robotics today australia e-magazine july 2016
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Latest news for robotics, automation, sensors and advanced manufacturingTRANSCRIPT
JULY 2016
6-7Industrial robot sales soar
20-21How vision sensor technologyhas been a game changer
4-5China’s five-year planto transform robotics industry
26-27What next? Food deliverydrone for golfers
30-31[ IN THE SPOTLIGHT ]
with Omron robotics expert Chris Probst
2 JULY 2016
The world is on the threshold of a new industrial revolution.
The robots are here and their presence is changing our lives forever.
Welcome to Robotics Today, Australia’s first e-magazine and website devoted to news and innovations in the robotics and artificial intelligence industries.
Robotics Today brings you the latest in the world of automated technology and advanced manufacturing.
We will also bring you interviews with the talented people behind the innovative businesses that make up this thriving sector.
In coming editions we will feature new advancements in global robotics and automation, including latest products and technology to assist you to improve efficiency and save costs.
With the latest automation technology you not only maximize your productivity, you can ensure the safety of staff.
In the past century the field of robotics has advanced beyond science fiction into real, moving, thinking and acting robotics.
And while much attention has focused on how robots will “steal” many human jobs, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Researchers have a clear vision of humans eventually working cooperatively with cyber assistants.
In this way, artificial intelligence (A.I.) and robots will improve the workplace in terms of safety, efficiency and productivity.
Robots will be “employed” to do work that is too dangerous, boring, onerous, or just plain horrible. These robots can now be found in auto, medical,
manufacturing and space industries. In fact, there are over a million of these type of robots working for us today.
The future is HERE.
Advanced manufacturing provides the path forward to revitalizing Australian industry.
Our nation's long-term ability to innovate and compete in global markets will provide a significant boost to our economy.
Robots have created new jobs for those who were once on production lines with programming. They have pulled employees from repetitive, monotonous jobs and put them in better, more challenging ones. Robots are user-friendly, intelligent, and affordable.
A new generation of lightweight, assistive robots will provide small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with new options to improve their competitiveness and meet the challenges of high costs and a shortage of skilled workers.
Robots won't just change our lives in the future, they'll expand them.
We look forward to you joining us on this fascinating journey.
Tim Michael Editor
FROM THE EDITOR
Director and NationalSales Manager Julie Fletcher [email protected]
Editor Tim Michael [email protected]
Production Angelica Sanchez
IT Manager Rob Fearn
Advertising enquiries: [email protected]
Editorial submissions: [email protected]
Published by: Think Positive Pty Ltd PO Box 221 Waverley NSW 2024 Australia www.roboticstoday.com.au @roboticstodayau
Think Positive Pty Ltd cannot be held liable for any person(s), company or business acting upon or using the information provided in this e-magazine in any way. Information and content in Robotics Today e-Magazine is provided to the best of our knowledge. We advise that you should seek independent professional advice to verify that all information is accurate and correct.
Our team
How robots will change our lives
3JULY 2016
CONTENTS
4-5NEWSChina’s five-year robotics plan
6-7SPECIAL FEATUREIndustrial robot sales soar
8LATEST NEWSShould your next employee be a robot?
10WHAT’S NEW IN ROBOTICSThis robot can make your dinner
14-15WHAT’S NEW IN AUTOMATIONThe smart factory dilemma: Man and machine
16-17SPECIAL FEATUREMeet Larry – the robot that ‘eats’ Big Data
20-21WHAT’S NEW IN SENSORSHow vision sensor technology has been a game changer
22-23ADVANCED MANUFACTURINGBringing LEGO simplicity to advanced manufacturing
26INNOVATIONDelivery drone tees off a Japanese golf course
30-31IN THE SPOTLIGHTQ&A with Omron Robotics expert Chris Probst
35WHAT’S ONLocal & international events
Chinese appliance firm Midea has begun a cash offer for at least
a 30 percent stake of German industrial robotics supplier Kuka, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial robots.
Midea, best known for selling washing machines and air conditioners, has offered US$130 a share for Kuka, in the voluntary takeover offer.
The deal would make Midea Kuka's biggest shareholder.
This has raised concerns in Europe about the transfer of high-end technology to China.
The ruling Chinese Communist party has been encouraging the country's manufacturers to use more robots to make production more efficient as labour costs rise.
The world's second-largest economy is already the leading market for industrial robots, accounting for a quarter of global sales, according to the International Federation of Robotics.
Kuka, based in the German city of Augsburg, describes itself as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of industrial robots and also offers automated systems for manufacturing.
European media reported that officials in Brussels and Berlin oppose a Chinese takeover bid of Kuka.
However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a recent visit to China denied the
allegations.
Ms Merkel told reporters in Beijing: "We are looking into a solution which can satisfy both sides."
Midea reported a global turnover last year of more than US$22 billion.
Analysts said the investment could give Midea, a firm based in the southern province of Guangdong, technological know-how in an area with growth potential in China.
"As a traditional producer of durable consumer goods, Midea’s domestic market is almost saturated," Huang Fusheng, an analyst at China Securities, told AFP recently.
The company "needs to expand industries and transform, so this (investment) is a necessity," he added.
China takeover bid for German robotics firm Kuka
4 JULY 2016
NEWS
China has revealed an ambitious plan to pump more money into its
robotics industry, in a bid to bring the industry up to par with overseas competitors.
However, industry experts say the new government plan makes no mention of artificial intelligence – the direction of next-generation robots.
The five-year planning proposal was unveiled last month jointly by the ministries of finance and industry and the National Development and Reform Commission.
The plan vows to make significant progress by 2020 in the
production capacity, creativity and competitiveness of the industry.
Breakthroughs are expected in core components of robots including sensors and servomotors, the report says.
It has called for building competitive advantage in 10 types of industrial robots.
This includes for example, precision welding, surgical applications, vacuum cleaning – all performing an array of services – and even programming themselves.
The proposal lists several other strategies to boost the domestic robotics industry, including more
subsidies and tax breaks, and allowing more investment and financing channels.
“Local governments at the provincial and city level across the country will soon launch their own supporting policies on subsidies to echo the central authorities and prop up the industry in their jurisdictions,” said Zhang Fasheng, a sales manager at Shenzhen-based Xrobot Tech.
“Subsidies, rent and tax deductions are critical for domestic robot makers,” Zhang said. “Especially at this moment of uncertainty in China’s economy.”
Early last year, authorities in Guangdong set aside 943 billion yuan (A$188.6 billion) to replace human labour with robots by 2018, as the central authorities look to robotics to overcome labour shortages and spur innovation as growth in China’s economy slows.
China’s five-year planto transform itsrobotics industry
5JULY 2016
NEWS
Meanwhile, the government of Zhejiang province said it would invest 800 billion yuan (A$160 billion) to push its 36,000 manufacturers to replace human labour with robots in five years.
Luo Jun, CEO of the International Robotics and Intelligent Equipment Industry Alliance, a government think tank, agreed
that a comprehensive national strategy was necessary to boost the robotics industry in the next five years.
But the government proposal was still short-sighted by focusing on investment in existing technology, Luo said.
“In the proposal, developing and investing in traditional ‘core
components’ for industrial robots remains China’s focus in the coming five years,” he said.
“But these are expected to become outdated and replaced by newer tech for next-generation robots.”
Such an approach was obsolete compared to developments overseas, Luo added.
“When we look at Google, Microsoft and Facebook, artificial intelligence is the direction of next-generation robots,” he said.
“I found no mention or thoughts about artificial intelligence in the proposal for our robotics sector.”
China’s industrial robot sales totalled 57,000 units in 2014, rising 55 per cent year on year and accounting for a quarter of the world’s total.
Source: South China Morning Post
6 JULY 2016
SPECIAL FEATURE
The number of industrial robots sold worldwide last year exceeded 240,000
units for the first time.
This was an 8 percent increase over the previous year – driven largely by demand from the automotive industry – and China.
