Cooperation project between DFKI RIC and Volkswagen AG

July 29, 2016

Source: DFKI This initial cooperation project between DFKI RIC and Volkswagen AG (Smart Production Lab) aims at creating the hardware and software basis for future work on the area of human-robot collaboration. The final robot demonstrator of this pilot project possesses multiple sensor modalities for the environment monitoring and is equipped with the ability for online collision-free dual-arm manipulation in a common human-robot workspace. Moreover, the robot can be controlled …Read More

What Makes Collaborative Robots Ergonomic?

July 26, 2016

Source: Robotiq We talk about collaborative robots being “ergonomic” but what do we really mean? In this post we introduce the basics of ergonomics and find out how ergonomic principles are applied to the design of collaborative robots. We also find out that there’s more to cobot ergonomics than first meets the eye. Look at most of the popular collaborative robots and you will notice some similarities: smooth links, rounded corners, …Read More

Manipulation Tasks Using Shared Autonomy: Optimus Robot (MIT)

July 25, 2016

Source: CPDArobotics This video demonstrates the Optimus Robot performing manipulation tasks using shared autonomy. A human operator performs the task planning with assisted perception and assisted motion planning. The robot has no previous knowledge about the tasks and objects have no fiducials. Only on-board sensing is used (no sensors external to the robot). Robot motion is shown 1X and no robot motion has been edited. Planning actions are shown on …Read More

Update on the Mid Project Review Meeting

July 22, 2016

Yesterday, July 21 2016, FourByThree’s Mid Project Review Meeting was celebrated at IK4-TEKNIKER’s headquarters in Eibar, Basque Country, Spain. Instead of presenting each of the workpackages separatedly, the agenda was scheduled around the main areas of the project: modular design, actuators, programming framework, safety aspects, interaction, control and non-technical issues like the status of the four pilot scenarios, dissemination, exploitation and administration. Current status and foreseen activities were discussed for …Read More

ABB’s YuMi® is short-listed for top invention award

July 22, 2016

Source: ABB The award highlights and honors the achievements of inventors with value creating ideas and entrepreneurs who propel those ideas into world-class products. It is jointly sponsored by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. ABB is one of three finalists and will present YuMi, the world’s first truly collaborative dual arm robot. YuMi stands for “You and Me, working together” and has …Read More

Robots At Work: A Look At Robot Safety (infographic)

July 21, 2016

Source: Robotic Industries Association With the proliferation of industrial robots in the workplace, robot safety is something of which all companies should be mindful. Learn how OSHA safety regulations came to be as we break down some of the industry’s largest milestones. No matter where you fall in the supply chain: supplier, system integrator, educator or user, the robotics industry can be prone to a number of specific types of …Read More

Co-bots collaborate with humans on Ford Fiesta assembly line

July 18, 2016

Source: Engineering and Technology Magazine Workers at Ford’s production plant in Cologne, Germany, now have some new colleagues assisting them on the Fiesta assembly line: collaborative robots. The collaborative robots, known as co-bots, are working directly alongside human workers, helping to fit shock absorbers to Fiesta cars. The task requires pinpoint accuracy, strength and a high level of dexterity, so the Ford human employees work hand in hand with the …Read More

A proposed unified framework for the recognition of human activity by exploiting the characteristics of action dynamics

July 12, 2016

Complete article Highlights: A combined algorithm based on shape and motion features of human activity. A single key pose is used for estimation of shape using edges. A single global key pose is extracted from video signal by exploiting local notion. The temporal motion feature is computed using RR-transform. Robustness of the algorithm is demonstrated on the varied dataset. Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present a novel …Read More

FourByThee in Technishow, BIEMH and Automatica

July 6, 2016

The last few months have been quite busy for FourByThree, since we have attended three important events in the industrial sector: Technishow (Utrecht, The Netherlands, March 15-18), BIEMH (Bilbao, Spain, May 30-June 4) and Automatica (Munich, Germany, June 21-24). In the three of them we’ve had many conversations with people working for industrial companies, robotic companies or research institutions, among others. In the case of Technishow (in collaboration with STODT) …Read More

Mechanical Design and Analysis of the Novel 6-DOF Variable Stiffness Robot Arm

July 5, 2016

Complete article Abstract: This paper proposes four types of conceptual models of the 6-DOF variable stiffness robot arms based on the antagonistic driven joints (ADJs). For convenience of control, the equivalent quadratic torsion spring (EQTS) is selected as the elastic element of the ADJ. The relationship between the output stiffness and the angular displacement of the EQTS is fairly linear. The elastic actuating torque of the ADJ is related to …Read More

July 2016