Sensor Readings – June 2018

The monthly magazine for the robotics and automation industry Issue 14 June 2018 View from the top ABB boss provides his view of the future of robotics

Hannover Messe and CeMAT overview Notes from the world’s leading industrial technology shows

Hannover in Asia Hannover is taking its Messe to the Asia-Pacific region

Logistics: The way you move Overview of logistics robots market – and a list of suppliers

Global software update Software taking over hardware and the world

Sensor Readings

Digitalisation and the greatest industrial show on Earth

Abdul Montaqim Editor

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annover Messe is probably the largest and most important industrial technology show on Earth.

The venue for the event spans an area the size of a small town and it takes several days to visit all of the most important areas you might be interested in.

Covering an event of that magnitude from a journalistic point of view can be difficult if you’re interested in too many things.

We may be about robotics and automation but when we think of all the related fields it can be somewhat overwhelming.

The key thing that seems to have emerged about industrial technology over the past couple of years is that everything is becoming software-oriented, with a process the industry calls “digitalisation”.

The process of connecting the machines or hardware to computer networks, using sensors and chips, is still ongoing, but enough has been done to provide huge platforms for software development.

Siemens’ MindSphere and GE Digital’s Predix are good examples of industrial internet platforms which provide developers with great new opportunities to create applications that can make a big difference to an industrial company in many ways.

These include efficiencies in operations as well as new ways to research and develop products.

We usually like to provide extensive coverage which goes from the research and development phase through manufacturing and logistics to the end user experience.

In this regard, our interview with the Bosch IIoT boss, Stefan Hartung, was typical of the style we want to maintain – simple yet thorough explanations of complex subjects.

One of the world’s largest manufacturing companies, Bosch’s activities range from competing in the consumer market to innovating in the industrial market.

But they have more than 380,000 staff, so it’s okay for them. We don’t even have 1,000th of that number, which is why we ask you to subscribe and support us because we need extra staff if we are to make sense of the increasingly complex landscape for our readers.

Having said that, even with our limited number of staff, the impact Robotics and Automation News has had on the coverage of the sector in the wider media is incalculable but massive. l

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Editorial

Contents

Hannover Messe: An überwhelming experience

Logistics Robots A look at the major developments in the logistics market

Interview A musical robot that is hitting the high notes

Hannover Messe and Cemat While politicians met the robots, the organisers gave some views on where things are heading

News: Teradyne becomes leading power in collaborative robotics Hannover Messe and the latest global software

New Hannover Messe event planned for Asia-Pacific Marketplace

Sensor Readings magazine

Editorial & Production

Managing Editor Anna Schmidt

Editor Abdul Montaqim

Art Editor Mark Allinson

Email annaschmidt@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Email abdulmontaqim@roboticsandautomationnews.com Email markallinson@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Marketing & Advertising

Advertising Manager Maria Santiago Email mariasantiago@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Advertising Executive Sam Francis

Email samfrancis@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Marketing Director David Edwards Email davidedwards@roboticsandautomationnews.com Monsoon Media, London, United Kingdom Subscriptions: £10 per year (digital only) Single issue: £1 (digital version)

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News

Sensor Readings

News

Teradyne becomes leading world power in collaborative robotics with MiR acquisition

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S industrial giant Teradyne has become a powerful force in the collaborative robotics sector with the purchase of Mobile Industrial Robots, the maker of warehouse robots.

The new acquisition adds to Teradyne’s existing purchase of Universal Robots, which is the leading supplier of collaborative industrial robotic arms. Teradyne, which specialises in supplying automatic test equipment, generated approximately $2.2 billion revenue in 2017.

Teradyne announced the acquisition of privately held MiR of Odense, Denmark for €121 million ($148 million) net of cash acquired plus €101 million ($124 million at current exchange rate) if certain performance targets are met extending through 2020.

MiR is a leading supplier of collaborative autonomous mobile robots for industrial applications.

Emerging category The autonomous mobile robots market is an emerging category within the approximately $1.1 billion logistics systems segment of the professional services robot market and is expected to grow rapidly in the years ahead.

“We are excited to have MiR join Teradyne’s widening portfolio of advanced, intelligent, automation products,” said Mark Jagiela, President and CEO of Teradyne. “MiR is the market leader in the nascent, but fast growing market for collaborative autonomous mobile robots.