The World Robotics Federation said articulated robots – robots with rotary joints – were the most in demand.
China cemented its position as the leading market with a rise of 16% to 66,000 units, although this was only half the growth of 30% that the federation had predicted.
The figure includes sales by local Chinese suppliers as well as international manufacturers such as Kuka, Fanuc, and ABB.
In Europe, sales rose 9% to nearly 50,000, powered by eastern Europe, while sales in north America rose 11% to 34,000, the federation said.
So-called cobots, which collaborate and work side by side
with humans, are also gaining in popularity and are almost ready for routine use in industry.
“In the age of Industry 4.0, the automotive industry is taking a leading role when it comes to flexible and state-of-the-art automation solutions and the direct collaboration between humans and robots,” said Stefan Lampa, President and CEO of KUKA Robots.
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) had predicted double-digit growth in industrial robot sales between 2015 and 2018.
Global robot installations were estimated to increase at least by about 15% to 264,000 units in 2015.
IFR says industrial robots will play an increasingly important role in global manufacturing.
And simplification of the use of robots will open up huge potentials in all industries including small and medium-sized companies.
IFR says there is an increasing demand, particularly from manufacturers of electronics products such as smart phones and tablets for easy to use robots with limited applications and short life cycle.
Such robots can perform simple assembly tasks that do not require high precision.
Major growth is expected in Asia, particularly China and Taiwan, Korea, India and most of the other Southeast Asian markets.
China will remain the main driver of the growth and will expand its dominance. The continuing need to increase automation has been recognized by Chinese industries and the government.
Tim Michael
· · ·Robots improve the quality of work by taking over dangerous, tedious and dirty jobs that are not possible or safe for humans to perform, says IFR.
Industrial robot sales soar in 2015
7JULY 2016
SPECIAL FEATURE
Installations of robots will accelerate despite decelerating growth rates of the GDP. It is estimated that more than one third of the global supply in 2018 will be installed in the Republic of China.
Continued growth in North America as well as recovering sales in Brazil are expected. Sales to Eastern European countries will gain momentum. Sales in Western European countries will continue to grow.
The main customer, the automotive industry, is continuing to invest heavily in robot installations.
The robot supply may slow down in certain markets. However, the automotive industry will continue to be the innovator for new technology.
The growing global demand for electronics products, new products, and new production technologies are boosting investments in retooling of existing production processes and expanding production capacities of the electrical/electronics industry particularly in Asia.
A significant number of rather low-priced robots will continue to be sold to the electronics industry in the coming years. A further increase of robot orders
from other industries is also likely, particularly from the rubber and plastics industry, the metal and machinery industry, the pharmaceutical industry and the food and beverage industry.
Between 2015 and 2018, IFR estimates about 1.3 million new industrial robots will be installed in factories around the world.
In terms of units, IFR estimated that the worldwide stock of operational industrial robots would increase from about 1,480,800 units at the end of 2014 to 2,327,000 units at the end of 2018.
This represents an average annual growth rate of 12% between 2015 and 2018.
CNC Machining PCB Handling and ICT
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Test and Inspection
Loading and Unloading
Moulding OperationsMACHINE TENDING
MATERIAL HANDLING
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Prepare forIndustry 4.0
8 JULY 2016
accustomed to letting them wait that long.
How times have changed. We now live in The Age of Absolutely No Patience, an age where e-commerce makes supply and demand e-complicated.
NO TOILET BREAkS OR SICkIES
Supply chains from manufacturer to warehouse to customer now have to play “hot potato” with every online item as a two day delivery time can be enough to lose the sale.
“How fast can I have it?” is now almost more important than quality and price as a new generation with no interest in the quaint concept of waiting demand faster and faster delivery.
Which brings us back to the robot in our interview. With his 24/7 dedication to the cause he can go a long way to meeting this demand. He can churn out product at pre-programmed rates uncompromised by toilet breaks or sickies.
He can work with carbon copy precision. And with a decent maintenance regime he can continue to do this long after his human counterpart has claimed the pension.
THE DOWNSIDE OF NO DOWNTIME
People. That’s the only downside, because robots have the rather sad tendency to empty staff cafeterias and social clubs. Such is the cold hard reality of automation in the virtual shopping
world. Robots replace unskilled workers.
On the upside some semi-skilled workers will find themselves in demand to oversee the robots. But the future isn’t overly rosy for humans in manufacturing.
Should your next employee be a robot? Survival says yes.
Source: Industry Search
Such is the employment status of a robot and it does sound good on paper, doesn’t it? When you compare the job interview of a
robot with a needy “Me, Me, Me!” human, it’s a no brainer. Literally. Robots are, unquestionably the way of the future for manufacturing. That’s if you want to compete, of course.
Today the entire nature of supply and demand bears no resemblance to the dark ages of a decade ago. Back then a product was bought in something called a ‘shop’ and shops often ran out of products, so they were ‘placed on order.’
Customers were accustomed to waiting weeks for delivery of their product. Factories were
Should your next employee be a ROBOT?‘Right, so the job is basically 24 hours a day, seven days a week with no breaks, no holidays, no perks, no salary, no super, and no rights. Happy? Great, you can start today!’
ROBONEWS
9JULY 2016
ROBONEWS
Automation is changing the face of manufacturing globally – and Australia is
no exception.
Flexible automation has become a priority in plants around the world as companies seek new and cost-effective ways of responding to dynamic customer requirements.
And in more plants throughout the world, staff are now working side-by-side with collaborative robots, commonly known as “cobots.”
Melbourne based automation specialists Impact Robotics has introduced the latest generation of cobots in Australia and New Zealand.
Impact is the exclusive ANZ distributor of the revolutionary Sawyer and Baxter robots – developed by Rethink Robotics in the US – a world leader in robotics technology.
The company has already delivered and installed Baxter cobots into some of Australia’s leading warehousing companies.
And earlier this year they launched the Sawyer cobots following months of global anticipation from buyers domestically and internationally.
Both robots were on show at National Manufacturing Week in Sydney earlier this year.
Unlike traditional manufacturing robots, cobots are designed to work side-by-side and interact with humans with a reduced need for protective infrastructure.
Baxter and Sawyer were built
from the ground up to work safely next to people in production environments, without caging. This means Sawyer and Baxter can much more easily be moved and repurposed to whatever section of the facility they’re needed at any time.
A further benefit is that the robots can be quickly set-up and trained by staff who don’t have coding knowledge or a computer programming background.
Impact Robotics General Manager, David Birnbaum, said: “These cobots are designed to drive cost efficiencies and improve productivity and safety. Sawyer and Baxter offer a cost
effective technology solution for repetitive or dangerous process tasks, freeing up valuable human resources for more value added and complex tasks.”
Suitable applications include case packing, kitting and line loading and unloading.
The technology has the potential to assist Australian manufactures remain competitive on global markets, Mr Birnbaum says.
“Sawyer and Baxter could increase Australian manufacturing ‘on-shoring’ – at the moment some manufacturing processes are sent off-shore where labour is cheaper,” he said.
“There’s no reason why Australian manufacturers couldn’t achieve greater productivity and profitability using this technology.”
Impact Robotics also sell, service and support the MiR Mobile Robot, a mobile warehousing and transport solution. MiR learns the layout of its surroundings – even in multi-story buildings – to take goods to designated points within the building.
Mr Birnbaum says additional robots will be added to Impact Robotics’ product line-up later this year.
Impact Robotics unveils new generation robots in Australia
‘Sawyer and Baxter offer a cost effective technology solution’
10 JULY 2016
The disembodied robot arms look like they’re conducting an orchestra
as they glide back and forth over the stove top, waving their articulated fingers. But the robot isn’t making music, it’s making dinner.
