"Smart robotics and automation are vital to deal with new consumer trends, demand for product variety or challenges from trade barriers,” says Dr Susanne Bieller, general secretary of the IFR. “New technological solutions pave the way for more flexibility in production.”
The programming and installation of robots is becoming much easier. In practice, digital sensors combined with smart software allow direct teaching methods; so-called ‘programming by demonstration’. The task that the robot arm has to perform is first executed by a human: he or she literally takes the robot arm and hand-guides it through the movements. This data is then transformed by the software into the digital program of the robot arm. In future, machine learning tools will further enable robots to learn by trial-and-error or by video demonstration, and self-optimise their movements.
Human-robot collaboration is another important trend in robotics. Thanks to the ability to work in tandem with humans, modern robotic systems can adapt to a rapidly changing environment. The range of collaborative robot (cobot) capabilities offered by robot manufacturers continues to expand. Currently, shared workspace applications are the most common. Robot and worker operate alongside each other, completing tasks sequentially. However, applications in which the human and the robot work at the same time on the same part are even more challenging. R&D is now focusing on methods to develop robots that respond in real-time. Just like two human workers would collaborate, the R&D teams want cobots to adjust their motion to the environment, allowing for a true responsive collaboration. These solutions include voice, gesture and recognition of intent from human motion.
Industrial robots are the central components of digital and networked production as used in industry 4.0. This fact makes it all the more important for them to communicate with each other, regardless of the manufacturer. The so-called OPC Robotics Companion Specification, which has been developed by a joint working group of the VDMA and the Open Platform Communications Foundation (OPC), defines a standardised generic interface for industrial robots and enables them to connect into the IoT. The digital connectivity of robots with cloud technology, for example, is also an enabler for new business models. Robot leasing for instance - called Robots-as-a-Service - has advantages that might be especially attractive to SMEs: no committed capital, fixed costs, automatic upgrades and no need for high-qualified robot operators.
