Collaborative Robots

 


The term ‘Robot’ was used in 1920 in a play called ‘RUR’ or “Rossum’s universal robots” by the Czech writer Karel Capek and the word ‘Robot’ originated from the word ‘Robota’. In Czech it means forced labor.

The first known robot was made in between 400-350 BC and it was created by a famous philosopher Archytas. It was a steam powered pigeon and it was made of wood. The first working robot was made in 1961. It was used at the General Motors plant in Ewing Township and created by Joseph F. Engleberger. It was used for moving hot car parts into a cooling liquid and it was named the die caster and it is now on display in the industrial history of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.

Industrial robot applications have seen massive growth over the last decade. Industries have realized the potential applications of industrial robots and, more importantly, collaborative robots or 'cobots' which are intended to physically interact with humans in a shared workspace. These are industrial robots that are safe to operate close to humans. These ‘cobots’ are more flexible than traditional industrial robots, that’s why they can be deployed on a wide variety of tasks from machine tending and welding to packaging & palletizing etc. The vast majority of cobot implementations are found in manufacturing and industrial environments, but cobots have the flexibility to be used in a wide variety of sectors from agriculture and medical to pharma.

Across all industries, there are many collaborative robot applications e.g. assembly, dispensing, finishing, machine tending, material handling, welding, material removal, quality inspections, and more.

Material handling is one of the most common jobs in manufacturing. Materials such as radioactive elements, highly reactive metal, plastics, and other substances can create a great risk to the workers. Even many materials handling tasks are repetitive, which can yield repetitive strain injury.  Using robots in such manufacturing industries can significantly reduce workplace injuries. Heavy materials can easily be lifted and transported at different places across the factory using mobile robot platforms or by using AGVs or automated Guided Vehicles.

Universal Robots' cobots are specifically designed to work alongside human employees and relieve them from tedious and difficult assembly jobs. This includes welding small pieces together, drilling screws, and similar assembly tasks.  It can also be used for quality assurance during the production process. It performs the same task the same way, every time, without getting tired.

Other crucial production tasks can also be handled by cobots, e.g. material removal by robots is needed for any process that involves filling molds. These cobots can assess the molded piece and take care of removing any excess material without damaging the part or subjecting human workers to the risk of injury.

Nowadays, cobots are widely used in the electronic, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries. These cobots are easier to program than typical industrial robots, they can be programmed easily and are preferred for fast implementation. They are used by manufacturers of lighting, mobile phones, speakers, computers, and more.

Food and agriculture production takes place throughout the year round the clock. Therefore, these small sized cobots can work 24 hours a day, which leads to less waste and faster production times compared to human labor. Excluding that, cobots can work in unpleasant atmospheres e.g. extremely hot, cold or even in radioactive environments. Therefore, more and more organizations in the food production sector are implementing cobots to support human labor.

The manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and medical equipment requires precision jobs. Therefore, in medical fields also cobots are widely used to mix, count, and dispense a variety of materials.

According to the International Federation of Robotics, the automotive industry uses 28% of total cobots. Whereas, in the electrical and electronics industry 24%, metal and machinery 12%, plastics, chemical products 5% and food and beverages 3%.

It is expected that collaborative robotic technology can be used to benefit all aspects of task-based businesses. It is obvious that productivity will continue to benefit from industrial automation. As the industry progresses we will find new applications for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. It is expected to be widely used in Ecommerce also. It is estimated that by 2021, 65% of robots will depend on cloud-based software.

Want to know more about MIT College of Railway Engineering and Research Barshi, MH. 

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