“Like Universal Robots’ collaborative robots, MiR collaborative AMRs lower the barrier for both large and small enterprises to incrementally automate their operations without the need for specialty staff or a relayout of their existing workflow.

“This, combined with a fast return on investment, opens a vast new automation market. Following the path proven with Universal Robots, we expect to leverage Teradyne’s global capabilities to expand MiR’s reach.” editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

MiR was profitable in 2017 with annual revenue of $12 million, more than triple 2016 revenues and had Q1’18 sales of $5 million.

“Joining Teradyne allows us to advance our engineering and development investments to provide greater value to our customers and further expand our market leadership in industrial autonomous mobile robots,” said Thomas Visti, CEO of MiR. “Teradyne’s worldwide reach, world-class

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engineering and support capabilities, financial strength and proven model for leveraging those strengths will help us grow in new and existing markets worldwide.”

“My main focus is to get our mobile robots out to the entire world,” said Niels Jul Jacobsen, CSO, founder of MiR. “With Teradyne as the owner, we will have strong backing to ensure MiR’s continued growth in the global market.” l

MiR collaborative AMRs lower the barrier for both large and small enterprises to incrementally automate their operations without the need for specialty staff or a re-layout of their existing workflow.

– Mark Jagiela, President, Teradyne www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Together with HANNOVER MESSE 2018

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News

Sensor Readings

News

CeMAT 2018: Future technologies in intralogistics

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VDMA forum program for materials handling and intralogistics as well as software and digitalization

he VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association and the VDMA Software and Digitalization Association is supporting the forum program at CeMAT 2018.

Together with important partners such as the German Logistics Association (BVL), the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, the EHI Retail Institute and the Scientific Society for Technical Logistics (WGTL) the VDMA associations will show which trends and technologies make Logistics 4.0 possible.

The future of intralogistics is digital and networked. Various products are already developing strongly towards autonomous intelligent systems.

Automated guided vehicles and systems are already part of the familiar picture in warehouses and production facilities worldwide.

New methods of navigation and increasingly sophisticated sensor technology ensure efficiency and process automation in production and warehouse logistics worldwide. What benefit do they offer users?

What technical innovations and enhancements are there?

Research experts, users and manufacturers will answer such questions at the CeMAT Logistics Solutions Forum in Hall 21.

The vision of self-optimizing intralogistics editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

solutions requires further research and development.

Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association has developed three technology roadmaps for Intralogistics 2025.

Presentations The results, which include recommendations for action in the fields of sensor technology, communication and data science, will be presented and discussed in Forum Logistics 4.0 in Hall 19.

Other aspects of digitalization relate to the processes within supply chains. Blockchains could be crucial to digitally networking all participants in a supply chain.

Transparency, process and manipulation security are essential advantages of the technology. Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered: l For which logistics applications are blockchains suitable? l When is the right time to deal with this topic?

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l How do you approach the introduction? l Which legal and technical challenges still need to be clarified?

The VDMA Association of Materials Handling and Intralogistics and experts will discuss such topics at the Forum Logistics 4.0.

Machine learning, digital twin and IT platforms are making their way into logistics New digitalization technologies such as IT platforms, machine learning and digital twin expand the horizons of the logistics world in many user industries.

Thanks to the constantly improving technology, it is possible to optimize all processes of the value-added chain and thus to work even more effectively and costefficiently.

Thanks to intelligent networking between production and logistics, information can now be delivered both internally and externally for processes and products.

Large amounts of data and the sharp increase in computing power provide the optimal framework for machine learning applications in the environment of Industrie 4.0, enabling much previously unused information to become part of the valueadded chain and contribute to the digital transformation of companies.

Platforms will also increasingly dominate the logistics market. Many providers and users ensure that digital platforms regulate the market, reduce transaction costs and play a key role in redistributing value creation.

Digital twin solutions also allow different perspectives in logistics. The digital twin is in constant interaction with its partner.

It records the individual levels of the lifecycle and analyzes them.

The advantage: Observations and sensor data from ongoing operations flow back into the model in real time and can be used for continuous optimization and updates.

In the forums in Halls 19 and 21, visitors will learn which challenges companies have to master with these technologies and how to manage logistics in the digital fast lane.

