The way of business solutions
The
www.insightssuccess.com August 2017
Most Innovative
ROBOTICS
Tech Talk Add perfect feeling to your robot and boost your production with IoT
Future Tech Michael E. Locher
Future Face of Robotics
Founder & CEO
ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION Amalgamating Automation and Robotics to Change the Economic Model of IT
Editorial
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hen we think of robots, we face the reality that the robots still lag science fiction. But, just because robots have not lived up to our expectations in past decades does not mean that they will not arrive sooner or later. In fact, the convergence of several advanced technologies is bringing the age of robotics even nearer, and making them smaller, cheaper, more practical and costeffective. The conjunction of technologies involving communication, computing and intelligent interfaces with autonomous robotics suggests that networks of intelligent, autonomous robots may become the next disruptive technology.
Robotics and its Future
Autonomous mobile robots are already performing medical procedures, including surgery on patients to performing dangerous tasks in remote locations from battlefields to space, with little human guidance and more with AI. Looking at the rapid advancements in miniaturization and bio-nanotechnology could lead to a new generation of nano robots, which would revolutionize the way in which robots are being used. The future of healthcare is also in safe hands, as Nanobots are all set for the treatment at the cellular level, perhaps clearing clogged arteries, repairing genes, battling cancer cells, and delivering drugs. While on a different domain cognitive robots are proving themselves to be the icing on the cake by helping to accomplish day to day chores and act as office helpers or as robotic companions for guiding the blind and assisting the elderly. With a prompt boost in the power of microprocessor and artificial intelligence techniques, robots have dramatically increased their potential and have become flexible automation tools. The era is near when we will see there are more of these programmable tooling kind of robots than all of the traditional robots that exist in the world today. There is an enormous change waiting to happen; the potential is significant because soon robots will offer not only improved costeffectiveness, but also advantages and operations that have never been possible before.
Sagar Bhattacharjee
Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Senior Editor Ariana Lawrence Managing Editor Sagar Bhattacharjee Co-Editors Suhel Mashayak Jacob Thomas Pooja Jain Sachin Bhandare Contributors Rajarshi, Kaustav, Debasmita Visualiser David King Art & Design Director Amol Kamble Co-designer Alex Noel Picture Editor Karan Gaikwad Art Editor Vijaykumar Dudhbhate Business Development Manager Mathew Smith Nick Adams Marketing Manager Chris Business Development Executive David, Joseph, Karen, Mary Research Analyst Jennifer Circulation Manager Robert Database Management Steve Technology Consultant Vishal More sales@insightssuccess.com
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Enterprise Integration: Amalgamating Automation & Robotics to Change the Economic Model of IT
C o v e r S t o r y
CXO Standpoint Tech Talk
Future Tech
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Future Face of Robotics
-Danny Ellis CEO, Co-founder
A r t i c l e s
Add perfect feeling to your robot and boost your production with IoT -Michael Haas
Vice President
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I n t e r v i e w
ROBO ARENA Benefits of Robotic Process Automation in Today’s Time
16 Houston Mechatronics Working with Robots to Transform Dreams into Reality
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Editor’s Pick The Advanced Diversity Due to Super Intelligent Machines
Contents 22
AV&R Aerospace: Improving the Efficiency of Aerospace Industry
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Roboworld Family of Companies: Protecting Industrial Robot Assets in Extreme Manufacturing Environments
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Penguin ASI: Providing Robotic Systems where Human Reach is Impossible
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Seven Dreamers Laboratories Inc.: The world’s first fully automatic laundry folding robot
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Pollux: Making Automation Industry Smarter, Efficient and Productive
The
Most Innovative
ROBOTICS Companies 2017
The Rise of Robots
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e frequently come across a question, what does the future hold for Robotics? It’s really very difficult to predict the future, foreseeing the rapid pace of development in the associated areas such as AI and Machine Learning. But, it’s for sure that robots will play a pivotal role in leveraging the quality of life of human beings in the near future. Here, in this issue of our magazine, we have listed “The 10 Most Innovative Robotics Companies 2017”, which are on a mission to provide distinguished and diversified Robotics solutions to their consumers. On our cover we have Enterprise Integration, which is powered by Digital Robotics and dedicatedly delivers managed services to clients, transforming their IT operations to world class standards, thus, helping them to focus on their business. We have also listed Aldebaran, for their interactive humanoid robots. Aldebaran is a subsidiary of SoftBank Robotics (SoftBank Group), which currently represents more than 500 employees, with offices in France, Japan, United States and China. AV&R, for being an engineering firm specializing in automation with more than 100 employees spread on 2 sites operating worldwide. It also offers Robotic Finishing and Automated Visual Inspection solutions. Houston Mechatronics, for working with robots and providing cutting-edge solutions that make companies’ work environments safer, improve processes and increase profits. inVia Robotics, for developing the next generation of automation solutions for E-Commerce fulfillment centers. Medrobotics, for manufacturing surgical products with a core competency in robotics. Penguin Automated Systems, Inc. for being a research, development and prototyping company focusing on the implementation of robotic and automation solutions for its clients. Pollux for being the most innovative industrial technology company in Brazil, whose purpose is to increase the competitiveness of the industry through solutions that make factories more productive, efficient and intelligent. Roboworld Molded Products, LLC for protecting industrial robots and ancillary automation equipments from extreme manufacturing environments. Seven Dreamers Laboratories, Inc. for having a group of technologists dedicated to creating totally novel, and world-first products in the world of robotics. We have included articles on The Advanced Diversity Due to Super Intelligent Machines and Benefits of Robotic Process Automation in Today’s Time scripted by our editors in the amazing folios of this magazine.
We have also included Add perfect feeling to your robot and boost your production with IoT and Future Face of Robotics, derived from the thoughts of Michael Haas and Danny Ellis respectively. So, do flip the pages of our magazine, and we do believe that this issue will satisfy all your Robotics solution provider’s information needs.
www.inď€ onic.com
The
Most Innovative
ROBOTICS Companies 2017
Michael E. Locher Founder & CEO
Cover Story
Enterprise Integration: Amalgamating Automation and Robotics to Change the Economic Model of IT
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Gain a clear understanding of your entire IT Supply chain
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few decades back, the IT industry was migrating from the traditional data center/mainframe model to a client/server or distributed technology model. The benefits of personal computing and new, easier to use interfaces enhanced by both Microsoft and Apple were much more appealing than the typical mainframe “green screen”. Mobility happened with the introduction of the Iphone and Ipad. Small devices could be connected anywhere at anytime to your network. Internal applications were being built, but older legacy applications were not being retired. Massive computing power, in a smaller footprint, along with the ability to download and use almost any application just… happened. So, we have entered the realm of the “WILD WEST” where datacenter hosting is now called cloud… The cloud promotes a reliance on telecom and its expense... BYOD (bring your own device) has become the norm in the corporate scenario... And, we have not even discussed added complexity and global security concerns. Meanwhile, the CFO watched the IT Operations and capital budget “skyrocket” and the complexity exploded. There were warning signs to the CIO and internal IT teams, but true progress to adapt and change could not happen fast enough for the CFO and now CEO.
on process discipline, and the technology prowess to deliver integrated services and solutions to their customers. At EI they looked at how technology could eliminate repetitive tasks and streamline the service they provide, by automating anything that did not require human decision making. Intelligence and workflow management were incorporated to assist humans with the “just-in-time” data. This data enabled the employee to focus on real problems and challenges brought forth by the everchanging and complex IT environments. After the company’s inception, their approach started out small and focused, but became an obsession. Today, EI has successfully created hundreds of automated tasks that free human capital to perform more value added work further enabling themselves to compete globally at both a better price point and without sacrificing customer service.
