.,
a CMU spinoff company in Pittsburgh. NASA last week awarded a $79.5
million contract to Astrobotic to deliver 14 scientific payloads to the
lunar surface, making the July 2021 mission possible. CMU independently
negotiated with Astrobotic to hitch a ride on the lander’s first
mission.
“CMU
robots have been on land, on the sea, in the air, underwater and
underground,” said Whittaker, Fredkin University Research Professor and
director of the Field Robotics Center. “The next frontier is the high
frontier.”
For
more than 30 years at the Robotics Institute, Whittaker has led the
creation of a series of robots that developed technologies intended for
planetary rovers — robots with names such as Ambler, Nomad, Scarab and
Andy. And CMU software has helped NASA’s Mars rovers navigate on their
own.
“We’re more than techies — we’re scholars of the moon,” Whittaker said.
The
CMU robot headed to the moon is modest in size and form; Whittaker
calls it “a shoebox with wheels.” It weighs only a little more than four
pounds, but it carries large ambitions. Whittaker sees it as the first
of a new family of robots that will make planetary robotics affordable
for universities and other private entities.
The
Soviet Union put large rovers on the moon fifty years ago, and China
has a robot on the far side of the moon now, but these were massive
programs affordable only by huge nations. The concept of CMU’s rover is
similar to that of CubeSats. These small, inexpensive satellites
revolutionized missions to Earth’s orbit two decades ago, enabling even
small research groups to launch experiments.
Miniaturization
is a big factor in affordability, Whittaker said. Whereas the Soviet
robots each weighed as much as a buffalo and China’s rover is the weight
of a panda bear, CMU’s rover weighs half as much as a house cat.
The
Astrobotic landing will be on the near side of the moon in the vicinity
of Lacus Mortis, or Lake of Death, which features a large pit the size
of Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field that is of considerable scientific interest.
The rover will serve largely as a mobile video platform, providing the
first ground-level imagery of the site.
The
MoonArk has been assembled by an international team of professionals
within the arts, humanities, science and technology communities. Mark
Baskinger, associate professor in the CMU School of Design, is
co-leading the initiative with Lowry.
The
MoonArk team includes CMU students, faculty and alumni who worked with
external artists and professionals involved with emerging media, new and
ancient technologies, and hybrid processes. The team members hold
degrees and faculty appointments in design, engineering, architecture,
chemistry, poetry, music composition and visual art, among others. Their
efforts have been coordinated by the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative
Inquiry in CMU’s College of Fine Arts.
Baskinger calls
the ark and its contents a capsule of life on earth, meant to help
illustrate a vital part of the human existence: the arts.
“If this is the next step in space exploration, let’s put that exploration into the public consciousness,” he said. “Why not get people to look up and think about our spot in the universe, and think about where we are in the greater scheme of things?”
New software unleashes force sensing on UR e-Series
Quebec City, Canada, September 5—Robotiq is launching Force Copilot, an intuitive software to operate Universal Robots e-Series’ embedded force torque sensor. Force Copilot accelerates the programming of a whole host of applications, including part insertion and surface finding, among many others.
Force Copilot’s sensing functions increase flexibility and reliability in machine-tending, assembly, finishing, and pick-and-place applications. A suite of setup tools allows the user to hand-guide the robot on complex trajectories. The software makes it easy to place objects precisely in jigs, trays, and chucks, and it facilitates assembly applications through its alignment, indexing, and insertion functions. Finally, the intuitive interface unlocks finishing applications, with adjustable adaptive compliance and constant force for all robot axes.
“We want to free every production line operator in the world from repetitive manual tasks. With Force Copilot, we are making complex robot-movement programming accessible to anyone,” says Robotiq CEO Samuel Bouchard. “Force Copilot works as the human operator’s guide, helping program the robot quickly and easily. We’re proud to see the next step of the human-robot collaboration take shape.”
David Maltais
Public Relations at Robotiq
1-418-929-2513
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Press release provided to Roboticmagazine.Com by Robotiq.Com
Parrot announces two new professional drone solutions at InterDrone 2018 – the senseFly eBee X and the Parrot ANAFI Work
The two cutting-edge platforms by Parrot-the leading European drone group-help professionals work more efficiently, cut costs, reduce worker risk and make better decisions
September 5, 2018, InterDrone (Las Vegas, USA) – Parrot today strengthens its Parrot Business Solutions portfolio with the release of two new innovative platforms: the senseFly eBee X and the Parrot ANAFI Work.