Mounted above a small counter, stove and sink, the two arms are part of a robotic kitchen, developed by UK-based Moley Robotics, that prepares meals from digital recipes. Users select the meal they want from an online database, enter the number of people that are eating and then set out pre-prepped ingredients. They tell the robot when to start, and, sure enough, it makes shrimp risotto, say, or eggplant parmigiana. The unit has an attached fridge and cabinet, which the robot can access, and a built-in dishwasher, so it can clean up after itself. Computer scientist Mark Oleynik dreamed up Moley’s robotic kitchen in 2014, when
he was sick of eating out and wanted good food at home. He’d worked in public health. Before Moley, he founded a company called Medstarnet, which helped hospitals get medical devices. Ultimately, Oleynik’s goal is to make eating fresh, healthy food effortless. He decided handing over the work of getting food on the table to a robot was a way to do that.
Oleynik worked with the London-based Shadow Robot Company, which also makes robotic hands for NASA’s Robonaut program, to develop the cooking robot. The hands are made of 20 motors, 24 joints and 129 sensors. According to Rich Walker, Shadow Robot’s managing director, they replicate the fine movements of human hands. They’re deft enough that they can deal with a whisk or a blender, although they’re not yet programmed for chopping. Moley Robotics worked with Shadow Robot and a team from Stanford to develop an algorithm
for the robot to follow, so it knows when to add ingredients and how to incorporate them.
The robot has learned 50 recipes by mimicking human chefs who, for the sake Moley’s recipe database, wore motion sensors on their hands as they cooked.
In addition to the touch screen on the unit, Moley Robotics is developing an app, so that owners of the kitchen can select a meal from the iTunes-like recipe library, even when they are away from home.
Moley debuted the chefbot at Hannover Messe, an industrial trade show in Germany in April. In May, it won the “Best of the Best” award at the Consumer Electronics Show Asia.
The robotic kitchens could be available in 2018 for about $35,000. A pretty penny, though Oleynik argues the cost is on par with an average kitchen remodel.
Source: The Smithsonian
WHAT’S NEW IN ROBOTICS
This robot willmake you dinnerMoley Robotics is developing a robotic kitchen that can prepare a meal from start to finish – cleanup included …
Moley Robotics is developing an app, so that owners of the kitchen can select a meal from the iTunes-like recipe library, even when they are away from home.
11JULY 2016
WHAT’S NEW IN ROBOTICS
The new igus Triflex RSE system is a cost-effective retraction system for
robotic arm applications, automatically guiding energy supply systems and supply hoses.
The extremely lightweight Triflex RSE system automatically retracts cables and hoses, and prevents looping of the cable carrier. This allows power, media and data to be supplied safely to the end of the robotic arm.
The RSE system, from Treotham Automation, is based around the maintenance free igus DryLin linear bearings. The cable carrier is guided through the moving carriage, allowing for a retraction stroke of up to 23.6 inches. A durable elastic cord automatically
retracts any slack, preventing loop formation within the system.
The Triflex RSE system features integrated adjustable attachment plates, allowing the system to be mounted close to the robot, making it a space saving and affordable solution.
Triflex RSE was designed for use with the Triflex R line of cable carriers from igus, which are available in a variety of styles and diameters.
A large range of mounting options are also available, allowing the system to be fitted to a variety of robot models.
Treotham AutomationPh: 02 9907 1788www.treotham.com.au
Safe retraction system for industrial robots from Treotham
Cost-effective … new igus Triflex RSE system
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FASTPAYBACKPERIOD
12 JULY 2016
A company specializing in making lightweight x-ray machines for hospitals is using the same technology to design
bomb-detecting robots for counter-terrorist and security forces.
Adelaide company Micro-X has won a contract with the Department of Defence to demonstrate the technology for stand-off imaging of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Micro-X has moved its headquarters from Victoria to South Australia in preparation for the production of its core product, mobile x-ray machines for the medical industry.
It also has a contract with the Department of Defence to demonstrate a mobile x-ray unit prototype to be used in portable army hospitals and by “shock trauma platoons” on the edge of battle zones.
Managing Director Peter Rowland said Micro-X had successfully produced an 80kg mobile x-ray machine – just a fraction of the size and weight of the 500-600kg machines traditionally used in hospitals.
He said Micro-X had the rights to apply technology from a company in the United States that was commercializing the carbon nanotubes as the electron emitter within the x-ray tube.
“In one of these 600kg monsters, the x-ray tube itself weighs about 26kg and if you think about holding that over a bed safely you need a vertical and horizontal support arm that’s quite strong and a cart that’s quite strong,” Mr Rowland said.
“By comparison, our tube is one kilogram and is about the size of a large grapefruit. Our task has been to reduce the size of the overall cart in the same ratio.”
The first units for the medical industry are expected to be in production for sale towards the end of the year, while the demonstration for the
WHAT’S NEW IN ROBOTICS
SA company develops new bomb-detecting robots
By Andrew Spence
Ground breaking technology … Micro-X Production Manager Adam Williams works on one of the company’s lightweight x-ray machines
13JULY 2016
Department of Defence will be mid-year.
The variant models would have a slightly higher-powered tube and a greater ground clearance to help cope with more rugged terrain.
The IED detector unit is scheduled for demonstration early next year.
“We’re trying to accelerate it if we can but it’s a work in progress ... but the potential market for it is extensive,” Mr Rowland said.
“At the moment, when they come across an IED in a military environment such as Afghanistan or in a civilian environment like a suspicious bag in an airport they x-ray it because they’ve got to find out what it is, how dangerous it is, where it came from and how they are going to make it safe so x-ray is their friend.
“The problem is with what they are using is that to get the x-ray you have to take the unit up to the device and put an imaging plate behind it. Sometimes you can’t get the plate behind it without disturbing it and sometimes there’s a guy watching with a pair of binoculars and a mobile phone and he’s just waiting for the person to lean over the top before he detonates it … so they’re desperate to find what’s called stand-off technologies where they don’t have to put someone in harm’s way and they can still find out what’s inside the package.”
Rowland said the technology Micro-X used in its lightweight x-ray machines was ideally suited for backscatter imaging.
“It’s kind of just like what Superman used to do where you can just look at something and
you can see inside it – you don’t need to get the imaging plate behind.
“We’ve concepted something for them that is small, you could put it on a little trolley or robot and you just drive it up and it shows you what’s inside without the need for anyone to go anywhere near it and that got them seriously excited.”
WHAT’S NEW IN ROBOTICS
“While the backscatter technology exists, because it uses a conventional x-ray
tube and not a carbon nanotube source the thing
is giant so the idea that we’ve got something that would fit on a one metre long robot and go up and
interrogate a small parcel is groundbreaking for them.”
14 JULY 2016
WHAT’S NEW IN AUTOMATION
IT analyst firm Gartner forecasts that smart machines will outgrow employees at fast growing companies by 2018.
It almost goes without saying that this growth in smart machines and robotics has been driven by the onset of the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0, which refers to the concept of a man-less working environment.
However as more companies head towards a full realisation of Industry 4.0, increasingly the question of whether humans need to be entirely substituted for robots across the factory floor is becoming an important consideration.
Certainly with the introduction of new technologies such as collaborative robots, many industry leaders are now exploring how humans and robots can work better together to enhance innovation and
productivity rather than maintaining an arguably narrow view that automation must replace humans. The idea is that man AND machine is better than having only one of the two.
To AuTomATe or noT To AuTomATe? ConSIderATIonS for AddIng roboTS To your buSIneSS
Automatisation of tasks can benefit all industries and business sizes. There are many opportunities to reduce costs, improve business performance, optimise production, increase quality and drive revenue through automation.
According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), around 1.3 million industrial robots will be entering service in factories around the world.
However, when exploring whether or not to automate some typically human processes with robots, organisations should consider a wide range of factors, such as whether robots can fill a skills gap or enhance safety for human employees by taking over dangerous tasks for example.
For example, a recent report by Deloitte on the skills gap in manufacturing in the US suggested that the
next decade will see 3.4 million jobs with only 1.4 million qualified workers to fill them.