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Strategically maximize value at the End User level
“We need more people”. “We aren’t going to support all these rogue mobile platforms. are we?” “The business bought it direct, but expect us to support it”. “They contracted with what application cloud provider?” “Transformation? My guys are working 24 X 7 right now just to “keep the lights on!” Enter a true global industry So what has happened in the last 20 years to cause the end user or line of business to be so dissatisfied with internal IT? The IT industry was shifting its services offshore for a better price point. However, due to communication gaps, the lower offshore costs led to a decline in quality with a poor customer experience. Then a question arose; how to bring them back onshore and increase the value of IT? As an answer to this question, Enterprise Integration (“EI”) was formed. EI’s charter began 20 years ago with a never ending commitment to the IT end-user experience, a focus
EI exists to “Deliver the Promise of IT” –powered by combining dedicated, intelligent people with a digital robotics expert system and automated tool suites. EI is more than just an onshore IT Managed Service Provider… Their ambition is to significantly change the economic model of IT Operations through automation and digital robotics.
The Inception Story Enterprise Integration (“EI”) was established with an aim to serve the need of onshore IT managed services. Soon, EI became a top notch service provider, delivering comprehensive solutions designed to increase user productivity, decrease risk and provide a predictable cost model for IT with worldclass customer service. Founded in 1998, EI has evolved into a technology-centric company leveraging automation and digital robotics as a logical extension of its core onshore solutions: Service Desk, Security Operations, IT Asset Management – Full Lifecycle Management, Advanced Monitoring and Alert Management, IT Operations, End User/Deskside Services, Datacenter Management, Cloud Integrations and Professional IT Services – Relocation Services, Email Migrations, Vulnerability Assessments and Desktop/ Infrastructure Refresh. EI has the right people, processes, and tools to provide companies with the highest quality and most flexible solutions to meet their specific needs. At EI, they do not consider monetary capital as the only
asset to leverage the company to new heights, but the company as a whole with its employees, their unique tools and the facilities they provide to their customers is the prima facie of the company. The Company EI is a one-of-a-kind company which manages 70,000+ devices globally and has extensive experience of more than 20 years in business with a strong financial track record. EI generates more than 90% of its revenue in long-term contractual relationships and has a very solid customer base and balance sheet. They are also a trusted Homeland Security Service Provider. The People Employees of EI are a marvelous combination of smart and hard working individuals. They have the market’s most certified technical team holding more than 500 technical certifications with 100% of their employees being ITIL Foundations certified. At EI, they believe that good talent is hard to find, great talent is even harder. But they are dedicated to finding the best talent the industry has to offer. The Facilities EI is one of the crucial players in the industry, which offers world-class facilities. They have invested more than $15 million in facilities, infrastructure, redundancies and systems. The 60,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility includes a redundant unified communications infrastructure with redundant/high-speed Internet & VPN capabilities. It has two world-class, geographically dispersed data centers
including a Class 4 hurricane proof and virtual call center and facilities for disaster scenarios. The Tools Enterprise Integration’s Office of Automation has developed revolutionary tools that simplify and automate mundane tasks, freeing up brilliant minds to focus on more strategic activities. Service Delivery Intelligence™, or SDI™, is a symphony of skilled people, automated processes and intelligent tools harmonizing to create a simple, unified view of the entire IT supply chain. SDI™ provides comprehensive end-to-end monitoring intelligence integrated into a single system. Digital Robotics Engine™ correlates, without human intervention, the health and delivery of data to the business, all critical components, back-end systems and reports on any and all transactions that do not adhere to the perfect threshold and is managed by SDI™. This evolution of advanced automation sits at their core of systems assurance, humanizing IT event storms to effectively manage IT in a much more competitive environment. Indicator of Compromise™, or IOC™ empowers the service desk and security personnel to better understand the threat to the endpoint, prior to an alert. The IOC™’s proactive detection allows security engineers to stay ahead of the opposing threat, further reducing wide-spread risk in the organization.
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Enterprise Integration’s Visionary Leader
Michael E. Locher, Founder and CEO of Enterprise Integration, is an industry visionary and forward-thinker. Michael founded EI in 1998 to provide world-class network and security operations with a proactive services foundation to deliver the promise of IT. In the late 1990’s, Michael realized the poor customer service and lack of reliable, consistent IT Operations the market had to offer. Believing he could deliver faster, better, stronger and affordable IT solutions in an onshore capacity, Michael began his business plan for EI. He left his corporate technology job, where he had enjoyed great success, winning more than 30 performance awards, and opened the doors of EI in 1998 with a plan and a prayer. Because of his insight, vision and dedication, and with support from the team he hand-picked to guide the company, he has grown the business from 20 people to 200, from an idea with vision to a successful company.
awarded the Top Business Executive at global systems integrator Inacom Corporation. He was also voted Jacksonville Business Journal 40 under 40 in 2004, received an MSP Mentor Top 250 Influential People Award in 2006 and was voted Jacksonville Palmer Hall Businessperson of the Year for 2007. Michael recently made the MSP Mentor Locked in the NOC list. As an honoree, he will be on the list in perpetuity because of his technical, business, sales, marketing and community insights. Michael is very active in the Jacksonville community, having served as Chairman of the Board for Daniel Memorial – Florida’s oldest child-caring non-profit. He has been instrumental in guiding which organizations EI supports which include Dreams Come True, Child Cancer Fund, Northeast Florida American Red Cross and countless other local charities through sponsorship of THE PLAYERS – a PGA tournament.
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Changing the economic model of IT through Automation and Digital Robotics
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Michael graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Tennessee. He is a humanitarian who is committed to giving his time and resources to countless community organizations and groups. In 1996, Michael was
Outshining Others with Unique Products and Services There is an enormous gap in IT Asset Management (ITAM) – both hardware and software asset management. Not only are companies unable to accurately track the physical assets they deploy within the enterprise, the software is even harder to track. Then, incorporate the consumerization of technology tablets, smartphones and the ‘IoT’ devices such as climate controls, security systems and
an infinite number of others there is not a single tool that can provide validation and verification of the use and usability. Hence, EI has internally developed the tools to track and report on these devices whenever and wherever they connect to the network or internet. That data feeds through our Digital Robotics Engine to allow us to update a single centralized ITAM system with hardware, software and system health data as well as apply automation to remediate issues that may occur. This starts at the time of purchase and is tracked throughout its entire lifecycle. – Asserts Mr. Locher. Awards and Accolades Enterprise Integration has received numerous awards and recognition for their core onshore offerings: • CRN’s Solutions Provider 500 (2017) • CRN’s Managed Service Provider 500 (2015-2017) • CRN’s Service Provider 500 (2015-2017) • CRN’s Tech Elite 150 (2015-2017) • Honorary Member of the Institute for Robotic Automation & Artificial Intelligence (IRPA) • Revolutionizing IT Service Experience Through Automation and Digital Robotics • Jacksonville Business Journal • Best in Biz Award 2015, Most Innovative Company of the Year • BizTech Innovation of the Year 2015 • 2015 Best of Jacksonville Awards for Best in Business Consultants • 2016 Best of Jacksonville Awards for Computer System Designers & Consultants • Michael E. Locher, 2014 Ultimate CEO • Michael E. Locher, Best CEO of a Technology Company
2014 • MSP Mentor Global Awards (2008-2015) • 22nd Global Edition Managed Service Provider 250 • 14th Largest North America Managed Service Provider • 11th Devices Managed • 11th Large 2 of the Top 250 Influential People in MSP Industry: Mike Locher and Tracey Brown • Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist (2014, 2015 & 2016) • Computer World Award • Field First Initiative with CSX awarded 1 of the top 5 projects in the world • Inc. Magazine (2008 – 2015) • Top 5000 fastest-growing private companies • Palmer Hall Business Person of the year • Michael Locher, CEO and Founder EI’s Future Road Map As an organization that wants to adapt and adopt as fast as the industry itself is moving, creating a continual learning organization has been the biggest challenge for EI. There are many moving pieces, both inside and outside of IT that are going to have be accounted for and managed from one central location. In the next 10 years, all these devices are going to fit under IT's purview in management. So, EI has accepted the challenge of building an industry-leading talent within the organization to adapt and adopt this new purview. Website: www.entint.com Email: info@entint.com
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The
Most Innovative
ROBOTICS Companies 2017
Company Name
Management
Brief
Aldebaran aldebaran.com
Fumihide Tomizawa CEO
SoftBank Robotics designs and produces kind and interactive humanoid robots. SoftBank Robotics (SoftBank Group) currently represents more than 500 employees, with offices in France, Japan, United States and China.