Launched with the promise that “it’s not about the drone,” but instead about overcoming business challenges, these reliable aerial solutions offer highly accurate insights, whatever the user’s level of drone experience and budget.
“The enterprise-grade eBee X mapping platform and the ultra-compact 4K drone solution for every business, ANAFI Work, showcase the strength and breadth of the growing Parrot Business Solutions portfolio,” said Gilles Labossière, the Executive Vice President and COO of Parrot Group, and senseFly CEO. “More than the drones themselves however, what’s key is that these end-to-end solutions are built upon the commercial knowledge of the entire Parrot Group, providing professionals at all levels with a means to improve their business results-by boosting efficiency, reducing costs, improving worker safety and providing the insights needed to take better decisions.”
eBee X: the fixed-wing drone that allows operators to map without limits
The senseFly eBee X fixed-wing drone is designed to boost the quality, efficiency and safety of geospatial professionals’ data collection. This enterprise-grade solution offers a camera to suit every job, the accuracy and coverage capabilities to meet the requirements of even the most demanding projects and is durable enough to work virtually every site.
MULTI-PURPOSE
One tool, multiple cameras, for every job
The eBee X includes a range of revolutionary new camera options to suit every mapping job-from land surveying and topographic mapping to urban planning, crop mapping, thermal mapping, environmental monitoring and many more. These cameras include:
ThesenseFly S.O.D.A. 3D: a unique drone photogrammetry camera with a one-inch sensor, which changes orientation during flight to capture three images (two oblique, one nadir) every time, instead of just one, for a much wider field of view. The result is stunning digital 3D reconstructions in vertically-focused environments-such as urban areas, open pit mines and coastlines-over larger areas than quadcopter drones can achieve. senseFly S.O.D.A. 3D is optimised for quick, robust image processing with Pix4Dmapper software.
ThesenseFly Aeria X: a compact drone photogrammetry camera with APS-C sensor. This rugged innovation offers an ideal blend of size, weight and DSLR-like image quality. Thanks in part to its built-in Smart Exposure technology, it provides outstanding image detail and clarity, in virtually all light conditions, allowing operators to map for more hours per day than ever before.
ThesenseFly Duet T: a dual-camera thermal mapping rig, which lets mapping professionals create geo-accurate thermal maps and digital surface models quickly and easily. The Duet T includes both a high-resolution (640 x 512 px) thermal infrared camera and a senseFly S.O.D.A. RGB camera with one-inch sensor. Both image sources can be accessed as required, while the rig’s built-in Camera Position Synchronisation feature works in sync with Pix4Dmapper photogrammetry software (optional) to simplify the map reconstruction process.
The eBee X is also compatible with the Parrot Sequoia+ multispectral camera for agriculture, the senseFly S.O.D.A. drone photogrammetry camera and senseFly Corridor for simple linear mapping.
EFFICIENT & PRECISE
Meet every project’s requirements
The eBee X can meet the exacting requirements of every project. Its unique Endurance Extension option unlocks a flight time of up to 90 minutes (versus a maximum endurance of 59 minutes by default). With this capability activated, the drone is able to achieve vast single-flight coverage of up to 500 ha (1,235 ac) at 122 m (400 ft), while the eBee X’s built-in High-Precision on Demand (RTK/PPK) function helps operators to achieve absolute accuracy of down to 3 cm (1.2 in)-without ground control points.
RUGGED & RELIABLE
Work every site, no matter how challenging
The eBee X allows users to work virtually every site, no matter how demanding, thanks to the drone’s built-in Steep Landing technology, ultra-robust design, live air traffic data and more, all backed by senseFly’s professional, localised support.
The eBee X is ideally suited to the varied and evolving needs of mapping professionals. These include: surveying and construction companies, quarry and mine operators, agronomists and forestry engineers, professional drone service providers, aerial imagery companies, environmental researchers and more.
