Robotics Orders Are Increasing
You won’t find it on the Chinese calendar but 2007 may go down as the year of the robot. Robot orders from the automotive sector jumped 45 percent in the first quarter compared with the same period last year, according to the Robotics Industries Association. ‘It’s good to see orders up in the auto sector, says Jeff Burnstein, vice president of marketing and public relations for the Ann Arbor Mich trade group. “It’s a pretty cyclical industry, so it’s a sign the auto companies are gearing up new product launches. Automakers and their suppliers ordered 3,238 robots in the first quarter, up from 2,233 in the same period last year.
Overall, new orders from North American robotics companies rose 24 percent in the first quarter from the same period of 2006. Most of the new orders were for material handling (36 percent of sales) and spot welding (31 percent of sales). Ake Lindqvist, vice president of global automotive sales for the automation giant ABB Group, attributes much of the sales boost to large orders from manufacturers. “A few years ago, a typical (assembly plant’s) body shop had about 300 robots,” says Lindqvist “Today there can be anywhere from 700 to 800 robots in a body shop.” Lindqvist says the large orders suggest automakers and large suppliers recognize that automation is the only way to compete in North America. He also says the robotics industry is taking the first-quarter sales spike in its stride. “The reason sales look so good in 2007 is because they were so bad in 2006,” says Lindqvist, noting that 2005 was the first year robotic sales surpassed the industry peak in 1999. “It’s off to a good start, but let’s look at the second and third quarters before we get excited,” he says.
Overall, new orders from North American robotics companies rose 24 percent in the first quarter from the same period of 2006. Most of the new orders were for material handling (36 percent of sales) and spot welding (31 percent of sales). Ake Lindqvist, vice president of global automotive sales for the automation giant ABB Group, attributes much of the sales boost to large orders from manufacturers. “A few years ago, a typical (assembly plant’s) body shop had about 300 robots,” says Lindqvist “Today there can be anywhere from 700 to 800 robots in a body shop.” Lindqvist says the large orders suggest automakers and large suppliers recognize that automation is the only way to compete in North America. He also says the robotics industry is taking the first-quarter sales spike in its stride. “The reason sales look so good in 2007 is because they were so bad in 2006,” says Lindqvist, noting that 2005 was the first year robotic sales surpassed the industry peak in 1999. “It’s off to a good start, but let’s look at the second and third quarters before we get excited,” he says.
Making Decisions
Rick Schneider, CEO of Fanuc Robotics America Inc., says some automakers, especially the Detroit 3, had to cut costs in 2006. After the automakers decided which plants to keep open, they began spending to make their operations more efficient. Auto companies have a strong incentive to buy robots, Schneider says. The machines perform some tasks better than employees, at a lower cost, providing a better return on investment. For example, improved vision capability gives robots an edge over workers in material handling. “In the past, a person would have to manually orientate the part, which defeats the purpose.” says Schneider. “Now a robot can go over to a bin of random parts, look into the bin, pick up a part and insert it into a machine.”
Lindqvist says the Chrysler group is ahead of other North American automakers, including import brands, in integrating automation into factories. Chrysler has “the most advanced flexible automation systems in North America:’ he says. “The transplant philosophy is to build many units of the same type, but Chrysler has realized it needs to be flexible and build different models on the same line.” Chrysler began increasing robotic investment several years ago as part of a plan to reach world-class efficiency and cost benchmarks at its operations. Achieving its goals requires a yearly 6 percent increase in productivity.
Lindqvist says the Chrysler group is ahead of other North American automakers, including import brands, in integrating automation into factories. Chrysler has “the most advanced flexible automation systems in North America:’ he says. “The transplant philosophy is to build many units of the same type, but Chrysler has realized it needs to be flexible and build different models on the same line.” Chrysler began increasing robotic investment several years ago as part of a plan to reach world-class efficiency and cost benchmarks at its operations. Achieving its goals requires a yearly 6 percent increase in productivity.
Workforce Vs Machines
On the other hand, Asian automakers such as Toyota and Honda are reluctant to automate certain functions. These companies use a lot of robots—and will use more of them. But they also understand that people won’t break down like machines and won’t need to be rebooted. Toyota maintains “a pretty good balance between man and machine,” efficiency expert Ron Harbour told Automotive News in an interview last year. “It’s proof you don’t have to over automate to be productive.”