The future of intralogistics is digital and networked. Various products are already developing strongly towards autonomous intelligent systems. www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Logistics 4.0 meets Industrie 4.0 D I G I TA L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

Hannover Germany cemat-hannovermesse.com #HM18 #CeMAT

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MAN -MACHINE PAC K AG I N G LO G I ST I C S 4 .0 A U T O M AT I Z AT I O N IN COMMERCE

World’s leading trade show for intralogistics & supply chain management

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Features

Exhibition

Hannover Messe: An überwhelming experience

Abdul Montaqim reports from this year’s show where he was again overwhelmed by the sheer number of exhibitors and their multifarious concepts

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his is the second time I have been to Hannover Messe and I thought I was better prepared for what is probably the largest industrial technology show in the world.

But even though I had a lot of ideas of what to cover, it turns out that Hannover Messe has many more ideas than I brought with me and has overwhelmed me again. editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

The basic numbers about the show are impressive enough – close to a quarter of a million visitors over the five days the show lasts in the German city of Hannover.

The venue is so large it would be impossible to cover even half of it adequately. More than 5,000 exhibitors, some of them taking up most of the large halls their stands were in, and having stands in different halls.

For the second year, CeMAT – which used to be a standalone logistics event – was incorporated into the Hannover Messe by the organiser, Deutsche Messe.

So, a broad overview of the show is as follows: l Integrated Automation, Motion & Drives: this is the www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Exhibition

Features One of the problems with working on this website is that so much of the technology interests us that we would like to write about almost all of it. But we have to make choices, given the available time and resources.

Clearly, robotics and automation is our area, which is why the integration Integrated Automation, Motion & Drives portion is a must for us, but the rest could be said to be optional.

The way we tend to decide what to spend time covering is seeing what the readers visit, according to the website analytics data, and of course what we ourselves find interesting.

Industrial internet of things stories don’t always get a lot of readers, but it’s a topic of growing importance.

Digital factories sort of fit into that space because it’s about computerisation and virtualisation or, to use he industry term, digitalisation.

Certainly this is an area of great interest to the industrial giants offering a variety of platforms, from Siemens MindSphere to ABB Ability to GE Digital Predix and so on.

These sorts of digital services – for monitoring and predictive maintenance – have been around for a few years, but there is a new buzz about them because they are more powerful now than they have ever been, and perhaps the companies supplying them find a better profit margin in supplying services like these.

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part of the show that’s probably of most interest to our readers because it’s where the robotics and automation technology is, and covers about one-third of the number of halls available; Digital factory: this is a fast-growing area of technology and we are having to learn about it more and more; Energy: obviously a fundamental issue, which we try and include as often as possible, energy-related exhibitors occupy several large halls, Industrial Supply: this is where the makers of components can showcase their latest innovations, and it’s something of a nightmare to cover because there’s so many components in each system; Research & Technology: a small but vital part of the show as well as the industrial process, this is showcased in one of the main halls; and CeMAT: as mentioned, this used to be a standalone event, and actually requires almost as much space as the main event, mainly because it deals with very large pieces of equipment, because that’s pretty much the only size available in logistics.

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The marginal cost of adding another customer to the cloud is far lower than the marginal cost of supplying a customer with a piece of hardware like an industrial robot.

Marginal costs The marginal cost of adding another customer to the cloud is far lower than the marginal cost of supplying a customer with a piece of hardware like an industrial robot.

But as one expert from one of the big companies explained, it’s also about trying to build a more integrated partnership with the customers, and making them loyal customers to whom they provide continuing support going forward.

At a time when new companies are launcing IIoT clouds and platforms – offering what has become the basics of condition monitoring and predictive analytics – it’s probably vital that established leaders compete vigorously to keep their market share.

A lot of the equipment needed to hook up machines to the internet and then monitor and manage those machines are compatible with each other. So, you might have hardware from company A, networking technology from company B, data analytics from company C, and yet more software – perhaps manufacturing execution sytems and enterprise resource planning applications – from company D. Making all these things work together is possible because of open standards and greater compatibility, but as another expert from one of the big industrial giants said, “The theory is that all these things can work together, but in practice, it’s not all that straightforward and there are many issues relating to building a large, complex system. It can be overwhelming.” n www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

The way you move Features

Logistics Robots

Logistics Robots: The costs of running a warehouse are significantly reduced by logistics robots, according to their manufacturers. Here Sensor Readings looks at some of the major developments in the market

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s Joni Mitchell once sang, and Janet Jackson reiterated, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”.

So it was when Amazon bought Kiva Systems in 2012 for a chart-topping $775 million.