The eBee X is supplied with senseFly’s eMotion flight planning and data management software and is available for purchase immediately from authorised senseFly distributors (listed here https://www.sensefly.com/sensefly-distributors/). Professional image processing software by Pix4D, another Parrot subsidiary, is optional.
ANAFI Work: the 4K ultra-compact drone solution for every business
ANAFI Work is a 4K ultra-compact drone solution for everyday business use by construction professionals, independent contractors, site managers, architects, creative agencies and more. Based on Parrot’s highly-acclaimed ANAFI drone (launched in June 2018), this highly capable, advanced imaging tool makes it easy, and safe, to inspect those hard to reach areas of buildings, and to monitor, model and professionally shoot projects from the sky.
ADVANCED IMAGING SYSTEM
Capture 4K data from the sky
ANAFI Work features a 4K HDR video, 21 MP high-resolution camera. The camera’s three-axis stabilization system allows the drone to shoot ultra-smooth videos and take steady photos. It also features a controllable +/-90° tilt camera, which is unique to the market, allowing professionals to inspect under structures such as balconies or bridges with the Zenith view (+90°) and roofs with the Nadir view (-90°).
ANAFI Work’s camera is also equipped with a lossless zoom of 1.4x in 4K, 2.8x in full HD (1080p), and up to 3x standard digital zoom, allowing professionals to get a closer look at issues, when required, without reducing footage quality, and all while staying a safe distance away from walls.
PERFORMANCE ON THE GO
Always ready to deploy
ANAFI Work boasts industry-leading flight performance, with a 25-minute flight time per battery (four batteries are included). The drone is ultra-compact, weighing in at 320 g (0.7 lb), and its four arms can fold and unfold in less than three seconds, making it an ideal ready to use tool for busy professionals.
It also features a USB-C charging system, which charges 70% faster than standard USB-A, and enables the drone to be charged on-the-go with smartphones, laptops or power banks.
Thanks to its powerful yet quiet propulsion system, ANAFI Work can fly in wind of up to 50 km (31 mi) per hour, plus its omnidirectional transmission system always maintains a strong radio connection, thanks to four dual band antennas embedded in the drone.
EASY TO USE
For every professional
With ANAFI Work, every professional can fly manually and take images of all types of infrastructure using the intuitive FreeFlight 6 mobile app. Flying autonomously meanwhile, and acquiring precise data, is made easy with the app’s pre-integrated piloting modes: Touch&Fly, POI (Point of Interest), and Flight Plan.
Missions are also made stress-free due to the drone’s Geofence and Smart RTH (Return to Home) functionalities: Geofence allows the operator to define a specific flight zone with a maximum height and maximum distance, making sure the drone stays in the defined mission area, while with Smart RTH, ANAFI Work is always able to return to its initial take-off position with the single push of a button.
EXPERIENCE 3D MODELING
Produce 3D models and measurements with Pix4Dmodel
Moreover, with ANAFI Work, Parrot invites professionals to experience quick and easy 3D modeling by offering a one-year subscription to Pix4Dmodel. Architects, roofers and construction workers, for example, can use ANAFI Work with Pix4Dmodel to take accurate measurements, perform post-flight 3D inspections, share markers or 3D models directly using any web browser or export their output to their preferred architecture software.
ANAFI Work includes:
1 ANAFI drone
4 Smart Batteries
1 multi-port USB Mains Charger
1 water-resistant shoulder bag
1 Parrot Skycontroller 3
8 propellers
1 16 GB SD card
USB-A to USB-C cables
One-year subscription to Pix4Dmodel
ANAFI Work is available for presale now (shipping October 2018) via Parrot.com and official Parrot Business Solutions resellers. Price is US $1,099 Excluding Sales Tax
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Don’t miss the following two Parrot Business Solutions presentations at InterDrone:
2:15 PM – 2:45 p.m., Wednesday, September 5: A Tale of Two Drones (Product Showcase)
Jean-Thomas Célette, Chief Strategy & Product Officer, Parrot Business Solutions
4:45 PM – 5:05 p.m., Thursday, September 6: It’s Not About The Drone (Keynote)
Matt Wade, Head of Marketing, Parrot Business Solutions
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Image Source: www.realwire.com
Image Source: www.realwire.com
Image Source: www.realwire.com
About Parrot Business Solutions
Parrot, the leading European drone group, offers business solutions spanning drones, software, sensors and services, mainly focusing on 3 major verticals:
Agriculture
3D mapping, surveying and inspection
Public safety
Founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux, the Parrot Group designs and engineers its products in Europe, mainly in France and Switzerland. Headquartered in Paris, Parrot has been listed since 2006 on Euronext Paris (FR0004038263 – PARRO). For more information: www.parrot.com
About senseFly
At senseFly, we believe in using technology to make work safer and more efficient. Our proven drone solutions simplify the collection and analysis of geospatial data, allowing professionals in surveying, agriculture, engineering and humanitarian aid to make better decisions, faster.