But Chrysler spokeswoman Michelle Tinson says the key to Chrysler’s automation strategy is a three-pronged approach in which robots perform:
‘We see our flexible robotics initiative as a prime driver of cost reduction and productivity improvements,” says Tinson. She says flexible manufacturing has been successful at a number of Chrysler sites—such as the Belvidere, assembly plant, which builds the Jeep Compass, Jeep Patriot and Dodge Caliber. The new Chrysler Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, and its adjacent Supplier Park are loaded with the latest generation of robots. Tinson says Chrysler’s aggressive automation strategy is fuelled by improved robotic technology, which makes the machines more useful, and by declining robot prices. Robot makers say sales growth in 2007 and beyond will depend not just on automakers but also on suppliers, whose investment in robots has declined. ABB’s Lindqvist doesn’t think cost is the main issue at many suppliers. “There’s a lack of integration capacity at the Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels,” he says. “System integration is a risky business, and there are not a lot of great integrators out there.” He says it’s a problem the industry is trying to address because “the auto business drives the food chain.” For further reading on this and more click here.
But Chrysler spokeswoman Michelle Tinson says the key to Chrysler’s automation strategy is a three-pronged approach in which robots perform:
- All tasks in assembly plant body shops.
- As much material handling in plants as possible.
- A variety of manufacturing duties.
‘We see our flexible robotics initiative as a prime driver of cost reduction and productivity improvements,” says Tinson. She says flexible manufacturing has been successful at a number of Chrysler sites—such as the Belvidere, assembly plant, which builds the Jeep Compass, Jeep Patriot and Dodge Caliber. The new Chrysler Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, and its adjacent Supplier Park are loaded with the latest generation of robots. Tinson says Chrysler’s aggressive automation strategy is fuelled by improved robotic technology, which makes the machines more useful, and by declining robot prices. Robot makers say sales growth in 2007 and beyond will depend not just on automakers but also on suppliers, whose investment in robots has declined. ABB’s Lindqvist doesn’t think cost is the main issue at many suppliers. “There’s a lack of integration capacity at the Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels,” he says. “System integration is a risky business, and there are not a lot of great integrators out there.” He says it’s a problem the industry is trying to address because “the auto business drives the food chain.” For further reading on this and more click here.
Robot Geometry
In the three dimensional domains that we live in, there are several ways to design a robot that will reach all points in its work environment. As a rule you will need one motor for each degree of freedom you require. Therefor when dealing with three dimensions we need three motors to cover x, y and z co-ordinates. A further three motors are required for orienting the hand in all its possible orientations. This leaves us with the basic six axis robot. These robots can be very useful when trying to implement lab automation.
When looking at a human arm with some assistance from the waist, you can see it as a six axis mechanism. Granted that some of the axis can be very limited in the way they move but we do not normally feel inhibited by this. We are able to work behind ourselves with incredible efficiency but the human arm is optimized to access the right front quadrant. The right hand resting position is oriented to face the left hand also.
There are many mechanical design observations we cannot about how the human arm interacts with its environment:
- It can be seen that the distance from the shoulder to the elbow is greater than distance from the elbow to the wrist.
- It is also true that the distance from the elbow to the wrist is greater than the distance between the wrist and the knuckles.
- Following a pattern, it can be seen that the distance from the knuckles to the first finger joint is greater than the distance from the first finger joint to the second finger joint.
As can be seen, the resolution gets more detailed, as we get closer and closer to the hand, with the hand representing the robot gripping hand. It can also be observed that the number of nerves increases as we get closer and closer
to the hand. This is largely to do with how we've evolved as human beings, allowing our gripping motions to be so efficient. This is also where we focus our eyes, when we are carrying out intensive and highly skilled work.
Subsequently, the largest motors in the system are used to operate the largest joints with the coarser resolutions, with less and less power available as we
move towards the finger tips.
The motors in the biological system are protected by the structural members on the outside. This prevents damage to the mechanism or greatly minimizes it. It is not true that all the tendons are on the inside but the most powerful ones most certainly are. If we look at the back of our hands we can see tendons used to open our fingers but there is not much power required to do this. The power to grip is provided by the tendons on the inside, which is covered by the structure.
The above framework allows us to think of the human arms and hands, as robotic mechanisms. These arms and hands have allowed us to carry out multiple tasks for hundreds of thousands of years. Why develop a new model for a robotic arm, when we have already got a very efficient design at our disposal.
When looking at a human arm with some assistance from the waist, you can see it as a six axis mechanism. Granted that some of the axis can be very limited in the way they move but we do not normally feel inhibited by this. We are able to work behind ourselves with incredible efficiency but the human arm is optimized to access the right front quadrant. The right hand resting position is oriented to face the left hand also.
There are many mechanical design observations we cannot about how the human arm interacts with its environment:
- It can be seen that the distance from the shoulder to the elbow is greater than distance from the elbow to the wrist.
- It is also true that the distance from the elbow to the wrist is greater than the distance between the wrist and the knuckles.
- Following a pattern, it can be seen that the distance from the knuckles to the first finger joint is greater than the distance from the first finger joint to the second finger joint.
