Evolving industrial robots to work alongside humans

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Evolving industrial robots to work alongside humans

STUTTGART, Germany ― Korean investment in industrial robots has dwindled, but robots continue to evolve in Europe, moving beyond simple working machines. The gear box for a luxury passenger car weighs about 20 to 30 kilograms (66 pounds), and the engine weighs between 200 and 300 kilograms. These parts are too heavy to be lifted by humans, yet the operations involved ― such as fitting the parts into the frames ― are too precise to be left entirely to machines. Thus, some say, the best way is collaboration between human workers and robots. The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, about a five-minute drive from downtown Stuttgart, is home to a few of these next-generation industrial robots, which must be used in cooperation with human beings. Powermate is one of these robots, being developed by 24 European companies. The Powermate robot places automobile gearboxes in front of a technician standing on the assembly line. The highly-skilled human technician then grabs hold of the robot and slowly fits the gearbox into the frame of the automobile so that it snugly fits. The person hardly uses any of his or her physical strength, and the robot does not have to be equipped with any complicated sensors, which would be required if the robot had to attach the box itself. Of course, Powermate is not entirely without sensors: There is a detector on the robot that senses when a human being is near, in order to avoid safety threats. The robot also moves slowly around people to avoid collisions. When this robot is finished, it won’t have to be “caged” or separated from people. The worker can be guaranteed his or her safety while working with the robot, its builders claim. At the production technology research institute, a learning robot remembers new tasks after watching human workers perform them. A worker who may weld together parts or cut out parts in a certain way need only teach the robot once. Germany’s leading robot company, KUKA, makes an industrial robot called KR3SI, which immediately stops its high-speed operation when it comes into close contact with the human body, thus preventing any physical injury. If the robot does come into direct contact with the human body, then it stops working altogether. Industrial robots with new functions are also being released. Yaskana Germany’s Moto-man robots have two arms, and Robot Technology has Robocut, a robot that is equipped with a laser cutter. The Helmholtz Robot Research Institute has developed a robot that can bend and even turn upside down and crawl on vertical surfaces, such as walls. The robot’s weight is about 14 kilograms, but it can carry up to 20 kilograms. Most robots that have been developed up to now cannot carry more than their own weight. The Flex Speaker developed by Sweden’s ABB is the world’s fastest industrial robot. It can move 10 meters and spin 10 times per second. by Park Bang-ju
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