senseFly was founded in 2009 and quickly became the leader in mapping drones. The company is a commercial drone subsidiary of Parrot Group. For more information: www.sensefly.com
Collaborative robots (also known as co-bots; an emerging automation technology) are designed to work alongside humans with precision, strength, and speed for achieving high efficiency in production. Collaborative robots differ from industrial robots in several ways, such as the absence of “safety fence” while working alongside humans, simplified programming and reduced setup time, integration of auto-speed reduction and distance monitoring or proximity sensors, and ability to reduce motor power and force in case a worker is working too close to the co-bot. Co-bots are safe and easy to operate, and yield quick return on investment (ROI). These robots offer quick ROI owing to their numerous advantages, such as easy installation, simple programming, no additional costs (such as those incurred to build and maintain safety fencing in traditional industrial robots), less costly tools and accessories (such as grippers, cameras, and laser systems), and acceptance by workforce. Co-bot operations are primarily governed by ISO 15066:2016 standard that further specifies various safety requirements. ISO 10218-1:2011, RIA/ANSI R15.06-2012, ISO 12100:2010, and ISO 13849-1:2008 are a few other standards governing safe operations of co-bots. Continuous advancements in sensor technologies, software, and end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) are further expanding collaborative robot capabilities and applications. Co-bots can perform a myriad of tasks that are not feasible using traditional industrial robots. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the major potential customers of co-bots where operations involve light-duty tasks, such as assembly, pick and place, machine tending, and quality inspection, which could be of low value and riskier if done by industrial robots. As per MarketsandMarkets’ analysis, the overall collaborative robot market is expected to be worth over USD 8 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of ~55% from 2018 to 2025.
The marketspace of collaborative robots is expected to undergo phenomenal expansion in the nearest future because of significant traction from SMEs worldwide owing to recognizable benefits of co-bots, reduced total cost of ownership (compared with other low-payload industrial robots), and one-stop solution for safe working environment while offering advanced industrial automation solutions to end users. Recent geopolitical phenomenon bolstering the manufacturing sector in developed nations across North America and Europe; rising factory floor automation in China, Japan, and India; growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into existing robotics infrastructure; enhancements in 3D machine vision technology; and the potential of cloud robotics to realize connected workspace are some of the key trends to watch out for in the collaborative robotics ecosystem. The shortage of skilled workforce for low-value tasks (such as assembly and pick and place) and limitation of traditional industrial robots in agile and flexible operations while complying with certain safety standards are further opening new growth avenues for co-bots not only across the manufacturing sector but also other sectors such as food, consumer packaging, and healthcare.
FIGURE 1
Industrial Robot market vs. Collaborative Robot market (2017–2023)
Image Source: www.marketsandmarkets.com
Source: Industry Journals, Company Websites, Annual Reports, Press Releases, Expert Interviews, and MarketsandMarekts’ Analysis
Collaborative robots accounted for ~2% of the global industrial robot market in 2017; the market for co-bots was valued at USD 286.8 million in 2017. The share of collaborative robots is expected to increase significantly from 2017 to 2023; these are expected to account for ~17% of the global industrial robot market by 2023; the market for these robots is expected to be valued at USD 4,284.4 million by 2023.
