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Veo Robotics’ FreeMove System with 2.0 Engine. | Source: Veo Robotics

Veo Robotics, the industrial automation company that created FreeMove, a comprehensive 3D safeguarding system for industrial robots that powers dynamic human-robot collaboration, has announced the release of its new and improved FreeMove 2.0 Engine.

The redesigned FreeMove 2.0 Engine is a high-performance industrial computer with a proprietary safety architecture that works alongside FreeMove Sensors to monitor workcells in 3D. It implements dynamic speed and separation monitoring to enable safe interaction between humans and robots.

The launch coincides with a growing need for manufacturers to create safer facility floors as their use of automation – and in particular robots – increases. Veo Robotics’ data shows that human-robot collaboration has risen for 6 out of 10 manufacturers over the last year. FreeMove 2.0 comes with features that support more complex manufacturing applications, including the ability to monitor limited access zones and adjacent workcells. With congested and busy production floors, manufacturers typically have FreeMove supporting workcells that are overlapping. The upgraded engine enables safeguarding multiple workcells in a variety of configurations.

“Six years ago, we developed FreeMove as a first-of-its-kind safety solution to fill a gaping need in the industrial robotics industry,” Patrick Toner, the Director of Product Marketing at Veo Robotics, said. “Since then, we’ve worked with the world’s largest robot companies to bring manufacturers the ability to more seamlessly combine the strength, precision, and speed of standard industrial robots with the ingenuity, judgment, and dexterity of humans on their facility floors. FreeMove 2.0 builds on this progress, adding even more support for manufacturers to unlock the true power of human-robot collaboration.”

Additional advancements of Veo Robotics’ new engine include better environmental robustness to work within harsh environments, reduced startup time, and improved sensor registration. It maintains FreeMove’s original powerful software that runs on fail-safe hardware, providing manufacturers dynamic speed and separation monitoring to automatically trigger a robot to stop as human co-workers move closer to the robot during operation. This lets manufacturing teams prioritize safety and productivity without sacrificing one for the other.

“We’ve always believed our advanced safety system to be a game-changer for human-robot collaboration,” Toner said. “We’re proud to continue helping our customers meet the unique demands of today’s flexible manufacturing environment, and boost their productivity while keeping their workers safe.”