Robots are ideally suited for many of these positions and today’s collaborative robots or “cobots” can
The smart factory dilemma:Man and machineShermine Gotfredsen
‘Around 1.3 million industrial
robots will be soon be in
factories around the world’
15JULY 2016
work side-by-side with human workers by taking over routine, repetitive and dangerous jobs so human workers can move into higher-value positions.
In fact, according to analyst research firm, Forrester by 2019, 25 percent of all job tasks will be offloaded to software robots, physical robots, or customer self-service automation.
The benefITS of CoboTS
Due to their flexible nature and ability to work with people, cobots are innovating all types of tasks and industries.
From the environment and the medical industry to food, fashion and television, cobots are able to complement humans’ working environments and act as a work tool for them.
The result is that man and machine respectively do what they can do best. The weaknesses of one are compensated for by the strengths of the other.
For instance, when lightweight robots assume repetitive or ergonomically unfavourable tasks, illnesses linked to the job decrease and the workplace becomes safer.
For example, Tegra Medical, an American producer of medical devices decided to automate their processes using cobots. Three collaborative robots are employed in the production of medical devices.
These cobots work right next to humans without additional safety guarding and have resulted in a doubling of production throughput.
Tegra have implemented the collaborative UR10 robot with a reach of 1300mm, which enables
Tegra to produce three different products in a single machining cycle.
Moreover, resources of eleven employees were set free and can now be used for tasks with higher value creation.
CoboTS AS job CreATorS?
Robotics in the workplace has long been portrayed as an employment alternative by replacing staff on the factory floor.
Yet the belief that robots are
“stealing” jobs relies on the misapprehension that that all industrial robots can be viewed in the same way and perform the same function. In reality, industrial robots vary greatly.
Lightweight cobots differ enormously from traditional industrial robots that must be kept behind safety shields in order to avoid contact with humans. In fact, cobots were developed with the intention of allowing the skills of man and machine to be combined.
Remarkably, cobots are now playing the role of job creator. In the food industry alone, robots are expected to create 70,000-90,000 jobs worldwide between 2017 and 2020.
Cobots compared to other industrial robots can increase
employment opportunities within businesses as they can increase productivity and encourage upgraded skillsets. Rather than replacing their human counterparts these devices work alongside people in manufacturing and processing tasks.
For example, at the Clinical Biochemical Department at the Copenhagen University Hospital in Gentofte, Denmark, Universal Robots cobots work alongside health care professionals to handle blood samples, which has enabled the lab to uphold a
target of delivering more than 90 percent of results within an hour despite a 20 percent increase in samples arriving for analysis.
While the vision of the “smart factory” is soon expected to become fully realised, whereby humans work with robots to communicate and cooperate via Internet of Things and Internet of Services – how it can be achieved and how long this will take needs to be evaluated carefully based on individual business needs and in particular staff requirements.
This will ultimately ensure that enhanced performance can be achieved across the organisation, while workers can become more productive.
Shermine Gotfredsen is General Manager, Universal Robots Asia-Pacific.
WHAT’S NEW IN AUTOMATION
‘Remarkably, cobots are now playing the role of job creator’
16 JULY 2016
SPECIAL FEATURE
A robot with an algorithm-based persona is being used to help companies make data-driven decisions in real time.
South Australian company Complexica has developed Larry, the Digital Analyst, which is basically a set of algorithms tuned to complex problems to quickly generate answers that would otherwise take people a very long time to work out.
Big Data software algorithms are taking decision-making to a new level, delivering solutions and efficiencies like never before. The global Artificial Intelligence market is forecast to exceed US$5 billion by 2020.
Father and son team Matthew Michalewicz and Dr Zbigniew "Mike" Michalewicz, a former professor at the University of Adelaide’s School of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence pioneer, started
the company in 2014 with software architect Constantin Chiriac.
It has quickly signed up 20 companies across a range of industries and aims to scale up to 100 clients within two years.
Customers include PFD Food Services, Liquor Marketing Group, Leader Computers and Coventry Group.
“The problem we identified is that companies want to make data-driven decisions and the way they do that is they hire data scientists, data analysts and it is a very expensive process. So the solution is to create a software robot that automates analytical tasks,” Complexica Managing Director Matthew Michalewicz said.
“Now we have the freedom to go beyond the initial customers with something that is actually proven and functioning in the marketplace.
“With every deployment we make the product more scalable, we make it more robust in terms of what it can do and how quickly it does it.”
Larry is applied to an application layer that is problem specific – a problem could be promotions or pricing, segmented customers or cross-selling and up-selling. End users interact with an application, they push a button, which then goes to Larry to come up with an answer.
In one example, Larry helped formulate a 52-week promotions plan for a national company with 25,000 different products sold in 1400 stores
Meet Larry: the robotic Digital Analyst that eats Big Data Andrew Spence
17JULY 2016
SPECIAL FEATURE
across Australia based on the question of what product should be on promotion at what time of year and at what price to maximise profits. The plan took into account promotional lift, cannibalization in the category and complementary sales.
“It (usually) takes about 30-man days to come up with one plan because you are dealing with 25,000 items over 1400 stores for 52 weeks – it’s like a really big Sudoku,” Mr Michalewicz said.
“But in 60 seconds Larry was able to consider about 10 million
combinations of different prices, products, frequency, predict how much more you will sell with all of these combinations and convert them into weekly averages per state and per store.
“The number of combinations and the number of possible outcomes is not infinite but it is close and no matter how big your set of people is it’s impossible for you to consider everything whereas a machine and all the computing power that sits in the cloud can consider things that an organization will never have time to consider.”
Michalewicz said Larry was best
suited to large companies that experienced repetitive sales of everyday items such as food, hardware and liquor.
“Businesses that have complexity are going to get much greater benefits from Larry than businesses that don’t. We define complexity by three core things: how big a business is; how many products you sell; and how many customers do you have.”
Mr Michalewicz said giving the product a persona like “Larry” made it easier for
customers to use and relate to the product.
“You can kind of envision that he’s a hard working guy, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t drink, he has his nose down to make sure the work gets done but he’s easy to relate to – you ask Larry to help and he’s there to give you the answers and insights to help you succeed.”
Michalewicz escaped to New Zealand from communist Poland with his parents in the 1980s before moving to the United States and then making his way to South Australia 12 years ago.
Complexica is the third company co-founded by the father and
son team following the success of NuTech Solutions and SolveIT Software, both of which were sold off to large multinationals.
The company employs 26 people in Adelaide, the South Australian capital, and is planning to open offices in other major Australian cities before expanding overseas
in two to five years.
Mr Michalewicz said there is greater demand than he first thought for data analytics, with enormous tailwinds behind it.
“Data scientists are being bid up in the marketplace, analytics companies are being bought, insight teams are being created,” he said.
“So many people are interested in creating analytical environments in their organization and it’s certainly more attractive to have a robot drive your analytics process than to have 20 people you need to hire.”
Andrew Spence is a senior writer with The Lead, South Australia.
‘In 60 seconds Larry was able to consider about
10 million combinations’
18 JULY 2016
WHAT’S NEW IN SENSORS
bestech now offers the new optoNCDT 1320 and 1420 laser triangulation sensors – a winner of the prestigious Red Dot Award 2016 in the Industrial
Design category.
These sensors stand out from the rest due to their unique design concept based on compact size, intelligent signal processing and precision.
The optoNCDT 1320 triangulation sensor, manufactured by Micro-Epsilon, offers maximum precision in a minimum of space.
Low weight combined with compact size, the optoNCDT 1320 can be easily integrated into restricted installation spaces and is ideally suitable for dynamic applications.
The optoNCDT laser sensors are based on the triangulation measuring principle. These sensors measure displacement, distance and position on a non-contact basis.
The controller for the sensors is integrated in the housing, which simplifies the installation many times over.