Key Drivers for Collaborative Robots
High ROI and low price of collaborative robots attracting SMEs
Depending upon the working capacity and use, most co-bots offer ROI in a span of 6–12 months, and a few co-bots offer ROI within a period of 3–6 months. The collaborative robot market is highly competitive, wherein some players offer higher payload capacity co-bots and enjoy competitive advantage over others. FANUC’s CR-35iA (~USD 80,000) is one of the earliest collaborative robots with a payload capacity of up to 35kg. KUKA’s LBR iiwa is another co-bot priced at ~USD 100,000. ABB’s YuMi and Kawada’s NEXTAGE are other high-priced dual-arm co-bots priced at ~USD 40,000 and ~USD 60,000, respectively, because of the complexity involved in operating these co-bots. Co-bots from other leading manufacturers — UR3 and UR5 from Universal Robots (Denmark), Baxter and Sawyer from Rethink Robotics (US), TM5 Series from Techman Robot (Taiwan), and OB7 from Productive Robotics, Inc. (US) — are available at a price range of USD 20,000–40,000. Rising demand for low-cost co-bots, such as AUBO-i5 from AUBO Robotics (US), Eva from Automata Technologies Limited (UK), and Panda from Franka Emika GmbH (Germany), is further expected to fuel competition in the collaborative robotics market, which in turn will drive down the prices of co-bots in the upcoming years. Considering the additional cost of robot peripheral integration (i.e., the total cost of installing 1 robot, along with the complete set of necessary peripherals and equipment), the cost of integrating a co-bot could reach up to USD 100,000, which is still far less than the total cost incurred in case of conventional industrial robots.
Co-bots come as a packaged solution, comprising all the necessary accessories from manufacturers. The depreciation rate of co-bots is lesser than that of traditional heavyweight industrial robots. These robots can just be plugged in to start functioning, which reduces time, manpower, and floor space, and increases productivity when deployed on a large scale. Co-bots also offer agile manufacturing, and if required, they could be easily deployed from one production line to another without the hassle of changing the programming—i.e., co-bots could be trained by simply hand-guiding their arms—thereby eliminating the need for an expert-level software programmer to reprogram the entire coding of the robot.
Increasing investments in automation by industries
The robot revolution has made automated machines a part of daily life and has gone beyond industrial applications. Companies with expertise in different fields of automation and robotics are investing heavily in robotic ventures. For instance, KUKA AG (Germany), through its investment (acquisition) in Reis Robotics, gained access to new sectors such as foundry, solar energy, and battery production, which helped KUKA in bundling the competence in automated systems.
The robotics sector, through mergers and acquisitions, is providing the companies access to the fast-growing robotics industry. The use of industrial robotics has accelerated automation in an intelligent way, offering functional benefits such as production flexibility with enhanced product quality, improved production output with decline in operating costs, and provision of floor space for utilization. As a result, the automation industry is driving the market for industrial robotics.
The economics of robotics companies is improving with more units being sold in recent years, giving automation a new face. Drivers for this are co-bots with better technology, as well as developments in many regions worldwide. The collective benefits of adopting robotics would increase production with human–robot interface on the same floor. Industrial robotics automation offers the most viable opportunities for investment in sectors such as logistics and e-commerce, healthcare, defense, and agriculture. Automation and technological advancements are further favoring the adoption of collaborative robots by several end-user industries.
Current market scenario
FIGURE 2
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY TO LEAD THE MARKET, IN TERMS OF VALUE, BY 2023
Image Source: www.marketsandmarkets.com
Source: Industry Journals, Company Websites, Annual Reports, Press Releases, Expert Interviews, and MarketsandMarekts’ Analysis
Primary industrial verticals for co-bots are electronics; automotive; metals and machining; plastics and polymers; food and agriculture; furniture and equipment; healthcare; scientific research; logistics; education; consumer goods; and die cast and foundry. The automotive industry accounted for the largest share of the collaborative robot market in 2017. In this industry, co-bots are used to perform diverse assembly tasks. Other crucial tasks involving co-bots in the automotive production line are pick and place, quality inspection, packaging and palletizing, machine tending, and material handling.
In 2017, Europe led the collaborative robot market in terms of market share, followed by Asia Pacific and North America. Germany held the largest share of the European collaborative robot market, followed by the UK and France. The growth of the market in Europe was driven by strong government support to promote factory automation solutions, thus supporting Industry 4.0 drive. Many authorities in Europe have collectively or independently developed human–robot collaboration and protection guidelines, which are driving this market.
