KUKA releases version 4.0 of the KUKA.sim virtual robot simulation software. The release includes advanced programming features along with new safety simulation capabilities.
KUKA iiQKA.OS promises to be easy to use
KUKA Robotics launches a new open source operating system called KUKA iiQKA.OS – designed from its core, to be easy to use. The new OS will initially be available on KUKA collaborative robots.
How Siemens automated maritime battery production
Siemens’ maritime battery production line in Norway has eight configurable robot cells and seven AGVs for handling inter-cell logistics.
Robotics and automation firms join COVID-19 fight
Robotics and automation can help manufacturers, healthcare workers, and consumers get through the novel coronavirus situation, says German association VDMA.
Ford automates fog light installation with KUKA LBR iiwa cobots
Installing fog lights is an awkward task for humans in automotive manufacturing. Ford, Dürr Assembly Products, and KUKA tested LBR iiwa cobots to work alongside people.
China robotics outlook: A state of the industry 2019
In this first part of a two-part look at the China robotics scene, the managing director for Asia at STM Stieler updates his observations by looking at causes for the manufacturing slowdown and discussing robot leaders.
Cobots in healthcare: Q&A with KUKA’s Corey Ryan
Robots and robotic technologies have a long history of success in healthcare. But recent advancements in the field of collaborative robots have made for additional possibilities to support the healthcare sector across a variety of applications. Corey Ryan, Manager of Medical Robotics at KUKA Robotics, is one of the keynote speakers at the Healthcare Robotics…
CARLO bone surgery system uses KUKA cobot for sensitive precision
The age of medical robotics has only just begun, as new collaborative and precise robots become available for bone surgery.
Labor and robotics needed for the future of manufacturing, says KUKA exec
Labor and automation aren’t forces in opposition, notes KUKA CRO Joe Gemma. He says that industry needs to understand the benefits of robotics, and academia and government need to work more closely together.
KUKA develops mobile manipulator robot for cleanroom chip handling
There was no mobile, automated semiconductor production system that enabled component transfer from one step to the next — until KUKA’s new wafer-handling robots.
Automate/ProMat 2019: 10 takeaways for robotics developers
Collaborative robots, mobile platforms, and the enabling hardware and software were all on display at Automate/ProMat, but what was new and noteworthy?
Polish manufacturer Hanplast achieves sustainability with KUKA robots
Environmental sustainability is a laudable goal, but companies need to guarantee profitability. Robotics can help manufacturers such as Hanplast sp. z o.o. reach the efficiencies needed to accomplish sustainable development. The Polish company was founded in 1993 and is a leader in plastics processing, injection molding, and photovoltaic panels. Hanplast offers its customers services including…
How a Chinese slowdown could help — or hurt — robotics
China is the most attractive market in the world for robotics suppliers, with a relatively low robot density, lots of manufacturing, and fewer regulations than in other countries. At the same time, there are plenty of things to discourage business, from worries about trade disputes and intellectual property to the recent Chinese slowdown. How should…
The robot eye with an all-round field of view
Robots can move – but not see – in all directions. The patented laser sensor SensePRO developed by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT provides a solution to this problem. Where am I? Like humans, robots also need to answer that question, while they tirelessly glue, weld or apply seals to workpieces.…
Universal Logic Announces New Neocortex DIY Software
Universal Logic has announced a new version of its signature Neocortex artificial intelligence product designed for do-it-yourself engineers. Neocortex DIY software allows engineers to configure and deploy AI-based robot cells for variable picking in both manufacturing and consumer products supply chains. Based on the Neocortex platform, Neocortex DIY extends perception, directs grasping, and guides robots,…
Robotic joining technology from KUKA and Böllhoff called Ready2_rivet imparts new flexibility
KUKA now sells a new ready2_use robotic module called ready2_rivet. The self-pierce riveting system for body-in-white (BiW) applications was developed with fastener and assembly supplier Böllhoff. End users can integrate the self-pierce riveting machine with less effort than in the past. “Using the KUKA robot and controller with the expertise in mechanical joining technology of…
Swisslog, KUKA collaborate on CarryPick AGV-based system
Global warehouse automation specialist Swisslog recently worked with KUKA to strengthen its AGV-based CarryPick system — namely by bringing mobile goods-to-person systems in-house. CarryPick is an automated storage and order fulfillment system. It works as a flexible and scalable asset for supporting multi-channel fulfillment operations. The CarryPick system’s new KMP600 AGV was developed in an…
LBR iisy cobot and mechatronics: KUKA at Hannover Messe 2018
KUKA is showcasing intelligent automation concepts for production at Hannover Messe under the motto industrial intelligence 4.0 — beyond automation. Visitors to Booth G04 in Hall 17 can see KUKA technologies to support mechatronics and IIoT digitization. Ease of use, quick commissioning, and networking are increasingly shaping the mechanical engineering sector. KUKA is addressing these…
Motion systems perspective: Robots in automation
Robots are increasingly viable for a range of automation applications. In fact, proliferation of robotic platforms that come in proven industrial formats, Cartesian setups, delta subtypes, and six-axis selective-compliance-articulated robot arms (SCARAs) has spurred more use than ever of robots for palleting, machine tending, welding, machining, packaging, assembly, and more. No matter the application, the […]
Automate and ProMat 2013: Crowds chose collaborative cage-free robots
Industrial Robots; Robot Arms; Cameras, Scanners and Vision Systems; Collaborative Cage-free Robots; Mobile Robots; Robot Operating Systems; Warehousing and Materials Handling; New Technologies, and Jobs By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report There are fewer manufacturers of industrial robots than one might imagine: only a little more than 200 worldwide. Of these, less…
2012 Robo-Stox Wrap-up
If an enterprising firm set up a mutual fund reflecting the worldwide robotics industry, they might choose to separate their picks into three segments, which might look something like this: Industrial Robot Manufacturers Service Robot Makers of security, defense and space robots Service Robot Makers of robots for all other purposes Although I am neither…
Filling a need… or feeding a diversion
Today’s robotics industry could use some strategic guidance, particularly in the area of healthcare. By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report It is clear to me that the next big markets for robotics are: SMEs (robot workers and co-workers in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) Medical and healthcare (nursing assistance, surgeon augmentation, operating room…