The measuring rate of optoNCDT 1320 sensors can be adjusted to up to 2kHz. The Auto Target Compensation (ATC) feature enables precise control of the distance signal regardless of target colour or brightness. Very small objects can be detected reliably due to the small and sharply projected measurement spot size.
Due to their excellent price/performance ratio, the sensors are particularly suitable for high volume applications in machine integration and factory automation.
Bestech Australia Ph: (03) 9540 5100 www.bestech.com.au
Bestech unveils new award winning compact laser sensor
New optical distant measurement sensorsfrom Leuze
The latest distance measuring sensor ODS 10 and HT 10 are sensors that reliably detect
objects and measure distances with an operating range of up to 8m (diffuse reflex) 25m (reflective tape) with the accuracy of 3mm resolution.
The devices have high tolerance with respect to the angle of incidence, the colour, surface structure and brightness of the reflective material.
As a result, they even detect different materials, such as wood or matt surfaces as well as glossy metal, under varying environmental conditions. They are also suitable for dark (black) materials and objects that are not aligned correctly or are moving at a great speed.
Highly visible status indicators, large control buttons as well as the OLED display for step-by-step commissioning and diagnosis at the press of a button.
The compact housing (dimensions 25x65x55mm) with integrated recesses for M4 screws/nuts, and flexible connections make the device easy to use even when space is tight.
The ODSL10 series are ideal for a broad variety of applications including conveyor lines, packaging, printing and warehousing.
Leuze electronic Pty Ltd Ph: 1300 538 933 www.leuze.com.au
Reliability and accuracy … new ODS 10 measurement sensor
19JULY 2016
WHAT’S NEW IN SENSORS
With a housing size of only 22x32x12mm and a large working
range of up to 1000mm, the Wenglor WinTec P1KY001 is ideal for all applications where fast and accurate object detection is required in extremely tight spaces.
Despite its extremely small size, the new transit time sensor offers many features allowing it to be used in complex automation applications. It is suitable for automated small parts warehouses, the automotive industry, logistics, cold storage facilities, the woodworking industry, and many more applications.
Available from Treotham Automation the sensor is equipped with Wenglor’s interference-free technology WinTec, which reliably detects all objects at a switching frequency of 1000 Hz. It quickly and accurately detects edges and black or glossy objects with high precision, even at extremely inclined positions.
The high performance triple dot laser offers protection against reciprocal influence, allowing sensors to be installed directly next to each other. The sensors work perfectly every time, even in extreme temperatures from -40°C to 50°C.
The P1KY001 sensor features a large working range of 1000mm, two switching outputs (antivalent) and a 270° potentiometer, ensuring the sensor is user-friendly.
The LED display provides information regarding power supply, switching status and error diagnostics, informing the user if the sensor may be contaminated, has been
incorrectly mounted or has not been properly adjusted to the object.
Treotham Automation Pty Ltd Ph: 02 9907 1788 www.treotham.com.au
Treotham introduces world’s smallest transit time sensor
Fast and accurate … Wenglor WinTec P1KY001 sensor
Despite its extremely small size, the
new transit time sensor offers many features allowing
it to be used in complex automation
applications.
20 JULY 2016
WHAT’S NEW IN SENSORS
Choosing the right process technology is the key to an efficient and
successful supply chain.
Australian manufacturers face increasing pressure to get their products to market on time – and in compliance with industry standards.
And Australian food producers especially, need to get goods out of their storage facilities or warehouses and through the supply chain as quickly and efficiently as possible.
It is vital for Australian manufacturers to choose technologies they can implement within their business that will drive efficiencies and reduce costs.
To maintain accuracy and efficiency, manufacturers must move away from manual low-tech processes across their supply chain.
“Automation is the key to the future,” says George Nematian, an expert in vision sensor technology.
“In such a competitive consumer-driven market it is vital for Australian manufacturers to get their products to retailers across
the nation,” he says.
“Technologies such as vision sensors should be considered to better control the end-of-the-line manufacturing processes, including coding, labelling and packaging.”
Vision sensor technology is primarily used for quality inspections and traceability.
This is a cost-efficient solution that not only reduces production costs but also product liability.
“With vision sensors manufacturers can better monitor and control production quality and eliminate product recall – particularly those in the food & beverage, pharmaceutical and packaging industries,” says Mr Nematian.
Checking for product defects as goods come down the line is
definitely a more cost-efficient method than waiting to check the completed products at the end of the production line, says Mr Nematian.
“Most food lines operate at very high speeds, he explains. “If a defect is not
recognised, manufacturers can lose thousands of defective products, resulting in heavy losses.
“Vision sensors provide
How vision sensor technology has been a game changerTim Michael
Vision sensors can help companies to:
• Reducewaste
• Reducefailurerate
• Maintaincustomer
satisfaction
21JULY 2016
WHAT’S NEW IN SENSORS
continuous inspection of products on a production line, eliminating human error.”
A vision sensor can monitor fill levels, check expiry dates as well as analysing codes and label information.
Automated inspection not only increases productivity, it significantly reduces waste and ensures bad products are not distributed in the marketplace, Mr Nematian says.
For these reasons more companies are turning to vision technology, which delivers a quick return of investment.
“Vision sensor technology usually pays off within three months and advanced vision will pay off six months to one year in many cases, says Mr Nematian.
“And most vision sensor users report productivity improvements well above 20 per cent, with reduced labour costs and less
wastage.
“The ability of vision sensors to deliver in excess of 99 percent accuracy also means there are fewer returns and credits to process, resulting in a much higher level of customer satisfaction.”
Manufacturers who make an investment in modernising their businesses with technologies, such as vision sensors will be better positioned to meet today’s workplace challenges.
They will also be able to get their products to market sooner, which will support their
opportunities to grow their bottom line.
* George Nematian is Product Manager at Omron Electronics, a leader in automation technology.
Omron Electronics Ph: 1300 766 766 www.omron.com.au
‘With vision sensors manufacturers can better
monitor and control production quality and eliminate product recall – particularly those in the food & beverage, pharmaceutical and
packaging industries,’ says Mr. Nematian.
22 JULY 2016
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
Work is underway on software that aims to use hologram
technology and LEGO-inspired assembly to help manufacture some of the world’s most complex machines.
The Australian arm of global defence and security company
Saab has partnered with Microsoft to build a range of ground breaking training, education and other complex 3D Holographic applications.
Worn as goggles by users, the Microsoft HoloLens Platform is the first fully untethered, holographic computer, enabling
interaction with high definition holograms.
Based in the South Australian capital Adelaide, Saab Australia is a defence, security and traffic management solutions provider specialising in computer-based command and control systems.
Saab Australia Head of Training and Simulation Inger Lawes said the company had identified three initial markets: its traditional defence and security market, the enterprise market – primarily large corporations wanting bespoke applications to address a specific need – and internal applications for the company’s own development.
“We want to stay within our business of defence and security but we also want to explore applied markets such
Bringing LEGO simplicityto advanced manufacturingAndrew Spence
23JULY 2016
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
as using HoloLens to support sophisticated manufacturing,” he said.
“Most design work these days is done on a computer and is called model-based design. What we want to do is support model-based assembly where the models that are designed on a computer are represented holographically.
Mr Lawes said, as an internal test, the company would use a LEGO model of the company’s Gripen fighter jet as a starting point to prove the value of the technology to its assembly team in Sweden.
“We’re going to use model-based assembly software as the background but we’re going to use LEGO components,” he said.
“Everyone understands LEGO so it is a fantastic vehicle to demonstrate this sort of thing and get people as enthusiastic as we are and prove to them that you can build things in this environment and if we can build it with LEGO we can do it with
everything else.”
Mr Lawes said the company would initially focus on internal applications for HoloLens but would deliver something for its first external customer in September.