Universal Robots A/S (Denmark) and ABB Ltd. (Switzerland) are 2 of the key players in the collaborative robot market. Universal Robots offers UR3, UR5, and UR10 collaborative robots named after their payloads in kilograms. The company launched its first robot in December 2008 and currently leads the collaborative robot sector. In June 2016, Universal Robots A/S (Denmark) launched Universal Robots+—an online user-friendly platform allowing users to easily customize robots as per their unique requirements. The company expanded its business operations in the US and India during 2016 to further increase its market reach in these countries.
ABB Ltd. (Switzerland) offers IRB 14000 YuMi, a dual-arm collaborative robot, which is used in a range of light-duty applications, such as small parts assembly, testing and packaging, electronic parts and components assembly, and consumer products assembly. YuMi has a payload capacity of 500g per arm and an overall weight of 38kg; it can move at a maximum velocity of 1,500mm/s. ABB also provides software support (under SISTEMA brand) for its YuMi robot. The company mainly focuses on expanding the reach of its co-bot into new geographies and acquiring other market players. For instance, in June 2017, ABB expanded the presence of its YuMi collaborative robot in the Netherlands by installing 3 YuMi co-bots on a production line at electrification products plant in Ede. In July 2017, ABB further strengthened software support for its robotics business with the acquisition of Bernecker + Rainer Industrie-Elektronik GmbH (Germany). Rising competition among existing co-bot manufacturers and the entrance of new players in the collaborative robot market (such as Techman Robot (a subsidiary of Quanta Storage, Inc., Taiwan) in 2012, Productive Robotics, Inc. (US) in 2013, and Franka Emika GmbH (Germany) in 2016) will further drive down the prices of collaborative robots in the nearest future. Collaborative robots, however, are less powerful and slower than traditional industrial robots, which becomes a challenge in handling a wide range of industrial-grade operations.
Conclusion
Collaborative robots are used in several industrial and service applications. The market is growing at a rapid pace owing to technological advancements and the integration of automation tools. The applications of collaborative robots have been increasing from automotive, packaging, distribution, and metalworking to inspection, mobile platforms, and human–machine interaction. However, making collaborative robots safe for routine interaction with humans is a major technological challenge that the robotics industry has been facing for a long time.
In industrial applications, for operating in more than 6 axes (degrees of freedom), co-bots require complex programming and compact assembly to perform an activity. As the ongoing trend of robotics requires the merger of mechanical and software engineering, many companies are capitalizing on this for enhancing their expertise in mechatronics and software.
Complex programming and multiple sensors are required for making a collaborative platform that can operate autonomously to provide a degree of intelligence and reliable mechanisms while performing a particular task. Apart from multiple-axis control, precise motion control has been a major technological challenge for operating alongside humans.
Furthermore, robot manufacturers face challenges while fixing the price and increasing the life expectancy of co-bots. Robot operating capabilities are needed to be scaled while making the system operational with precise real-time environments with instant system response and performing a defined set of steps. For example, modest changes in lighting conditions may also result in considerably divergent behaviors in robots. These technological challenges need to be addressed effectively to make humans confident enough to work alongside robots.
Gille Monte Ruici is a French artist, based in Paris, He builds sculptures, essentially robots, exclusively using recycled scrap metal parts. He finds his materials in trash cans, in the street, or in second hand trades. His approach gives these scraps a second life and repurposes them. He invents and makes unusual constructions. All the assemblies are done with screws or bolts. Metal is ideal, he likes the material, easy to work with particular reflections, differently patinated, which are harmonized easily. Why metal? Because more and more products of our daily life are made of plastic, these assemblages actually use objects from an earlier era that mark our memories, that encourage a slight nostalgia.
His approach consists in giving scrap metal parts a second life by diverting them from their original vocation. Each achievement made from what others view as waste is unique. It is important to demonstrate that waste, things destined for the garbage, can be recycled and become unique artistic objects. Often for the robots, he discover a box, a fire extinguisher, a toaster, a vacuum, an electric case…which is going to become the body, and after, he have to find what can make the other parts. Either the final vision is immediate, or the idea of the potential must mature and will emerge later on. And as pieces are unique, he can never reproduce a robot identically. The performance consists in creating, each time with absolutely different materials, different bots.
he loves assembling robots for their vintage appearance, and their terrible and invading look. With a little imagination, any element can fit into the assembly. Now he assemble robots with better finishes, sometimes he inserts luminous LEDs.