AV&R avr-global.com
Eric Beauregard Executive VP
AV&R Aerospace is a brand of AV&R, an engineering firm specializing in automation with more than 100 employees spread on 2 sites operating worldwide. It offers Robotic Finishing and Automated Visual Inspection solutions.
Enterprise Integration entint.com
Michael E. Locher CEO
Enterprise Integration powered by Digital Robotics delivers managed services to clients, transforming their IT operations to world class standards, so they can focus on their business.
Houston Mechatronics houstonmechatronics.com
Matt Ondler CEO & President Nicolaus Radford Senior VP, Engineering & CTO Reg B. Berka Senior VP Operations & COO
Houston Mechatronics works with robots and provides cutting-edge solutions that make companies’ work environments safer, improve processes and increase profits.
inVia Robotics inViaRobotics.com
Lior Elazary CEO Corwin Carson CRO
inVia Robotics focuses on developing the next generation of automation solutions for E-Commerce fulfillment centers.It is Faster, cheaper, and more capable than any existing solution,their technologies power the future of order fulfillment.
Medrobotics medrobotics.com
Samuel F. Straface President & CEO
Medrobotics Corporation is a privately-held, surgical products company with a core competency in.
penguinasi.com
Greg Baiden CEO
Penguin Automated Systems Inc. (“Penguin”) is a research, development and prototyping company focusing on the implementation of robotic and automation solutions for its clients.
Pollux pollux.com.br
J.Rizzo Hahn CEO
Pollux is the most innovative industrial technology company in Brazil whose purpose is to increase the competitiveness of the industry through solutions that make factories more productive, efficient and intelligent.
pendantarmor.com
Chris (Christian) Tur CEO
Since 1993, Roboworld® has been protecting industrial robots and ancillary automation equipment from extreme manufacturing environments.
Seven Dreamers Laboratories Inc sevendreamers.com
Shin Sakane CEO
Seven Dreamers is a group of technologists dedicated to creating totally novel, world-first products in the world of robotics.
Penguin Automated Systems Inc
Roboworld Molded Products, LLC
HOUSTON
MECHATRONICS Working with Robots to Transform Dreams into Reality 1) Why was the company set up? What put you on your innovation mission to serve robotics? The three founding partners spent a large part of their careers in the NASA Robotics group in Houston. We had the opportunity in those days to work on some of the most advanced robots in the world so we were well versed in all aspects of robotics and cutting edge robotics technologies. We formed the company in 2014 because we saw so many opportunities in the commercial sector. Companies were clamoring for robotics and intelligent automation but didn’t necessarily have the capabilities and know how to do it internally. 2) Tell us more about the company and the services/ products that your company offers? Many of our clients don’t want it known the robots we are building for them but in general terms the robots we have designed and built include an internal pipe inspection robot, a large subsea robotic arm designed to permanently reside on subsea oil and gas infrastructure, a robotic work cell the performs a complex and hazardous manufacturing process, an intelligent automation solution that for the first time allows the automation of a large construction process, a host of intelligent electric actuators, and electric car drive motors and motor electrics. Many of these systems have common elements and technologies that we hold and reuse to enable rapid deployment in new systems. 3) Tell us something about the proactive Founder/ CEO and his contributions towards the company. We realized that true innovation comes from diverse thought and perspectives. So our first objective was to have
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a leadership team that brought different views to the business. The three founding partners, Matt Ondler CEO, Nic Radford, CTO, and Reg Berka COO, we all have different backgrounds, experiences and talents and contribute equally to the strategic vision of the company. I believe our best contribution is valuing the dynamic of the partnership and getting the most out of not only the three of us but of the entire company. 4) What do you feel are the reasons behind your company’s success? Four things. The first is we had deep and rare expertise in a technology field that was exploding. Second we are very customer and market focused. We are not trying to build something that we thought was cool. We stayed laser focused on uncovering “wrongs” in the market place or problems customers were having that could be lucrative to solve and where we had technology or other advantages. Third was recruiting and developing a very talented team. We pulled a lot from the NASA robotics pool but also purposely from other places to ensure the diversity of thought necessary for innovation. Fourth is our innovation process and core tenets. These innovation tenets were developed over our years at NASA and we have honed them in the company and this allows us to build things that have never been built and to do so rapidly. 5) What are the challenges you have come across while establishing your company? Probably the biggest for a small company is managing a long sales cycle for the kinds of products we are building. No matter how large the customer it still takes a long time to convince them to spend $1M on a robotics project.
| August 2017 |
Interview with Insights Success
R. Matthew Ondler President & CEO
Nicolaus A. Radford Senior VP, Engineering & CTO | August 2017 |
Reg B. Berka, PhD Senior VP Operations & CEO
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Related to that was getting past the impression in customers eyes that we were too small. It’s the classic paradox, many customers want to see some company history before they’ll sign on. But you can’t build history before they sign on. Fortunately our NASA heritage gave us a lot of credibility and now in three short years we have a lot of company history to point to, so it is easier now. 6) Share your point of view on current scenario of Robotics and its future? We believe the future is Robotics as a Service (RaaS) and cloud robotics. We knew from the outset that customers don’t necessarily want to own and operate robots. They really just want the service that the robot provides. Now most often the robot does not exist in the world so we still need to conceive, design, develop and deploy the robots. But the long-term business model is to operate robots as a service. These robots are cloud connected and that brings several advantages. As one robot develops and verifies a new more efficient capability, the knowledge is immediately available to all the other robots doing the same tasks. Performing data analytics across multiple customers allows us to offer improvements that an individual customer could not have discovered on their own. There are certainly still technical robotic challenges and lots of robots to invent, but the business of robotics will be more and more about managing, controlling, monitoring, analyzing, and upgrading robotic systems that are providing services that customers subscribe to. 7) Do you have any new products ready to be/getting ready to be rolled out into the market? Where do you see yourself and your company a couple of years from now? A large internal initiative in the company is the development of a unique and innovative subsea robot to perform inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR). We are developing the robot in-house and then we will operate it as a service. We believe because of the technologies deployed on the robot that we will be able to upend the way IMR services are provided for subsea oil and gas operators. We see ourselves continuing to grow rapidly and think the sky is the limit. Robotics will be the iconic technology of this century and Houston Mechatronics is poised to be a major player in this field.