“We expect very quickly to be able to look at this technology to support any highly complex assembly or design work, it just happens that we are in that business ourselves so the logical thing is to start doing it internally,” he said.
Mr Lawes said the way to think of HoloLens was as a self-contained high-end computer with standard features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB.
Holographic images are projected onto the goggles’ optical lens and appear in the field of vision about a metre from the user’s eye.
“Most of the really complicated things will rely on having some sort of server or access to a database and streaming it to the device rather than loading it up
with a packaged application,” Mr Lawes said.
“It just opens up an almost infinite number of possibilities to draw on information and have that information rendered as a model and just work with it.
“I’m extremely confident that this is going to be a significant business for us but it’s also a significant opportunity to create some work in South Australia.”
Mr Lawes said the leading-edge technology would explore “uncharted waters”.
“The way we will chart that direction is people will come to us and say ‘we’ve got this idea and we’d like to use the technology in this particular way’ and we’ll have a discussion about that and more than likely, out of that will pop something quite spectacular,” he said.
“It’ll be the users by and large who come up with the ideas.”
*Andrew Spence is editor of The Lead, South Australia.
· · ·‘Everyone understands LEGO so it’s a fantastic vehicle’
24 JULY 2016
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
In the industrial world today, robotic and digital technologies, collectively known as “Industry 4.0,” are driving transformative change.
The full potential of the advances won’t be realized for years to come. And that’s the rub.
Many people fear the new labor-saving technologies. They know only too well that jobs will be lost, particularly factory jobs.
They don’t seem to realize, or don’t seem to care, that new jobs also will be created – and that on balance there should be more new jobs than lost jobs. But the new jobs will require different skills. And many of today’s industrial workers don’t have those skills.
A recent report titled Man and Machine in Industry 4.0 prepared by global management consulting firm BCG, examines how the introduction of robotics and computerization will
affect some 40 job categories in 23 industries.
The report focuses on Germany, but the broader lessons are applicable to other industrialized nations.
The message couldn’t be clearer:
First, that greater use of digital industrial technologies will reduce the number of traditional assembly and production jobs. To make the transition successfully from today’s workplace to the workplace of 2025, companies will “need to retrain their workforces, revamp their organizational models, and develop strategic approaches to recruiting and workforce planning.
Second, that the decline in assembly and production jobs “will be more than offset” by the creation of new jobs in industrial IT, analytics, R&D … as well as new jobs in other corners of the economy triggered by economic growth. The new industrial jobs will have such titles as IT solution architect, industrial data scientist, robot coordinator, user interface designer.
Third, while Industry 4.0 will significantly change the industrial landscape, making some existing jobs obsolete while creating entirely new job families, the factory as we know it won’t disappear entirely.
As Ingo Ruhmann, IT systems adviser to Germany’s Ministry of Education and Research, is quoted as saying: “Complete automation is not
Advanced Manufacturingwill create jobs,not kill themHarold Sirkin
‘Completeautomation
is not realistic’
25JULY 2016
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
realistic. Technology will mainly increase productivity through physical and digital assistance systems, not the replacement of human labor.”
Overall, Industry 4.0 manufacturing jobs will be less physically demanding and less repetitive than today’s factory jobs, but they will require employees to become problem solvers, showing more flexibility and thinking faster on their feet.
Fourth, while the workplace changes now in progress will reduce the number of traditional factory jobs requiring employees to perform simple, repetitive tasks, the plus side for today’s workers is that these same changes could enable many older workers to extend their careers “if, for example, robotic assistance systems support them in physically demanding jobs or
provide step-by-step guidance for using new machines.”
“Such assisted-work environments,” the report’s authors note, “will also create opportunities for people to return to the workforce in entirely new roles if they lose their jobs when their training and experience become obsolete.”
Advanced manufacturing does not have to be a job killer.
Just as steam power transformed our economy in the 19th century, and electricity and automation powered the growth of the economy in the 20th century, if government, industry, education and labor pull together, digital industrial technology will remake the economy once again in the 21st.
Source: Forbes
26 JULY 2016
INNOVATION
drones carrying hamburgers and drinks have begun flying over a
golf course in Japan as part of a unique drone delivery service.
Sora Raku is a drone delivery service launched by online shopping giant Rakuten and Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory (ACSL), a spin-off of Chiba University. The first consumer service of its kind, Sora Raku will begin May 9, 2016 as a month-long pilot project at a golf course in Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo.
Golfers can order about 100 items, including hamburgers, snacks and gear such as golf balls and tees, on their smartphones through a dedicated Android app. A Rakuten ID is necessary to use the app.
During a demonstration, the Tenku drone developed by Rakuten and ACSL took off from an area near the clubhouse at Camel Golf Resort and flew up to a height of 30 meters over a grove of trees to a landing zone. It automatically recognized a large “R” designating the landing zone, landed and released a pink box containing a burger and a bottle of water. It didn’t seem to be affected by gusts buffeting the links.
The Tenku drone flew, landed and released the package autonomously. The six-rotor drone can carry about 2kg and can fly in a stable fashion in strong wind. It has a top speed of approximately 4m per second.
“This is the first step in the
industrial revolution of the sky,” said ACSL President Kenzo Nonami, an engineering professor at Chiba University, adding that Japan mustn’t lose out to other countries when it comes to drones like it did with computers and smartphones.
“The government has started to position the drone business as one of the strategic industries for Japan,” said Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani. “It’s being surprisingly aggressive and we are very encouraged.”
The Tenku drone and the box it delivers are designed with a pink color scheme, a touch intended to make drones less frightening, Mikitani said. He recalled an incident a year ago in which a
drone landed on the Japanese prime minister’s office in a protest against Japan’s nuclear policies. The operator received a suspended prison sentence and new legislation restricting drones was introduced.
The regulations are more lax when it comes to sparsely populated areas such as the region of Chiba Prefecture that’s home to the golf course.
Chiba is home to Narita Airport, an international gateway for Tokyo, and has positioned itself at the forefront of drone developments in Japan with a plan to introduce drone deliveries to high-rise residences in the next few years.
Rakuten invested in ACSL, known
Delivery dronetees off at Japanese golf courseTim Hornyak
‘The government has started to position the drone business
as one of the strategic industries for Japan’
27JULY 2016
for its Mini Surveyor brand of industrial drones, earlier this year, and has yet to decide if and how it will expand the Sora Raku service.
ACSL was also involved in Japan’s first urban drone delivery in which a six-rotor drone delivered a bottle of wine to a group of spectators at a park.
The drone delivery tests also successfully airlifted medicine from the ground to the rooftop (31m off the ground) of a 10-story apartment building.
And drone delivery is also slowly but surely gaining traction in the United States.
A Nevada-based startup last year completed the first FAA-approved urban drone delivery in the United States, delivering a package that included bottled water, emergency food and a first aid kit to a residential area in Hawthorne, Nevada.
And Foodpanda, the world’s largest online food delivery platform, is also testing drone delivery in Singapore.
Foodpanda started testing drone delivery late last year and CEO Ralf Wenzel says if the trials go well, a Singapore-wide rollout of food delivery drones could
happen in the coming years.
Tim Hornyak is a Canadian-born freelance science and technology journalist based in Tokyo. This story was first published in Robotics Trends www.roboticstrends.com
INNOVATION
28 JULY 2016
While working in the mining and oil industry, Adelaide entrepreneur Dan Squire regularly saw the innovative use
of drones to solve long-standing issues.
But when he moved into the water industry, he was surprised the same wasn’t being done there.
It was that realisation which led him to create his startup, Drones over Water, which utilises unmanned autonomous vehicles to monitor water quality in remote locations.
The concept was recently recognised at the Flinders University New Venture Insitute’s eNVIes awards last week, with Squire taking out the top prize.
He has developed a prototype drone fitted with water sensors that can collect samples and records data from water sources in areas difficult for humans to access.
“In the Murray-Darling and places like that, sometimes they can’t test billabongs and lagoons, because it’s quite hard to get out there,” he says.