OptoForce Sensors Providing Industrial Robots with
a “Sense of Touch” to Advance Manufacturing Automation
Global efforts to expand the capabilities of industrial robots are on the rise, as the demand from manufacturing companies to strengthen their operations and improve performance grows.
Hungary-based OptoForce, with a North American office in Charlotte, North Carolina, is one company that continues to support organizations with new robotic capabilities, as evidenced by its several new applications released in 2017.
The company, a leading robotics technology provider of multi-axis force and torque sensors, delivers 6 degrees of freedom force and torque measurement for industrial automation, and provides sensors for most of the currently-used industrial robots.
It recently developed and brought to market three new applications for KUKA industrial robots.
The new applications are hand guiding, presence detection, and center pointing and will be utilized by both end users and systems integrators. Each application is summarized below and what they provide for KUKA robots, along with video demonstrations to show how they operate.
Photo By: www.optoforce.com
Hand Guiding: With OptoForce’s Hand Guiding application, KUKA robots can easily and smoothly move in an assigned direction and selected route. This video shows specifically how to program the robot for hand guiding.
Center Pointing: With this application, the OptoForce sensor helps the KUKA robot find the center point of an object by providing the robot with a sense of touch. This solution also works with glossy metal objects where a vision system would not be able to define its position. This video shows in detail how the center pointing application works.
The company’s CEO explained how these applications help KUKA robots and industrial automation.
Photo By: www.optoforce.com
“OptoForce’s new applications for KUKA robots pave the way for substantial improvements in industrial automation for both end users and systems integrators,” said Ákos Dömötör, CEO of OptoForce. “Our 6-axis force/torque sensors are combined with highly functional hardware and a comprehensive software package, which include the pre-programmed industrial applications. Essentially, we’re adding a ‘sense of touch’ to KUKA robot arms, enabling these robots to have abilities similar to a human hand, and opening up numerous new capabilities in industrial automation.”
Along with these new applications recently released for KUKA robots, OptoForce sensors are also being used by various companies on numerous industrial robots and manufacturing automation projects around the world. Examples of other uses include: path recording, polishing plastic and metal, box insertion, placing pins in holes, stacking/destacking, palletizing, and metal part sanding.
Specifically, some of the projects current underway by companies include: a plastic parting line removal; an obstacle detection for a major car manufacturing company; and a center point insertion application for a car part supplier, where the task of the robot is to insert a mirror, completely centered, onto a side mirror housing.
Robotiq Updates FT 300 Sensitivity For High Precision Tasks With Universal Robots Force Torque Sensor feeds data to Universal Robots force mode
Quebec City, Canada, November 13, 2017 – Robotiq launches a 10 times more sensitive version of its FT 300 Force Torque Sensor. With Plug + Play integration on all Universal Robots, the FT 300 performs highly repeatable precision force control tasks such as finishing, product testing, assembly and precise part insertion.
This force torque sensor comes with an updated free URCap software able to feed data to the Universal Robots Force Mode. “This new feature allows the user to perform precise force insertion assembly and many finishing applications where force control with high sensitivity is required” explains Robotiq CTO Jean-Philippe Jobin*.
The URCap also includes a new calibration routine. “We’ve integrated a step-by-step procedure that guides the user through the process, which takes less than 2 minutes” adds Jobin. “A new dashboard also provides real-time force and moment readings on all 6 axes. Moreover, pre-built programming functions are now embedded in the URCap for intuitive programming.”
See some of the FT 300’s new capabilities in the following demo videos:
* Available with Universal Robots CB3.1 controller only
About Robotiq
Robotiq’s Lean Robotics methodology and products enable manufacturers to deploy productive robot cells across their factory. They leverage the Lean Robotics methodology for faster time to production and increased productivity from their robots. Production engineers standardize on Robotiq’s Plug + Play components for their ease of programming, built-in integration, and adaptability to many processes. They rely on the Flow software suite to accelerate robot projects and optimize robot performance once in production.
