ABB and Kawasaki Heavy Industries are the first in the world to team up to promote the use of cobots. This mainly involves two-armed robots.
Both robot makers will continue to do their own production, but at the same time will work together to see what technical possibilities there are and how they can raise awareness of the use of cobots. For instance, they are thinking of putting together educational programmes for policymakers, NGOs and consumers about the benefits of collaborative automation, and they will create a unified approach towards the industry around safety, programming and communication.
Strengths
Collaboration between humans and robots, machines and processes is becoming increasingly important. This is because production in many industries has shifted from large batches with little variation to small volumes with lots of product mix. This automatically also means more variability and more human intervention. Collaborative automation ensures that humans and robots can each provide their own unique qualities. Humans have process knowledge, insight and improvisation for change, while robots deliver tireless endurance for repetitive tasks.
Lots of potential
ABB and Kawasaki have launched the collaboration internationally - ABB is one of Europe's largest robot suppliers while Kawasaki is one of Asia's largest industrial groups. 'The scale and pace of change in the robot industry today is unimaginable,' says Per Vegard Nerseth, managing director of ABB's robot business. 'Beyond the technology behind collaborative automation, there is also a need for innovative new ways to collaborate and have a common industry approach around safety, programming and communcation.'
'Cobots, especially those with two arms capable of human interactions, can make great contributions to society and help the world deal with labour shortages and the ageing workforce,' said Kawasaki Robot Division general manager Yasuhiko Hashimoto. 'We see great potential in the expansion of collaborative applications and processes where people and technologies work together to create solution.
ABB is seen as a pioneer in collaborative automation, particularly through its YuMi dual-arm robot. This robot allows humans and robots to perform common tasks together, such as assembling small electronics. Kawasaki has the Dual-Arm SCARA Robot "duAro".
The two companies have already put the collaboration into practice: they recently did a joint two-arm robot demonstration at the Irex in Tokyo.
By: Kelly Bakker
Source: ABB/Metaal Magazine