Squire says the information collected by drones would arm the water industry with crucial information about water quality, like the presence of blue-green algae, and help experts know how to best treat that water.
Drones are also less likely than boats to damage
fragile water environments.
“At the end of the day, anytime you can get someone off a watercourse, that’s a good thing,” Squire says.
“I’ve spoken with more than 20 CEOs and managers, and almost every one of them has said they think this is something that is useful and a great idea. Those who would use it have said they would take it on.”
Squire now plans to move on from the prototype stage, but admits there are obstacles to be overcome. The sensors for the drone must still be perfected and he also has to appease aeronautical authority regulators.
Regardless, he's already thinking about other applications for his product.
A sailor by trade, Squire foresees drones being used to test seawater, as well as reducing the risk to ship workers completing dangerous jobs.
"In that world, you've got people hanging off the sides of ships,” he says.
“Why can't you just send a drone to do that? It’ll reduce the risk."
Drone startupready to testthe watersMark Kearney
WHAT’S NEW IN DRONES
Bright idea … Dan Squire (right) from Drones Over Water at the eNVIes awards in Adelaide.
29JULY 2016
Australian consumers may soon get the option of having items they
purchase online delivered direct to their doors by drones.
Australia Post is trialling the use of remotely piloted drones internally, with the backing of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
If the initial two-week trial is successful, the company hopes to trial the service with consumers by the end of the year.
The organisation put its new delivery drone through its paces at Dandenong South in Melbourne's south-east last month.
The new technology could revolutionise the way parcels are delivered – particularly in remote regional and rural areas.
Australia Post is working with local start-up ARI Labs, which developed proprietary technology for the drones, to check their reliability and applications.
Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour said the drone trial is just one of the innovation Australia Post is exploring, as online shopping continues to post double-digit growth.
The new trial by the postal service will initially focus on small parcels – making it ideal for the rapid delivery of medications.
"E-commerce and online shopping, it's all about customer convenience," Mr Fahour said.
"If you were shopping and wanted something really quickly, what's the best way when you've got traffic and a situation where you need it right now? You could potentially use it."
The drones would be operated by delivery drivers who would launch them from a parked vehicle.
CASA, the government body overseeing air traffic safety, recently relaxed some regulations for commercial drone operators, including the need for an operator's certificate and a remote pilot's licence.
The changes apply to drones weighing less than 2kg and come into effect at the end of September this year.
A CASA spokesman said the authority would identify all relevant safety requirements to ensure there were no risks to people, property or aircraft.
He added CASA currently did not approve drone operations over populous areas, "so drones cannot currently deliver parcels down city or suburban streets".
Each drone has an HD camera, a siren, parachute and lights. It also has a video system to allow operators to monitor the landing environment for hazards.
Major US retailers Amazon and Wal-Mart are also testing the use of drones for commercial delivery, subject to regulatory approval.
WHAT’S NEW IN DRONES
Australia Post tests dronesfor parcel delivery
The drones are expected to cost $10,000 each and will allow packages up to 2kg to be delivered over 25km. This may be increased by up to 10kg – subject to certain requirements.
30 JULY 2016
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Late last year Omron Electronics, a Japanese giant specialising in
industrial automation, acquired a 100 percent stake in Adept Robotics – the largest supplier of industrial robots in the US.
Omron launched the new range in Australia at a series of seminars in major capital cities last month. Omron’s core technology is electronics – most notably controllers, safety, vision and sensing products. The new acquisition means Omron can now offer clients a total automation solution. In this exclusive interview with Robotics Today Omron robotics expert Chris Probst explains how the new purchase will benefit Australian industry …
RT: Adept is a well-known brand in the US, but has not had a big presence in Australia. Can you tell us more about the brand?
CP: Adept Technology has been around for more than 25 years. The company is very much a pioneer of the robotics industry globally. Adept offers a wide range of intelligent vision-guided robotics systems, autonomous mobile robot solutions and associated services. Their product lines and systems are used in many market sectors including medical, electronics, food and beverage, semiconductor, packaging, machine tool automation and automotive.
RT: What was the main reason for the Adept purchase?
CP: Omron globally has a very wide automation platform, however robotics was the one missing link. Until now Omron could provide the entire automation production line – minus a robot at the end. With the Adept acquisition
the company can now offer a complete automation solution. We are probably the only company in the world that can do that. For customers, this will mean one partner and one point of contact for purchasing, support and maintenance, which greatly simplifies their operations.
RT: So Adept’s robotic range is totally compatible with Omron automation systems?
CP: Most definitely. Adept robots talk Omron and the control system talks Omron – all from one controller. Omron has developed dedicated communication drivers and function blocks (FBs) that interface directly into Adept’s controllers (which are often embedded into the robot). The EtherCAT or Ethernet/IP protocol is used for this, due to its widespread usage throughout industrial applications.
With a new robotics range Omron now offers total automation solution
31JULY 2016
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
RT: What does the Adept robotics range offer?
CP: Adept’s robotic portfolio is seen as “best in class” and includes fixed and robots.
This includes Parallel (or Delta) robots – Hornet and Quattro – SCARA (Selective Compliance Articulated Robotic Arm – Cobra, a 6 axis articulated arm Viper and even Cartesian axes Python. The Quattro (four-axis) delta robot is the world’s fastest packing and handling parallel robot. It can do the same task as two standard Delta robots. One of the main advantages of using Adept Technology is that a smart controller is integrated into the robot, with no need for a bulky external controller.
RT: What are the main applications for the fixed robots?
CP: They are ideal for materials handling and very high speed packaging – pick and place. And with new Omron-Adept technology they can be used for conveyor vision tracking. Adept robots are world renowned for their speed and accuracy. They are reliable, rugged and proven. Using Omron vision controllers they are now able to pick parts off a moving conveyor belt ‘on the fly’ with great accuracy – an extremely hard task for humans.
RT: How can Adept mobile robots be used in industry?
CP: Unlike Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), Adept Autonomous Intelligent Vehicles (AIVs) don’t need much infrastructure, such as a dedicated track to guide them. Using safety scanners they can automatically avoid obstacles.
Adept has been a pioneer of AIVs and they are already being used widely across the globe. This includes the healthcare sector, such as hospitals, where they can be used to move blood or medication around a facility or by manufacturers on a mobile production line. In fact, they are ideal for any business that needs an autonomous operation.
RT: Is the complete range now available in Australia?
CP: Omron Oceania has released the full range of Adept’s fixed robots, for the Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific markets in April this year. It’s anticipated that Omron will release Adept’s remaining product range, such as mobile robots (eg: “Lynx”) later this year.
RT: Which brand name will these products carry – Adept or Omron?
CP: All robots are dual branded Omron Adept to take advantage of Omron’s name for quality
and Adept’s reputation for innovation and reliability.
RT: What is the main advantage of using robots in the workplace?
CP: Increased production and greater efficiency. Robots give you faster throughput and accuracy. They can operate 24/7 and never make a mistake. They are perfect for quality control jobs and traceability. Using robots you can trace a product’s history back to the point of sale.
RT: Will the rise of robots mean a loss of jobs?
CP: Robots will never replace the function of a human. They are there to assist humans – and will eventually take over the more tedious tasks. Rather than losing a job, it will mean a change of roles – a higher skilled job. It will mean workers will be ‘re-skilled’ with higher skills. And robots need maintenance – they will always need people to program them and maintain them.
32 JULY 2016
HOT PRODUCTS
The new igus Triflex RSE system is a cost-effective retraction system
for robotic arm applications, automatically guiding energy supply systems and supply hoses.
The extremely lightweight Triflex RSE system automatically retracts cables and hoses, and prevents looping of the cable carrier. This allows power, media and data to be supplied safely to the end of the
robotic arm.