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| August 2017 |
TELLING
LIFE’S STORIES FROM MEMORY
1800 102 2055
BENEFITS OF
ROBOTIC PROCESS
AUTOMATION IN TODAY'S TIME
R
obotic Process Automation (RPA) is an emerging process of automation technology based on the impression of software robots and artificial intelligence workers. It is a form of automation which has been positioned under the concept of screen scraping. RPA is believed to be a significant technological expansion of this technique in the sense that new software platforms are emanating which are sufficiently reliable to make this approach viable for operations in renowned enterprises. Just like humans, Robots perform on a vast range of regular tasks, software robots interpret, trigger responses and
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communicate professionally with the systems. Enabling RPA to hold any processes will not only transform and design the organization’s workflow. It will allow for quality scalability and flexibility inside out the enterprise which can tailored to the specific needs. The superior thing about software robots are they are easy to train and they integrate swiftly into any system. They consistently update their progress reports to go even better and bigger by using operational and business predictability while improving logically. Robotic Process Automation contributes in various specific
| August 2017 |
ROBO ARENA
technologies that can automate mundane, routine, creating higher productivity, standardized tasks as well as value with lesser investment. This system is rapidly gaining popularity, predominantly in the banking and finance sectors due to the large volume of transactions and the great benefits that can be realized within a short time frame. The magnitude of the benefits of automation is directly proportional to the incremental improvement in the manual processing hotspots. The RPA platform provides your business with the scalability needed to stay, perform and sustain on top of your game. Here are the advantages of robotic automationEfficacious Costing- As per the estimated act robotics cuts operational costs by 25-30%. Robots are better enough to operate 24/7 according to the charging process and take no vacation when compared to humans who work 9-5 and also have a pre-fixed number of annual leaves each year. Having robots take over some of the manually intensive work from humans could result in visible gains for the business. Automation can help you recover the cost within a short time span and from then on, it is all only about gains. Faultless & High Quality- RPA offers improved services to processes that have a high probability of human error, thereby increasing accuracy. Robots are reliable, and consistent and do not whine when expected to work tirelessly. They also reduce the cases of re-works and improve the output quality drastically. The best part here is that robots follow all rules to the dot, thereby producing 100% accuracy in the process results and let’s not forget what adds more sweetness to this deal-the fast implementation of this technology. RPA optimizes capabilities that multiply the organizational capacity. Consistency- Robotics is a safe, non-invasive technology that doesn’t interfere with the inherent systems and provides a perfect consistency in performing the activities across the board, each time and every time.
making and overall, to the betterment of the process execution. Employee Productivity- RPA ultimately facilities humans and robots to do just what they excel at. As RPA frees the employees from their mundane tasks, they can focus more on client and customer interaction, relationship management and other such activities where humans naturally excel at. Having satisfied clients and customers only mean better business. Customer Satisfaction- Delivering better quality of work with high accuracy and improved customer/client interaction leads to increased customer and client satisfaction. This only adds to the goodwill of the business. Faster- As bots are handling the execution here, a larger amount of work can be done in a relatively much shorter period. Restoration from Multiple Systems- RPA makes the tallying of data and information from multiple systems possible which generates information that helps with the integration of process. Multiskilled- RPA is applicable across industries and has the ability to perform a wide range of tasks. Any process that is rule based and can be defined and is repeatable makes an ideal automation candidate. Better IT Support And Management- RPA improves the operational quality of the service desk and monitors the network. This enables companies to handle short term spikes without having to recruit extra staff or train them. As this advanced technology is revolutionizing process efficiencies and increasing productivity across companies, it is changing the way various businesses and business models are run. Analysts are even suggesting that RPA is creating a second parallel economy that connects to the physical economy in concurrent systems to speed-up and optimize knowledge work. Time for you to bring your business onboard and join the biggest change ever.
Enhance Analytics- Having access to error free, accurate data from various sources would improve the quality of analytics in the process. This leads to better decision
| August 2017 |
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AV&R Aerospace: Improving the Efficiency of Aerospace Industry
G
iving the importance of no room for error in the aerospace industry, achieving maximum precision is must for the companies. Needless to say, cost also plays a massive role when it comes to determining priorities along the value chain. However, these two factors are not mutually exclusive. So, to fill this void, enters AV&R Aerospace with its supply of automation solutions that deliver ultimate precision while keeping the cost low. The expert team of AV&R offers automation integration to its clients. Their requests, often touching critical operations for the entire industry leads to the birth of new specialties for the team. The automation processes provided by the company eventually allows a reduction in production and labor costs, as well as improves productivity and quality.
The Man Behind the Success Mr. Eric Beauregard is the Executive Vice-President of AV&R Aerospace. He holds a degree in Economics from The University of Sherbrooke. Back in 2006, he joined AV&R as a CEO where his role was to structure AV&R
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(Averna’s Vision and Robotics Group) as an independent company and, then along with his team, to find a market niche for the company. Eric also worked hard to make AV&R a market leader in Robotic Finishing and Automated Visual Inspection for gas turbine parts. Additionally, Eric is a well-known, accomplished speaker at various Aerospace Conferences, and is a member of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal’s International Affairs Committee. He has also been a member of Aéro Montréal's Board of Directors for six years. Offering Ground Breaking Services AV&R Aerospace is a brand of engineering firm named AV&R, which specializes in automation with a little over 100 employees spread across 2 operational sites worldwide. The company specializes in complex automation projects which require a high level of precision. AV&R is working in the aerospace industry for more than 20 years now. Till date, it has completed more than 600 projects with a team consisting of more than 80 engineering graduates, who are known as aerospace specialists. The company has developed its expertise in gas turbine critical rotating parts, which is its core business. It also specializes in Robotic Finishing which includes deburring, polishing and profiling, and in Automated Visual Inspection.
| August 2017 |
The
ROBOTICS Companies 2017
,
,
Most Innovative
We are the leader in industrial automation for more than 20 years, and we specialize on automation, machine vision and robotics solutions Eric Beauregard Executive Vice-President
Tackling Turbulent Weather AV&R Aerospace is well-positioned when it comes to Tandon of its client’s playing a significant role in Ashish the transformation Managing Director factories with the Industry 4.0. But the challenge is quite Egis-India big! The main objective of this new revolution is the establishment of “Smart Factories”. However, according to the company, the aerospace industry is yet to deploy a concrete plan to transform the production line. This change will take some time and investment, both of which the industry lacks right now. Yet Eric believes the industry is not as far from implementing these “Smart Factories” as it thinks now. Mission and Vision AV&R Aerospace is known as a world class leader in designing Robotic Finishing and Automated Visual Inspection solutions for aerospace high value-added parts. Its mission is simple: to keep it that way. The vision of the company: to build the future with its automated solutions. With industry 4.0, the company’s vision is slowly turning to reality! This revolution requests its clients to make their factories evolve into smart ones, which necessitates automation systems that communicate with each other. But still, an aspiration in the industry. This is mostly because
| August 2017 |
when all the machines on the production line are intelligent and can communicate with each other, then only it would be possible. AV&R’s Aerospace is one of the few suppliers ready for this evolution. Future Perspective
AV&R is just at the center of the industry helping its clients to reach a new era. The fact that it is not yet realized in Aerospace factories is hard to grasp: having such a high value-added part, it is even more useful for this industry to establish communication in the production line. The sooner one notices an inaccuracy tendency, the less high-value processes are needed to be performed on already scrapped parts which eventually saves a lot of money. This is where AV&R Aerospace comes into action with its robotic solutions. These robotic solutions might seem a bit complicated now, but these have obvious advantages and are also attractive mostly due to the value they offer. It surely is a key to tomorrow’s business success.