As can be seen, the resolution gets more detailed, as we get closer and closer to the hand, with the hand representing the robot gripping hand. It can also be observed that the number of nerves increases as we get closer and closer
to the hand. This is largely to do with how we've evolved as human beings, allowing our gripping motions to be so efficient. This is also where we focus our eyes, when we are carrying out intensive and highly skilled work.
Subsequently, the largest motors in the system are used to operate the largest joints with the coarser resolutions, with less and less power available as we
move towards the finger tips.
The motors in the biological system are protected by the structural members on the outside. This prevents damage to the mechanism or greatly minimizes it. It is not true that all the tendons are on the inside but the most powerful ones most certainly are. If we look at the back of our hands we can see tendons used to open our fingers but there is not much power required to do this. The power to grip is provided by the tendons on the inside, which is covered by the structure.
The above framework allows us to think of the human arms and hands, as robotic mechanisms. These arms and hands have allowed us to carry out multiple tasks for hundreds of thousands of years. Why develop a new model for a robotic arm, when we have already got a very efficient design at our disposal.
Automation Advancements
It is clear to see that lab automation has went from strength to strength in recent years and this is largely to do with the advancement in technology. It is quite clear to see that this industry has not reached anywhere near its true potential. In time, you will see less and less human involvement when it comes to heavy industry, as more processes will become automated. Robots will be able to carry out the work that human beings once carried out and this will reduce the number of hazardous jobs we have to undertake. There will more than likely be a backlash in regards to this by the people who work with in these jobs currently but this should not stop the development of this industry. In my opinion nothing should halt this and we should be able to get the most out of what this technology will give us.
Futuristic Vacuum Robot
For years we have been promised that one day robots or automated machines would carry out the more mundane tasks in the household, so we can use are time to tend to other pursuits but until now, that was promise that has never been fulfilled. The people at Samsung have decided they want to weigh in and help us automate one of the most mundane household tasks: the vacuuming.
Samsung have released the NaviBot S that is designed to clean your house spotlessly, without requiring any human intervention other than to switch it on and this invention is set to take the world by storm. Forget about a Dyson, this will be the new must have vacuum cleaner and if initial testing is to be trusted, this invention will revolutionise how we clean our homes.
This device uses a new concept call visionary mapping to learn the layout of your home, so it can navigate through it with the greatest of ease. It uses highly accurate sensors and a megapixel digital camera to capture an understanding of the layout of your home. Tests have found that this robot should be able to access up to %90 of your floors, providing a thorough cleaning process. With its circular shape, flat top and low centre of gravity, the NaviBot S can efficiently clean your floors without toppling or subsiding.
After the bot has finished its cleaning cycling, it scurries back over to its charging station and rests there until the next cleaning cycle begins. While charging it dumps any debris and dust collected from the floor into its access bin, meaning you do not have to come into contact with the waste at all. This does not sound like a very exciting life for any robot but at least you can take comfort in the fact that you don’t have to do it. Now all Samsung need to do now is design a robot that can climb stairs as well and the job will be complete. If you are interested in the product visit this link.
Samsung have released the NaviBot S that is designed to clean your house spotlessly, without requiring any human intervention other than to switch it on and this invention is set to take the world by storm. Forget about a Dyson, this will be the new must have vacuum cleaner and if initial testing is to be trusted, this invention will revolutionise how we clean our homes.
This device uses a new concept call visionary mapping to learn the layout of your home, so it can navigate through it with the greatest of ease. It uses highly accurate sensors and a megapixel digital camera to capture an understanding of the layout of your home. Tests have found that this robot should be able to access up to %90 of your floors, providing a thorough cleaning process. With its circular shape, flat top and low centre of gravity, the NaviBot S can efficiently clean your floors without toppling or subsiding.
After the bot has finished its cleaning cycling, it scurries back over to its charging station and rests there until the next cleaning cycle begins. While charging it dumps any debris and dust collected from the floor into its access bin, meaning you do not have to come into contact with the waste at all. This does not sound like a very exciting life for any robot but at least you can take comfort in the fact that you don’t have to do it. Now all Samsung need to do now is design a robot that can climb stairs as well and the job will be complete. If you are interested in the product visit this link.
Recent Experimentation
Lab automation is an exciting new concept that will help us create a more controlled laboratory environment. There have been many changes made to this field in the last few years, as the industry has grown from strength to strength. Lab automation should not be viewed as simply away to achieve better results but it should be seen as something that will add accountability to our findings. The removal of human error from such experiments has vastly improved the way we carry out these experiments and the whole process is set to get a lot more reliable. Change should not be viewed as a bad influence on this industry but instead it should be looked at in terms of its revolutionary nature. Experimentation and hypothesizing is the cornerstone of human society, creating a solid foundation for us to build on. Reliability in terms of the tasks we carryout, should be definable and unquestionable.