The RSE system is based around the maintenance free igus DryLin linear bearings. The cable carrier is guided through the moving carriage, allowing for a retraction stroke of up to 23.6 inches. A durable elastic cord automatically retracts any slack, preventing loop formation within the system.
The Triflex RSE system features integrated adjustable attachment plates, allowing the system to be mounted close to the robot, making it a space saving and affordable solution.
Triflex RSE was designed for use with the Triflex R line of cable carriers from igus, which are available in a variety of styles and diameters.
A large range of mounting options
are also available, allowing the system to be fitted to a variety of robot models.
Treotham Automation Ph: 02 9907 1788 www.treotham.com.au
Turck, a global leader in industrial automation technology, has introduced
the TBEN-L Ethernet spanner, which provides customers with a robust protocol converter.
This new technology is a much needed solution for applications dealing with multiple protocols on the same network.
The TBEN-L Ethernet spanner capitalizes on Turck’s multiprotocol technology and serves as an easy way to link multiple Ethernet networks together – even networks that speak different protocols. Its master to master data exchange allows PLCs to exchange data easily.
By utilizing Turck’s multiprotocol
Ethernet technology and the embedded Ethernet switch, the device can allow isolated networks to pass data between them (up to 256 bytes), even if the networks are on different Ethernet subnets or using different protocols such as Modbus TCP, PROFINET or EtherNet/IP.
Additionally, by utilizing the isolated Ethernet network, the TBEN Ethernet spanner offers the ability to setup a NAT (Network Address Translation) router for up to 5 IP addresses. The devices also include an embedded webserver for a streamlined setup and configuration process.
The TBEN-L spanner offers 16 digital inputs that are available to
both networks and allows data transfer speeds of up to 100 megabits per second.
Additionally, the spanner comes in a glass-fiber reinforced housing with fully potted electronics and offers an IP65, IP67, or IP69K rated housing.
Turck Australia Ph: 1300 132 566 www.turck.com.au
Treotham’s safe retraction system for industrial robots
Cost effective solution, new igus Triflex RSE system.
Turck’s new Ethernet spanner is a real game changer
Much needed solution… Turck’s TBEN-L Ethernet spanner
33JULY 2016
HOT PRODUCTS
Shanghai-based DIY robot company DFRobot is hoping its latest pet-like
toy robot called Antbo can help breed a new generation of engineers.
For the new generation, learning to code will be almost as important as learning to read.
But most five-year-olds aren't interested in staring at lines of code.
Enter Antbo – a learning robot that makes things more interesting.
It looks like an ant, is simple to program and can teach kids to learn to code while they play with it.
"We believe in the philosophy of learning through play … Seeing an ant-shaped robot come to life is definitely more interesting than reading code on a computer screen," Ricky Ye, CEO of DFRobot, told Fast Company.
Younger children can use visual programming tools like Scratch to make simple commands, like telling the robot to follow lines on the ground, react to a voice, or even simulate emotions.
Once kids are old enough to code traditionally, they can also program the robot with Arduino IDE. Advanced users can 3-D print custom shells for the toy.
"We believe kids can benefit a lot from robotics, by identifying their own challenges, learning how stuff works, solving new problems, motivating themselves to complete a project, working together,
inspiring others, and sharing with others," says Ye.
The robot is designed to feel as alive as possible.
"Antbo is more like an organic creature," says Ye. "Our engineers have studied each kind of walking robot's gait from the point of insect bionics and designed a six-footed walking mechanism … He can respond to the surrounding environment and various stimulus."
With 30 neurons for different "feelings," the robot can learn simple movements and habits based on the preferences of the user. As a pet-like toy, it's designed to stay interesting enough for kids to want to play with it over time.
And it's not the only robot aimed at developing coding skills in very young children.
A group of roboticists from Harvard's Wyss Institute has
also developed a robot can teach kids how to code.
It's controlled by a tablet app that can switch between a basic and an advanced UI.
This is another fun way to get a child’s full, undivided attention.
Known as Root, this small hexagonal robot is designed to ignite their interest in coding.
Root was designed to crawl on a white board, using the markers and erasers it carries on command.
Kids can control it by moving icons around in its accompanying app called Square (get it?).
They simply have to make if-then statements using the icons, so even very young children can make the robot draw doodles and erase them afterwards.
‘Most five-year-olds aren't interested in staring at lines of code’
Fun ways to learn … Antbo from DF Robot and Harvard’s Root robot.
This cute robot can teach toddlers to code
34 JULY 2016
Prosthetic and therapeutic robotic devices will grow into a US$1.9 billion and
US$1.7 billion market by 2025 respectively, according to a new report.
Lux Research, which compiled the report, predicts the boom will come as an aging global population demands better quality of life and superior performance.
Predictably, the largest markets for the prosthetic robotics devices – such as bionic arms and legs – will be in developed countries – mainly Europe and the US.
But China will comprise nearly one-third of the total 2025 market, more than any other country.
Therapeutic robotics – devices that help a range of conditions from strokes to spinal cord injuries – are less sensitive to the availability of insurance reimbursement, so most of this market will be from sales to centralised rehabilitation centres.
“Robotics is rapidly entering the
future of healthcare as a tool that will enable more advanced and personalised care for millions of patients,” said Lux research analyst Maryanna Saenko.
“As longevity increases, more people are demanding better rehabilitative care. The rapid rise in patient numbers degrades medical providers’ ability and further stresses the need for more robotic technologies to assist in treatment,” she said.
Ms Saenko is the lead author of the report titled: Automating the road to recovery: How the rehabilitation robotics market is changing the future of health care.
Global life expectancy has risen to 78.7 years, compared to 75.4 in 1990. Additionally, the number
of people aged 65 or over is projected to rise to nearly two billion in 2050. This will raise the population of those with debilitating diseases requiring rehabilitative care.
According to Lux Research, the number of patients needing rehabilitative robotics is on the rise.
The number of stroke survivors is increasing worldwide along with survivors of spinal cord injuries.
Lux Research predicts huge opportunities for device integrators.
The therapeutics market lacks existing infrastructure, making it a fertile ground for new technologies despite challenges arising from medical reimbursement.
“An even larger opportunity exists for device integrators because profit margins are significantly higher than for makers of finished products in the medical devices industry,” said Lux Research in a press release.
Huge global growthpredicted inprosthetic and therapeuticrobotics market
ROBONEWS
The number of patients needing
rehabilitative robotics is on the rise.
35JULY 2016
EVENTS
LOCAL INTERNATIONAL
CemAT Australia 2016 hrI 2016 - 11Th ACm/Ieee InTernATIonAL ConferenCe on humAn-roboT InTerACTIon
2016 ChInA InTernATIonAL roboT ShoW (CIro)
ISArC 201633rd InTernATIonAL SymPoSIum on AuTomATIon And roboTICS In ConSTruCTIon (ISArC 2016)
AuVSI STArTuP ConneCTIon
AuTomATed VehICLeS SymPoSIum
nV InnoVATe 2016
CXo dISruPT 2016
eLeCTroneX 2016 eLeCTronICS deSIgn And ASSembLy eXPo
Where: Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Ph: 02 9280 3400 www.cemat.com.au
Where: National Exhibition and Convention Centre, Shanghai emAIL: [email protected] www.en.ciros.com.cn
Where: Auburn University, Alabama Organised by members of the International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC). www.auburn.edu
Where: Hilton San Francisco Union Square San Francisco, US orgAnISer: AUVSI Foundation emAIL: [email protected] www.auvsi.org
Where: Hilton San Francisco Union Square San Francisco, US orgAnISer: AUVSI Foundation emAIL: [email protected] www.auvsi.org
Where: Inter Continental Melbourne, The Rialto Ph: 1800 027 408 www.vmware.com/go/NSXConference
Where: Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney Ph: 02 9358 4274 www.cxodisrupt.com.au
Where: Australian Technology Park, Sydney Ph: 03 9676 2133 www.electronex.com.au
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AUGUST 23
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