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Penguin ASI: Providing Robotic Systems where Human Reach is Impossible
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enguin Automated Systems Inc. (“Penguin”) is a research, development and prototyping company focusing on the implementation of robotic and automation solutions for its clients. It has extensive experience in making special mobile robot systems for mining. This system includes the wireless computer networks to run large fleets of mining equipment to control center potentially situated many miles away. Its system also uses positioning system that work in difficult subsurface environments where GPS does not. It also has extensive robot control software for mine production control using cooperative robotics. Penguin’s Insights and Achievements Penguin has developed and continues to develop teleautonomous robotic technologies at the Penguin Research Centre in Sudbury. Those technologies comprise, among other things, telecommunication systems and equipment, sensory systems and equipment, computer systems, computer software and actuation systems which enable the development of robotic solutions for the mining and other industries. Important systems developed by Penguin include its Tele-robotic Reconnaissance System, Underground Positioning System and Optical Communication System. Penguin provides a comprehensive approach to software development, systems integration and field testing to ensure leading edge technologies are supplied to manage its client’s needs. Penguin provides telerobotic applications for the industries like; Mining, Construction, Exploration, Security – Oil & Gas Industries, Military, Institutional. Penguin technologies are adapted to a variety of environments like; Underground & Open Pit, Subsea & Underwater, In Space, and On Surface.
Services of Future Robotics Penguin provides several services with its robot systems Mining: Penguin has extensive experience in applying automated systems to mining. Their work includes: Ÿ Site Assessment Studies: To determine the particular mine’s technology application Ÿ Technology Roadmap development for the mines Ÿ Assessment of current technology mine plans vs potential automated mine plans to determine Cost/Benefit Ÿ Full Automated Mine Design services: It includes, Scoping, Pre-feasibility, Feasibility, and Detailed Implementation Studies Environmental Inspection: Penguin’s suite of robot system provides an opportunity for the clients to inspect personnel restricted areas in detail. It includes; Photos, Videos, 3-D mapping capability, Precise location in surface and underground situations, Thermo imaging systems, Air quality measurement, Fitting of any sensors for additional measurement. All these can fit on its teleoperated robot platform to support data gathering on-line and recorded. Its robots can travel large distances on the surface and in confined spaces to perform this work. In addition to these services, Penguin is presenting services which are more important for the safety of employees in mining industries like; Search and Rescue, Safety and Security, and more. Innovative Products Ÿ Penguin’s Products range from full robot systems Ÿ Geospatial Mapping Systems Ÿ Hang-up Assessment and Removal Telerobotic System Ÿ Blast Hole Cleaning System
Penguin has won awards for innovation and creativity around robot system development. (Northern Ontario Business Innovation Award)
Their subsystems such as: Ÿ
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Mine Robotic Network Systems including WiFi and LiFi
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We perform private research and development to create technologies and systems for our clients to apply and improve safety, resource utilization and financial performance. Dr. Greg Baiden Founder and CEO Positioning Systems for surface, underground and underwater Ÿ Telerobot software control Ÿ
Creator of Penguin ASI Ashish Tandon Managing Directorof Penguin Dr. Greg Baiden is the Founder & CEO Egis-India Automated Systems Inc. Dr. Baiden has worked in all aspects of the mining industry, including terrestrial, undersea and space mining. His extensive knowledge has been applied and is helping to set-up the possibilities in these areas. Under the leadership of Dr. Greg Baiden, Penguin has developed and continues to develop teleautonomous robotic technologies at the Penguin Research Centre in Sudbury. Strategies for Success Penguin has been successful by applying several strategies. These include: hiring the very best possible employees, dreaming about what could be and working with their customers to get them the systems they want and need. Penguin has developed new robotic technologies with the support and assistance of a number of government agencies, including FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and is committed to the development of intellectual property as a basis for supporting growth in Northern Ontario. Penguin is engaged in consulting and development work with leading companies in Canada and elsewhere.
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Challenges that Helps Penguin to Become a Leader The challenges that Penguin have faced includes in bringing the new technologies to the extremely conservative mining industry. The idea of tele- autonomy is only feasible if a highly capable network system is in place. This network must have the high capacity with the ability to work wirelessly in many environments such as in open air, in a contained space, underground and underwater. A number of applications can be dealt with using WiFi, but the technique ultimately suffers from a lack of capacity for the demanding application of tele-autonomy. Penguin’s unique foundation networking technology consists of building high capacity networks using WiFi and patented LiFi (Optical) technologies.
Technologies from Penguin for Today and Tomorrow We can see that mobile robotics is currently a growing field. Penguin has developed a highly accurate system for mobile positioning of its mobile robots to create a system that is able to work like a factory robot even though it is mobile. Penguin is currently rolling out two new products: the first is a mobile mapping unit for GPS denied environments and the second is a long reach robot to load explosives into underground mining blockages. It is growing very rapidly as it introduces these new products.
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Pollux: Making Automation Industry Smarter, Efficient and Productive
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utomation is already here. From day-to-day activities to high scale industrial work, people are developing artificial intelligence and robotics to make work and life easier. Every new day brings an innovation and some change into the lives of human beings. Recently, a major change has been observed in the industry: the shift from traditional robots to collaborative robots.
awards, Deloitte 2016 has also acknowledged the company as one of the Top 3 fastest growing SME’s in Brazil. Industry giants like BMW, Fiat, GM, L’oreal, P&G, Renault, Volkswagen and Bosch trust on Pollux for their extraordinary technologic solutions.
Pollux, a company who believes that robots can completely change the reality of shop floors, is leading the automation industry and helping businesses overcome some obstacles in implementing robots in factories. The innovative company offers a “Robots as a service”, a solution that includes mapping the manufacturing process to uncover opportunities for robot use, simulation to confirm technical viability, engineering to define accessories, risk assessment, installation, programming and ongoing support.
With a rich experience of more than 25 years in industrial automation, José Rizzo Hahn Filho, the founder and CEO at Pollux, leads the company on its way to excellence. Graduated from Iowa State University, Rizzo represents the company and the country at numerous worldwide technological forums like Industrial Internet Consortium (USA) and Industry 4.0 (Germany). His efforts have earned him positions like the Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young and Endeavor Entrepreneur. Being the founder and first President of Brazilian Association of Industrial Internet, Rizzo strongly supports the causes of entrepreneurship, innovation and industry competitiveness in Brazil and abroad.
With robot as a service, Polux’s clients can rely on their excellent and permanent support, new products inclusion, maintenance and spare parts. The pay-per-use/rental model eliminates the obstacles related to traditional robotic implementations like the lack of flexibility, need for Capital Expenditure (CAPEX), total cost of ownership for tech support, spare parts and the need for programming the robots. Pollux understands clients’ problems and efficiently helps them. The industrial technology company is known to make factories more productive, efficient and smart while delivering innovative solutions, allowing customers to win in an increasingly competitive global scenario. By providing amazing services, they have earned recognitions from multiple organizations including Endeavor, Ernst & Young, CNI (National Confederation of Industry) and FINEP Technology Innovation Award. For five years in a row, the company has received the prestigious award GPTW (Great Place to Work). Along with all the respected
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About the Foundation of the Leading Company
Services which Makes Pollux a Leader in the Industry Founded in 1996, Pollux is the most innovative industrial technology company in Brazil. The company acts as a market reference for technology integration and offers solutions in pay-per-use model. With a team of 140 employees and more than 450 clients, the robotic solution provider company is known to deliver services to Automotive, Pharmaceutical, Consumer’s Good, Food & Beverages and many other industry segments all over Latin America. Pollux has implemented over 1000 projects and has structured its services in 3 primary business units as: Pollux Automation – Pollux holds the experience to deal with highly complex projects, building solid relations with their customers by helping them in development and
| August 2017 |
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We are revolutionizing industrial technology with pay-per-use robots that provides process optimization and economic savings to our clients
José Rizzo Hahn Filho Founder and CEO
implementation of automated assembly lines, robotic cells and machine building solutions that are more efficient to provide a high degree of technology, based on advanced manufacturing concepts and Industry 4.0.
