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…
Companies Transitioning from Industrial to Service Robots
A version of this post originally appeared on Singularity Hub, June 6, 2012. By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher The Robot Report Robot manufacturers are beginning to shift theirattention from industrial to service robots. The robotics industry is on the cusp of a major transformation. Today’s factory robots are solitary precision instruments, mimicking the repertoire…
Robotics is a Highly Fragmented Industry With Few Common Standards or Platforms
by Frank Tobe, Publisher, The Robot Report with Manoj Sahi, roboticist and educator, India Imagine being present at the birth of a new industry. It is an industry based on groundbreaking new technologies, wherein a handful of well-established corporations sell highly specialized devices for business use, and a fast-growing number of start-up companies produce innovative…
Notes from IROS 2011 San Francisco
San Francisco city view from aboard the IROS 2011 sunset dinner cruise party boat By Frank Tobe. Publisher, The Robot Report The week long IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2011) was host to more than 1,500 roboticists and robot-interested people from 40 different countries, including a prominent group of well-known speakers and…
China’s Mammoth Intro to Robotics
by Frank Tobe and Manoj Sahi According to Xinhua, the official press agency of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn will deploy 1 million robots over the next three years to improve efficiency and reduce labor for tasks better suited to a robot. The robots will be used…
KUKA Robotics Introduces New Food Series Robots
The new KUKA Food Series Option is available on a variety of robots designed for packaging and palletizing application, including KR 40 PA, KR 50 PA, KR 100-2 PA, KR 180-2, PA & KR 150. These units offer robotic solutions from 2-axis packaging, 4-axis palletizing, and 6-axis palletizing & handling. A significant feature of the […]