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From Cobot Pioneer to the “Nobel Prize” of Robotics: What Drives UR CTO Esben Østergaard?

Universal Robots — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 15:08:00 GMT

Receiving the Engelberger Robotics Award, the automation industry’s most prestigious honor, is yet another recognition of the influence of Universal Robots CTO and co-founder, Esben Østergaard. But perhaps it’s not surprising. After all, he invented his first robot to solve a real-life industrial challenge at the ripe age of four.

Robot pioneer from a young age

Esben was living in the Philippines at the time, where his father, an engineer, was building the water supply for Cebu City. In order to pull cables through pipes, workers tried tying a string to a cat’s tail and chasing it into the pipe. Cats are not the most cooperative (or gentle) domestic animal, so the plan wasn’t ideal. Østergaard built a small robot to perform the task instead and the die was cast.
Esben (in green) at a birthday party in the Philippines around the time of his first robot invention.

Esben went on to receive degrees in computer science, physics, and multimedia at Aarhus University in Denmark, and a PhD in robotics from the University of Southern Denmark. He has also held research positions at the University of Southern California (USC) Robotics Labs and at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba and Tokyo, Japan, experiences that fed his global view of automation.

Cobots: A tool changing the Chinese “3C industry”

Iris ren — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 11:12:23 GMT

“Computers, Communications and Consumer Electronics” makes up what’s commonly referred to as the 3C industry in China. An industry where the application of collaborative robots now enjoys a promising future as flexible production lines are ripe for automation.

Inspection up close – there’s a cobot for that

Taking product inspection as an example, with a solution provided by UR for a 3C manufacturer, one UR10 robot can carry out loading and unloading operations for 8 test machines on a production line. Equipped with clamping jaws, and visual recognition system, the robot fetches and puts the product to be tested on the test table for inspection. Since a certain amount of time is required for each testing machine to test the product, if one robot only matches with one testing machine, the efficiency is too low; after calculating production takt of the station, the solutions with a proportion of 1:8 is adopted to improve efficiency.

One cobot, 8 test machines: utilizing the full potential of the UR10 with a carefully choreographed takt time, one UR10 robot can tend the 8 machines all in the same cycle

Upside down or off the wall? Not a problem..

Space utilization is another highlight that makes the solution stand out; with a compact design, the robot can extend to the testing machine to feed, thus making 1:8 solution feasible. In addition, because the UR robot can be installed in any orientation, the installation freedom is greatly improved, and the user can select the sided mounting, reverse mounting, inclined mounting or leveled mounting according to the location of the testing machine.

Humans working like robots? There a..yes, cobot for that..

The testing task is a highly monotonous and tedious task for a human. Fortunately a cobot is not as easily or prone to repetitive strain injury so the repeated task of moving a part through 8 different testing machines all day long is a dream job for the UR10. Unlike traditional robot that generally stay bolted down in cages dedicated to one task only, the UR cobots with their built-in safety features are able to work directly alongside the employees and are often regarded more as a “colleague” rather than a device.

Push the cobot up to a new task, load the program on the Teach pendant and the cobot is ready to go to work

The high mix/low volume dilemma solved

Nowadays, we have seen a shift from large-scale and massive production to flexible and customized production of small batch in the 3C industry. Many production lines may produce a product within a period of three to four hours but switch to another different product in the following hours. Such highly flexible production methods have imposed extremely high demands on both personnel and equipment and traditional mechanical platforms for loading and unloading will involve a large amount of labor work due to such changes. Therefore, such application calls for solutions with high compatibility and fast change-over functions. In the actual design, performing “loading and unloading” is far from meeting the user’s requirements for robots that can quickly switch in accordance with the production lines; instead, it should be able to solve the following problems: firstly, it should adapt to the working platform with small space and full of changes; secondly, it should be able to operate and set up the programs quickly when production line switches; thirdly, it should be safe.

Adding wheels makes production change-overs take flight

The characteristics of the UR collaborative robot make it possible for users to solve the above-mentioned three major pain points: add a mobile platform to the cobot – either mounted on an autonomous mobile robot or simply on a table with wheels – and It can simply be redeployed between tasks continuously. With compact and lightweight design, the UR robot has a higher self-load than traditional ones, so it is easier to push- and-pull when switching stations. If mounted to a mobile robot, it also enjoys longer battery life due to small load. For each new task that the robot faces, the operator can simply call up that pre-stored program on the robot’s teach pendant and the cobot is able to go to work on the new job right away.

Learn more about our the benefits of our cobots

Universal Robots with ATI’s F/T Sensors Just Feels Right

Erica LaGarde — Wed, 16 May 2018 13:14:09 GMT

Six-Axis Force/Torque (F/T) sensors from ATI Industrial Automation deliver the highest accuracy, precision, and reliability in a compact and durable package. F/T sensors are comprised of a rugged transducer body that is mounted between the robot flange and end-of-arm tooling.

ATI’s F/T sensor systems capture and convert mechanical loads upon all axes into forces and torques, providing real-time feedback from the process. The output of force/torque sensing is viable data that can be used to verify product specifications, execute complex tasks, and even provide better control of robotics systems. The ability to obtain feedback from force and torque loads as the process is occurring gives programmers a better vantage point. F/T sensors make robotic and automated processes more acute and responsive—as if they have a sense of touch.

Hannover Highlights: Meet the most innovative human-robot collaborators

Universal Robots — Fri, 04 May 2018 10:32:58 GMT

As German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Peña Nieto visited booths at the Hannover Messe, they echoed the now predominant tone at the world’s largest industrial fair; when asked to greet a robot - instead of a formal handshake - both went for the more casual fist bump, a symbol for the relaxed, natural interaction of humans with digitization, robots and machine learning.

How Well Is Your Cobot REALLY Performing? If You Don’t Measure It, You Can’t Know for Sure

Universal Robots — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 06:57:21 GMT

Your new cobot is humming along, increasing production output, improving quality, helping employees avoid injury and add more value, and in general, is paying for itself day by day. All is right with the world.

Hannover Messe 2018: Hello Robot, nice to meet you

Universal Robots — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 09:38:39 GMT

It is not all about the future: It’s all about reality. Discussions about whether industry 4.0 is a vision for the future have ebbed away. Everyone agrees that it has long since become a reality – At least in theory. Lots of small and medium-sized enterprises are yet to implement automation. At Universal Robots we in fact envision - and argue - that companies should look at Industry 5.0 where man and machine work together. This will benefit both SMBs and larger corporations

Universal Robots and RightHand Robotics deliver a piece-picking world record

Universal Robots — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 06:24:57 GMT

MODEX 2018, the largest supply chain event in the Americas, was the scene of a remarkable demo as

Hey You, Robot – What’s Your Name?

Universal Robots — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:56:51 GMT

When a new employee is hired, his or her coworkers’ first question is typically, “What’s your name?” After all, they’ll be working closely together, often side-by-side, sharing tasks and collaborating to meet company goals.

The factory of 2035

Esben H. Østergaard — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 05:02:00 GMT

Adding uniquely human value to mass-produced goods

Removing Production Bottlenecks through Automation

Natalie Adams — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 07:36:14 GMT

Universal Robots and OCTOPUZ work together to automate Fibreline’s manufacturing process while providing flexibility for the future.