Ashish Tandon Managing Director
Egis-India Pollux Robotics – Pollux is the only company equipped with the expertise to offer robots as a service (including Rental + Engineering + Support) and known to deliver Collaborative Robots that can work side-by-side with people.
Pollux Digital – It acts as a convergence between Information Technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT). Pollux adopts a consultative approach while mapping opportunities and delivering industrial internet projects, SaaS, Track&Trace solutions, and systems for Inspection and Tests. The company boasts about its excellent technical team consisting of professionals graduated from some of the best universities in Brazil, United States, France, Italy and Germany. With a team of specialists from various engineering fields, such as industrial automation, computer programming, software, machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics, project management and others, the company is strategically positioned at the most important industrial centers providing very fast and qualified response to their customers and partner's technical assistance needs.
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Showcasing the Future
Over the years, Pollux has built a powerful ecosystem to drive robot implementation to excellence, including some world-class technology suppliers, such as Universal Robots, Cognex, Visual Components, Schunk, Robotiq and Dassault Systèmes. It is in the DNA of Pollux to act by integrity, build positive and long-term relationships, endeavor and innovate. The innovative company is now presenting the “Robotic 4.0” concept: collaborative robots equipped with remote monitoring system. This new solution, aligned with industrial internet and industry 4.0, improves client's productivity and provides real-time management, predictive maintenance and quality while reducing costs related to operational flaws. Pollux has successfully installed over 150 robots throughout Brazil and expects to reach a benchmark of installing 2,000 robots in 5 years. The company has grown 4 times its revenue in the past three years and their global customers are pulling its services abroad Latin America, US and Europe.
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Future Face of Robotics -Danny Ellis, CEO/Co-Founder, SkySpecs
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ear and disbelief have characterized the way in which many think about robots, but as they become more of a reality, excitement and a sense of possibility have taken over.
Robots and automated machines have been around for over 100 years, but it’s only in the last 5 years that robots have begun to infiltrate business processes and operations. Robots are no longer confined to assembly lines, factories, and government research labs. They take many forms: vacuum cleaners, drones, cars, chat bots, lawn mowers, thermostats, Lego sets, and rolling droid toys. Robotics is now taught to children as young as 5 years old. In the not-toodistant future, anyone with an interest will be able to program a robot, and it will be faster to do the programming than to complete the task manually. What led to this proliferation of robots? It has been a “perfect storm” of sorts: computation power is effectively free; data storage is practically infinite and accessible almost anywhere - on or off the planet - and software has largely become open-source, giving everyone complex tools that they can assemble any way they want. Designing, building, and testing robots is no longer cost prohibitive. The rise of 3D printing, embedded processors like Raspberry Pi and Arduino, and affordable sensors allow people to build devices to solve almost any problem. Open-source machine learning, computer vision, and thousands of sensor and actuator choices make it possible to build and train a robot for nearly any task. So what does all this mean for our future? #1: The “3 Ds” will be Eliminated (Dirty, Dull, or Dangerous) First, any repetitive, dangerous and/or mundane task will ultimately be taken over by a robot. Politicians may be worried about losing these jobs and the unemployment it will initially cause, but eventually the changeover in generations will solve the problem. For example, once it required hundreds of people per farm field to grow our crops, but today that same work is performed with advanced tractors controlled by just a few people. Farmers are able to drive a single tractor and have multiple robotic tractors follow in their path performing various tasks. People went on to create new jobs as technology removed the old ones and this will continue each generation even though older generations will always resist.
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Future Tech #2: Robots will have Specialized Skill Sets Second, people will turn to robots to solve a problem before they try to solve it themselves. Already we rely on Google or Alexa to answer questions we'd have used “manual means” to answer previously. Eventually we will also rely on robots to make our breakfast, take us to work, and even perform a majority of our work. We will only be there to provide the creative input to the robot. These robots will likely not look like Rosie from the Jetsons; they will instead be in whatever form makes the most sense for a particular task. We won’t need a bipedal robot to make breakfast or change the temperature in the house. Each of these tasks will be performed by their specific robot. Robots will be so affordable that you will eventually have hundreds of them in your home all focusing on their specified tasks. #3: People will become More Right-Brained
Danny Ellis CEO & Co-founder SkySpecs
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Danny Ellis, is the C.E.O, Founder of SkySpecs. He has done his B.S.E and M.S.E in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan. At SkySpecs Danny is responsible for building a strong team, raise capital, find customers, sell to customers, develop partnerships, execute contracts, lobby to the government to change regula ons, and promote the business to everyone in the industry.
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Third, workers will need to tap into their creative sides. Humans will perform an increasing number of jobs that remain out of reach of robots: writing, composing music, acting, entertaining, designing, developing, etc. Roles like driver (taxi, semi, Uber), cashier, bank teller, laborers, etc., will most likely be obsolete in the next couple of decades. But even our educational system is going to have to change as new methods of learning prevail and our archaic school system designed for the industrial revolution finally evolves. Robots are here to stay. They perform tasks faster, can repeat tasks with extreme precision, and are far more affordable than traditional and/or manual methods. And new technologies like augmented reality are going to give humans an entirely different way to interact with robots. There will come a day when we pause for a moment, look up from our cell phones, and realize that everything we do throughout the day involves a robot. Our houses will be cleaned, lawns mowed, kids taken to school, lunches made and delivered, legal documents generated, finances analyzed, dinner ordered and delivered…..all by robots. At least the sports we watch will still be played by humans, at least for now.
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Add perfect feeling to your robot and boost your production with IoT I ndustrial robots are blind, deaf and insensitive. They show a characteristic of an inelastic and stiff behaviour without any environment feedback.
Due to this characteristic, in case of physical contact, high forces occur. These may cause damage on workpiece, robot equipment or humans. However, common industrial automation has achieved high cost reduction in the past years. This achievement has almost exclusively been applicable for big lot-sizes and clearly defined tasks. Applications with a high demand on sensitivity and flexibility are tricky gaps in automation. Therefore they often still remain as manual work in the manufacturing process and cause un-ergonomic workplaces, quality issues, higher abrasive costs, etc. which result in higher production costs than necessary. This applies specially to surface treatment processes like sanding, grinding, deburring, or polishing. North America has witnessed its economic upwind during the last years. The touch-sensitive automation solutions from FerRobotics, initiate again an incredible growth potential for US manufacturers across all industries. Healthy industries keep the economy going. But manufacturers face tremendous challenges, since labour costs tend to increase, skilled and reliable workforce is harder to find, product quality is expected to rise while prices are expected to go down.
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Sanding, grinding, and deburring are highly undesirable and hazardous 3-D jobs. To automate these quality-related sequences is the undisputed key competence of the FerRobotics automation experts. Together with our customers, we create high synergies such as increase of productivity, quality and flexibility, optimized functionality and efficiency. What differentiates FerRobotics from other players in the market is the outstanding technology. While automation usually tends to come along with costly investments and programming efforts, FerRobotics innovative products stick out as “worry-free“ package with short payback time. The originally Austrian robotics trendsetter, wraps “automation in no time“ into intuitive standard devices with easy usage and easy process modification, to keep production sites flexible and competitive. The wiser gives in Traditional robotics has taken a giant leap in performing productivity and quality in multifarious production environments on surface finishing. However, the industrial standard in robot programming is position driven, reference point by reference point. Random surfaces with random reference points require heavy programming and are economically not viable. Hence, the inelastic behaviour of traditional robotics has high lacks on sensitivity and physical compliance, which in turn leaves tricky automation gaps to solve.