Robotiq is the humans behind the robots: an employee-owned business with a passionate team and an international partner network.
Media contact
David Maltais, Communications and Public Relations Coordinator
Silicon Designs Introduces Inertial-Grade MEMS Capacitive Accelerometers
with Internal Temperature Sensor and Improved Low-Noise Performance Five Full Standard G-Ranges from ±2 g to ±50 g Now Available for Immediate Customer Shipment
November 9, 2017, Kirkland, Washington, USA – Silicon Designs, Inc. (www.SiliconDesigns.com), a 100% veteran owned, U.S. based leading designer and manufacturer of highly rugged MEMS capacitive accelerometer chips and modules, today announced the immediate availability of its Model 1525 Series, a family of commercial and inertial-grade MEMS capacitive accelerometers, offering industry-best-in-class low-noise performance.
Design of the Model 1525 Series incorporates Silicon Designs’ own high-performance MEMS variable capacitive sense element, along with a ±4.0V differential analog output stage, internal temperature sensor and integral sense amplifier — all housed within a miniature, nitrogen damped, hermetically sealed, surface mounted J-lead LCC-20 ceramic package (U.S. Export Classification ECCN 7A994). The 1525 Series features low-power (+5 VDC, 5 mA) operation, excellent in-run bias stability, and zero cross-coupling. Five unique full-scale ranges, of ±2 g, ±5 g, ±10 g, ±25 g, and ±50 g, are currently in production and available for immediate customer shipment. Each MEMS accelerometer offers reliable performance over a standard operating temperature range of -40° C to +85° C. Units are also relatively insensitive to wide temperature changes and gradients. Each device is marked with a serial number on its top and bottom surfaces for traceability. A calibration test sheet is supplied with each unit, showing measured bias, scale factor, linearity, operating current, and frequency response.
Carefully regulated manufacturing processes ensure that each sensor is made to be virtually identical, allowing users to swap out parts in the same g range with few-to-no testing modifications, further saving time and resources. This provides test engineers with a quick plug-and-play solution for almost any application, with total trust in sensor accuracy when used within published specifications. As the OEM of its own MEMS capacitive accelerometer chips and modules, Silicon Designs further ensures the manufacture of consistently high-quality products, with full in-house customization capabilities to customer exacting standards. This flexibility ensures that Silicon Designs can expeditiously design, develop and manufacture high-quality standard and custom MEMS capacitive accelerometers, yet still keep prices highly competitive.
The Silicon Designs Model 1525 Series tactical grade MEMS inertial accelerometer family is ideal for zero-to-medium frequency instrumentation applications that require high-repeatability, low noise, and maximum stability, including tactical guidance systems, navigation and control systems (GN&C), AHRS, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), robotic controllers, flight control systems, and marine- and land-based navigational systems. They may also be used to support critical industrial test requirements, such as those common to agricultural, oil and gas drilling, photographic and meteorological drones, as well as seismic and inertial measurements.
Since 1983, the privately held Silicon Designs has served as leading industry experts in the design, development and manufacture of highly rugged MEMS capacitive accelerometers and chips with integrated amplification, operating from its state-of-the-art facility near Seattle, Washington, USA. From the company’s earliest days, developing classified components for the United States Navy under a Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant, to its later Tibbetts Award and induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame, Silicon Designs applies nearly 35 years of MEMS R&D innovation and applications engineering expertise into all finished product designs. For additional information on the Model 1525 Series or other MEMS capacitive sensing technologies offered by Silicon Designs, visit www.silicondesigns.com.
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About Silicon Designs, Inc. Silicon Designs was founded in 1983 with the goal of improving the accepted design standard for traditional MEMS capacitive accelerometers. At that time, industrial-grade accelerometers were bulky, fragile and costly. The engineering team at Silicon Designs listened to the needs of customers who required more compact, sensitive, rugged and reasonably priced accelerometer modules and chips, though which also offered higher performance. Resultant product lines were designed and built to surpass customer expectations. The company has grown steadily over the years, while its core competency remains accelerometers, with the core business philosophies of “make it better, stronger, smaller and less expensive” and “let the customer drive R&D” maintained to this day.
digital platform. ABB’s market‑leading Power Grids business will be divested to Hitachi in 2020. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees.
