Dutch company Lely International's Discovery 120 Collector cleaning robot, German company KUKA's LBR Med robot and US company Perception Robotics' Gecko Gripper have been awarded an Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics and Automation (IERA) Award. What kind of products are these and what opportunities do they offer?
The IERA Award is presented annually to inventors with value-creating ideas and entrepreneurs who turn these ideas into products. The award is sponsored by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE/RAS) and the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Lely wins the award for its Discovery 120 Collector cleaning robot for cow barns, KUKA with its lightweight LBR Med robot aimed at the medical sector and Perception Robotics with its gecko-inspired Gecko Gripper.
"The close cooperation between research and industry is of great importance for the robotics industry," said Junji Tsuda, President of the IFR. "Based on modern scientific research, world-class products are being developed. This has been demonstrated by all three winners." This year's award was given to three different products. "This year, several outstanding applications competed for the IERA Award," explains Dominik Boesl of IEEE/RAS. "Our 2018 winners offer outstanding technological innovations in different industries. The jury therefore decided to award first place to three different winners this year."
Discovery 120 Collector
Lely wins the award with its Discovery 120 Collector cleaning robot for cow barns. This robot navigates through a barn via a pre-programmed route and finds its way with the help of built-in sensors. The robot automatically cleans dense barn floors. It does this by spraying water onto the floor both at the front to liquefy the manure, after which it is sucked up using a built-in vacuum pump. Water is then sprayed again at the back of the robot to prevent the barn floor from becoming slippery. Once the built-in tank is full, the Discovery 120 Collector automatically drives to a set location where the manure is dumped and its water storage is refilled.
The Dutch company points out that the robot does not push manure forward, but sucks it up. This prevents manure accumulation which not only makes the floor cleaner, but cows also keep cleaner claws. This improves animal health and welfare, according to Lely. In addition, the company points out that cows show their natural behaviour better in a clean environment, which means, for example, that heat can be detected earlier.
The routes taken by the robot and the frequency of cleaning can be tailored to the daily rhythm of the farm and cows to minimise the impact on operations. Routes can be adjusted via a mobile application.
The video below demonstrates the operation of the Discovery 120 Collector.
MDR Med robot
Aimed at the medical sector, KUKA's LBR Med Robot Assistant is a robot that can be used safely in close proximity to people. The robot is supplied by KUKA as a robotic component that can be integrated into medical products by manufacturers. As part of these products, the robot can support healthcare providers during patient rehabilitation or in operating theatres, among others.
The robot is based on KUKA's LBR iiwa collaborative robot, a lightweight collaborative robot that can support human workers in industrial environments. The LBR Med has been in production since 2017 and is specifically designed for the medical sector. For example, the robot features biocompatible and corrosion-resistant surfaces and all cables are internally concealed with hygiene in mind.
The LED Med can be fitted with a variety of tools aimed at different medical applications. These include minimally invasive surgery, orthopaedic surgery and ultrasound imaging. The robot can automatically calibrate itself thanks to integrated sensors, without the need for additional equipment. The robot offers repeatability from 0.1 to 0.15 mm.
Gecko Gripper
The Gecko Gripper is a gripper for industrial robots based on the action of a gecko's legs. This animal is able to climb on slippery surfaces by using electromagnetic forces between molecules called Van der Waals forces. A gecko's legs have microscopic hairs, which together can generate an electric field. By combining a large amount of these hairs, it is possible to generate a large carrier force.
This principle has been applied to robots by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and the UK's Stanford University. Here, the focus was initially on applications in space. The technology was then further developed into a commercial solution by US-based Perception Robotics, a company that now forms OnRobot together with Hungarian OptoForce and Danish On Robot. The product is now available as the Gecko Gripper and aimed at pick and place and assembly applications.
The Gecko Gripper may initially look like a conventional vacuum gripper, but it offers several advantages. For instance, the Gecko Gripper is also capable of lifting materials with holes and porous workpieces. Also, the gripper does not use a compressor and compressed air, but rather electricity. This electricity is only needed to make the gripper grab or release an object; once an object is grabbed, no more electricity is needed. This also allows the robot to continue gripping an object during a power failure.
The video below demonstrates the operation of the Gecko Gripper.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: IFR (pictured)
Source: Lely International
Source: KUKA
Source: OnRobot