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Tech Talk
Michael Haas Vice President
FerRobotics’ approach to robotics automation is completely different. The key parameter of the process is the actual contact situation. Therefore, FerRobotics system checks if there is a contact, tracks the surface and individually applies the necessary force autonomously. “Within a robot path, our equipment compensates for positioning tolerances and masterminds the contact precision without programming it point by point,” The perfect feeling FerRobotics robot devices feel what they are doing. Our robot equipment guides the tool or gripper as carefully as would the human hand. The technology detects counterforces, changes in the surface flow, obstacles and nestles into the process autonomously. The equipment performs self-operations, thus adjusting to individual process situations and environment conditions in real-time.
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About the Author: Michael Haas has a sophisticated technical background in mechanical engineering completed with profound international sales skills. In the role of the Vice President of FerRobotics INC, Michael is leading the North American operations. With his extraordinary expertise he fully supports the ambitious FerRobotics customer network in the automotive, aerospace and general industry on the challenges of flexible automation. Since 2015 Michael is the FerRobotics US expert in sensitive automation. Prior to that, he worked as a leading sales expert and was in charge of contract management and distributor development activities in the European, middle and far east market.
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The Advanced Diversity Due to
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n order to build effectual robots that can carry out useful work in unstructured environments; the robotics companies are focusing towards new approaches and extended services to build the intelligent systems. They indulge in providing and applying the robots in the industrial sector for replacing the workers and also enhancing according to the new technologies. The industrial robots have the incredible dexterity to match their brute strength and can actually learn on the job. These expert systems take highly practical forms, all on their own—that can walk, talk, save lives, and perform critical jobs in extreme environments, or simply take care of household mundane tasks. In fact, there are over a million of these types of robots found in auto, medical, manufacturing and space industries. Innovation Is Balanced Against Scale and Profitability The engineers are coming up with incredibly innovative robots that look really impressive and achieved the challenge to turn it into a physical product that can be manufactured for profit. In time, the use of robotics is likely to spawn billions of dollars revenue business. The future driverless cars, 3D
printing, chat bots or the home robots like the vacuum-cleaning and floorcleaning robots have driven this good amount by the sales. From the military use and emergency response to health care and home care, robots are fast becoming a fixture in our everyday lives. Over the next decade, the
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number and variety of robots in the workplace will soar, taking over many jobs that are too dirty, too dull or too dangerous for people to do. Already, robots are taking charge in hospitals, medical centres and nursing homes. Their mechanical aids will improve lifting and repositioning of patients, delivering medications to patients’ rooms, delivering lab samples and reports and conducting routine monitoring of patients — taking temperatures, blood pressure, glucose and so on. Another sector that has extremely increased its adaptation of robotics is the defence sector, where robots will be used more and more for surveillance, battlefield support, and sentinel duty. In addition, they would be commonly associated with the detection and disposal of explosive devices, or radar tracking and missile defence. These robots are expected to act as a force multiplier and will operate close to the military personnel in the field.
Automation, the next phase of Robots Robots have evolved from electric machines to automotive “smart” machines. The traditional electric machines were programmed to perform specific tasks but the automated ones can directly interact with the real world. However, the robots follow a line painted on the ground by the automation software foist on it. The Collaborative Robots (named as “Co-Bots”) have taken automation to a higher
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Editor’s Pick
S Super uper IIntelligent ntelligent M Machines achines level by the autonomous robots. These robots support human beings as a collaborator or as an assistor for a specific task. These software robots are programmed to use computer programs in the same way as a human operator would for the task. They might not complete the task in the most efficient way, but are easier to accommodate into the actual business processes and are used as a flexible way to automate physical tasks. It is the growth driver and the most affordable way to automate in robotics. These robots are mostly used for ind
ustri al purposes, household purposes or providing small business services. But such robots are not proven to be ideal for the higher levels of the defence and security sectors. The problem-solving is simply done by introducing Artificial Intelligence in robotics. It is the recreation of the human thought process, a man made machine with the intellectual abilities of a human. Robotics is nowhere near to achieve a new level of progress with AI. This would include the ability to learn just about anything, to reason, to use language and to formulate original ideas. The AI robots or computers gather details about a particular phenomenon through their sensors or the input is transferred manually and then the robots compare this information to their stored data and decide the significance of the information. The computer runs through various possible actions and predicts and according to that it decides which action will be most
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succe ssful based on the collected information. Obviously, the computer cannot solve the problem on its own, it should be programmed to solve as they don’t have any generalized analytical ability. They even can’t absorb any sort of information like a human until it is programmed in the system. The real challenge of AI lies on the hypothesis of how the robot would learn and think, and how all of these connections would add up to higher reasoning, or even low-level operations in the critical situations. A number of robotics experts are focusing on humanoid robots because they feel that being able to experience the world like a human is essential to developing human-like intelligence. The Services provided by the Robotsspecialized companies Robot manufacturing companies are the innovative actors in the robotics market. Keeping in mind the demand and needs of the future market, they are continuously researching and developing highly-sophisticated intelligent service robots. The companies are known for their unlimited passion for technology, content and services and relentless pursuit of innovation that drives to deliver groundbreaking, novel and exciting solutions in their ways. They provide the ultimate solution regarding industries and technologies. They are indulged in scrutinizing and experimenting with new mechanics and products. They look after the interest of the industrial companies and design according to their needs. The after-support of the robots is also taken care by them.
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Roboworld Family of Companies: Protecting Industrial Robot Assets in Extreme Manufacturing Environments
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t is no surprise that industrial robots are here to stay. What many don’t appreciate is the path by which they arrived on our manufacturing floors. Human workers were often exposed to hazardous working environments in dirty, dull and/or dangerous jobs. Industrial robotics replaced many of these jobs and workplace safety benefitted accordingly. But these very robots started to degrade while working in the same harsh environments. Roboworld was founded in 1993 to provide protection for industrial automation in extreme manufacturing environments. These applications include extremes of temperature, corrosive atmospheres or chemical exposure, explosive dust and vapors, media blasting and die casting environments (to name only a few). A Robosuit® protects the underlying robot—just as a fireman’s jacket would protect them while battling a blaze. Each Robosuit® is tailored to the specific OEM make, model and environment. Roboworld offers over 20 different technical fabrics, aramids, glasses and laminates to address the vast majority of needs across the full-spectrum of industrial manufacturing applications. Coverage need not stop at the robot however. Roboworld custom manufactures protective covers for the robot control gear, end-of-arm tooling (grippers) and much, much more. Offering Innovative Solutions to Protect More than Just the Robot Roboworld’s robust portfolio of industrial robot protection products was recently supplemented with the introduction of Pendant Armor®. Pendant Armor® protects the robotic teach pendant from damage much like a protective case or OtterBox® does for a cell phone. Roboworld Molded Products LLC, was founded in 2016 as a result of customer demand for incremental protection for this critical component of the automation chain. A teach pendant is essentially a Human Machine Interface (HMI) that workers use to program and operate a robot. Like other devices that humans handle—they are prone to bumps, drops and accidental damage. Pendant Armor® leverages Roboworld’s previous 25-yrs of experience protecting industrial robots from hazardous environments,
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and extends protection to this very critical piece of equipment. Utilizing their robust background in material science, aviation manufacturing techniques and engineering, Roboworld Molded Products developed over a dozen different bumpers for the most popular brands of industrial robot teach pendants. Each design specifically addresses those areas of the teach pendant that are prone to damage if accidentally dropped. Careful consideration of material properties ensures that the Pendant Armor® bumper can tolerate the most demanding operating conditions yet mitigate between 50% to 70% of the shock associated with an accidental fall. Thoughtful consideration to ergonomics, weight and screen protection ensures that the teach pendant is ready to tackle the same demands as the robot. The Innovative Mind Behind Roboworld and Roboworld Molded Products President & CEO, Chris Tur is the innovative personality behind the automation industry’s leading-edge family of Roboworld Companies. His career has largely followed a technology-inspired path. From the field of Biomedical Engineering to naval aviation, to energy and now robotics, Chris enjoys innovating, and routinely challenges the status quo. Of many notable accomplishments throughout his career, he was a key leader on the development team for the world’s fastest passenger ferry propulsion turbine (HSC Francisco) while working at General Electric. Chris has also been recognized for leadership and combat performance with the U.S Navy, holds more than 10 patents in Robotics, is a former TEDx presenter, and routinely guest-lectures at universities about innovation and entrepreneurship. Success is Largely Attributed to the Founder Roboworld’s success is largely attributed to the entrepreneurial spirit of its founder Charles Tur. It was his vision more than 25 years ago that proved the company | August 2017 |
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Stay Protected. Stay Productive. Chris Tur President & CEO could bolster the overall market demand for industrial robotics by offering incremental protection in hazardous manufacturing environments. Were an OEM to adapt their entire product line to a very Ashish Tandon narrow subset of customer requirements, it would be very Managing Director inefficient and costly. That’s where Roboworld and Egis-India Roboworld Molded Products excels. Today, Roboworld and Roboworld Molded Products enjoys sales of its gear through three distinct channels to market: OEM-direct, to Integrators/Distributors, and to automation end-users directly. Hottest Trends in Industrial Robotics and Our Collective Robotic Future Recently, industrial robotics has enjoyed a tremendous surge in demand. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has projected an incremental delivery of 1-million robots by 2020.
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sensor technology such as vision systems, predictive safety algorithms, and control software that will make robots safer, faster and more efficient. New segments of manufacturing such as agricultural production, medicine, food processing/packaging and autonomous vehicles will unveil even more uses for robots.
The Entrepreneur’s Challenge
Awareness is the biggest challenge facing Pendant Armor®. Since Roboworld Molded Products is the first company to offer mass-produced, patented, energy absorbing bumpers for teach pendants, very few people are aware that the technology to protect them even exists. For the past 40years, people just accepted the downtime and high cost to repair these items. Roboworld Molded Products is investing aggressively in marketing campaigns and international development activities to generate awareness. Upcoming Products for the Ever-Changing Market
Today, the hottest trends in industrial robotics include: · Accelerated adoption of collaborative robots— robots that supplement the human workforce in order to increase production-line efficiency and productivity. · The introduction of Robots as a Service (RaaS) where manufacturers ‘rent’ automation in order to fill specific demands over relatively short periods of time without owning the capital of production. · Incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into | August 2017 |
Roboworld Molded Products works continually with robotic OEMs to offer incremental protection for their teach pendants and new robot models. They are introducing injection molded covers for grippers, collaborative robot protection, and are exploring other market adjacencies due to the rough nature of other pendant applications as well. Visit: www.roboworld.com or www.pendantarmor.com
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The world’s first fully automatic laundry folding robot
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here there is science and technology, there is innovation. With innovation, comes an enormous amount of options and so does scopes and opportunities, irrespective of the field it belongs to. When one talks about robotics, the branches are widely spread, and yet there is always the room to grow. The current scenario suggests that a huge number of companies, engineers and researchers are pursuing new technologies for a better product. While some say that artificial intelligence or robotics is being processed beyond the imagination at a considerable speed, the entire scene is going to change. Like every coin, any innovation in science too has two sides, one positive and one negative. Undoubtedly, the evolution into the world of technology and science has made human lives much more convenient and easier to live. Industry pioneers say that the relations between human beings and robotics or many other outstanding technologies existing today, will coexist in the future too, with their roles being the same as they are today. Seven Dreamers Laboratories Inc., is a leading group of technologists who are dedicated to creating entirely novel concepts, offering the world with products which no one has witnessed before. This company is known to create milestones in the world of robotics and automation. The company believes that the innovation begins with the picking up of right theme. Following a strict criterion, Seven Dreamers develops products ensuring that “things do not exist”, “Improve people’s lifestyle”, and are “technically highly sophisticated”. Seven Dreamers’ product, laundroid is one such product which meets these criteria.
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Seven Dreamers innovation, dedication and hard work has earned them various recognition around the world including Innovation Showcase, Japan-US Innovation Awards, Special Jury Award from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan, WIRED Audi INNOVATION AWARD, Excellence Award from Nikkei Business Publications at the 15th Japan Innovators Award, “Start-up Challenging to the World”, Morning Pitch Special Edition and many others. Innovating and Creating Things Which Never Existed Before Seven Dreamers, dream is not only in their name, it’s in their vein. They dream about innovation and creation that will make human lives better and richer. They believe that true innovation involves the creation of something that has never existed before, meaning creating “1” from “0”. Everybody wants to fly in the direction of the wind, but Seven Dreamers consists of a group which find it more attractive to accomplish while dealing with the most challenging factors. By overcoming difficult times and countless errors with a passionate mind towards success, the company is creating products of their real innovation. First project being the use of an original 3D measurement system to manufacture totally order-made action carbon golf shafts, the company received a huge response and began working on their second project, which was also a great success. The second project of Seven Dreamers was the development of nastent™, a tube-shaped medical device that is inserted into the nasal passage to aid
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The
Most Innovative
ROBOTICS Companies 2017
Innovating New Ways to Improve People’s Lifestyles Shin Sakane President and CEO breathing during sleep by preventing obstruction of the airway. The history was made with their third project, laundroid, world’s first fully automatic laundry folding machine. About the Man behind this Innovative Company Shin Sakane, President and CEO at Seven Dreamers Laboratories Inc., is a highly educated man with an immense level of work experience in leading corporations. He has completed his doctoral program (Ph.D.) in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware and his excellent performance in academics has helped him to earn the Glenn Skinner Award. Soon after completing his academic career, Shin joined various enterprises like I.S.T Corporation and Super Resin Inc., at the top management level positions. It is after which the visionary entrepreneur started climbing up the ladder of success. He is a man with a clear motive. Even engineers objected and criticized, Shin believed in himself and finished it even though it took 12 years to develop laundroid. Always self-motivated and self-inspired Shin always says, “the higher mountain we climb, the more difficult issues are likely to happen. But that has a sense of accomplishment and that proves to be an innovation”.
| August 2017 |
Overcoming Hurdles and Moving Close towards the Desired Destination Seven Dreamers is highly evaluated as a tech company, but at the same time it is often said to have outstanding skills in marketing and PR. The team has expressed that in the beginning, there was hardly anyone who had deep knowledge or experience in corporate branding in the business. The pillars of the company including Shin were primarily from BtoB Technology business backgrounds, where corporate branding is not as important as in the BtoC business. Having a partner with the authority of marketing and branding in Japan, it learned from zero and improved marketing skills quickly to reach its desired goal. Viewing Future with a Binocular Goals are high, but not far from where Seven Dreamers is standing now. They set a goal, work hard and succeed each time in fundraising and obtaining their stakeholders. Currently, they are working on two more products which are expected to get released soon. In the land of the rising sun, Seven Dreamers is known to be a prominent name assigned with the words technology and innovation.
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