Now one of the world’s largest online retailers, Amazon is also growing its logistics business, with 30,000 Kiva robots working away at its warehouses all over the world.

At the time of the Amazon purchase, Kiva had assured its customers that it would continue to sell its robots to outside companies, but it didn’t happen.

Not only has Amazon utilised all of the autonomous

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warehouse vehicles Kiva has produced, it has renamed the company Amazon Robotics.

Where do we go now?

The effective withdrawal of Kiva from the market left some logistics professionals twiddling their thumbs for a while.

As Locus Robotics says: “If you’ve been standing anywhere near a warehouse the last few years, you know the story. Kiva builds something great. We all love it and use it. Then Amazon buys it.

“We started looking for an alternative. The more we looked, the more obvious it became: if we wanted the right solution we’d have to build it ourselves. So we got to work.”

Locus did indeed get to work, and has built a promising business around its in-house-developed LocusBot system, into which the company’s senior vice president, Al Dekin,

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Logistics Robots

Features dramatically reduces the overall investment required to deploy our solution. Return on investment, or payback, for our solution is typically one to two years, a significant improvement over established industry solutions.”

provided some insight.

“We publicly launched the solution and company in the fourth quarter of 2015. Our first challenge was to evaluate the state of robotic technology,” says Dekin.

“As domain experts, the business application was the easy part. We invested significant time and resources in solving complex multi-robot navigation issues.”

He adds: “Locus is unique in that it works with and complements existing warehouse infrastructure. This

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Locus Robotics’ autonomous vehicle for logistics

I’m only human Logistics robots tend to significantly reduce the costs of running a warehouse, according to the suppliers of the machines. They also add that it reduces the number of human errors, which is understandable since they reduced the number of humans in the process.

Locus may have been one of the first companies after Kiva to have launched a logistics robot, but it is by no means the only one now, with a relatively large number of companies having developed such technology.

Here's a list – in no particular order – of some of the systems available on the market, including LocusBot and some technologies close to being launched: l Omron – Mobile Robot LD l EiraTech – EiraBot l Magazino – Toru l inVia – inVia bot LD l Fetch – Fetch robot l Clearpath – Otto l Aethon – Tug l I Am Robotics – Mobile Picking Robot

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Features

BMW Smart Transport Robot

Logistics Robots

l 6 River Systems – in development l Grenzebach – Automatic Guided Vehicle System L1200S l Balyo – AGV l Seegrid – Vision Guided Vehicles l PlusOne Robotics – in development l Swisslog – CarryPick l GreyOrange – Butler l BlueBotics – Ant l Serva Transport Systems – Ray and Eve l Vecna – MHE l Mobile Industrial Robots – MiR l Geek Plus Robotics – Geek+ Most, if not all, of the above companies supply logistics robots or autonomous guided vehicles, or whatever you want to call them. However, there are many large companies which are developing their own autonomous mobile vehicles for their own logistics operations, and they’re not planning to sell them to the general populous.

A Ray robot, made by Serva Transport Systems, picks up and moves an Audi car at its Ingolstadt plant.

Not for the pop charts The auto industry is said to be one of the largest buyers of robots, and that’s unlikely to stop being the case any time

soon, especially if it involves types of robots that it does not build by itself, not part of the company’s core activities.

Audi, for example, buys the Ray logistics robot from Serva. But developing autonomous logistics vehicles has obvious synergies with what all of the leading automakers are currently obsessed with – driverless cars.

Toyota, for example, produces forklift trucks which can perform some tasks autonomously.

And BMW has developed its own logistics robot, using recycled batteries from its electric vehicle, the i3 (pictured above). The company has said the i3 and i7 will form a central part of its autonomous vehicles strategy in the future.

BMW, which developed its Smart Transport Robot in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute, says the autonomous logistics vehicle moves car parts within its facilities.

Dr Dirk Dreher, vice president of foreign supply at the BMW Group, says: “The development of the Smart Transport Robot is an important milestone for the BMW Group when it comes to digitization and autonomization in production logistics.

“This innovation project makes an important contribution to the agility of the supply chain in logistics and production. It enables the supply chain to adapt to changing external conditions quickly and flexibly.”

It’s not clear whether BMW plans to sell its logistics robot to outside companies, but it’s unlikely, given that any innovations it develops may give its own electric and autonomous vehicles sector a real advantage in a globally gargantuan market.

Another company which is likely to keep its robotic solutions to itself is DHL, probably the largest logistics company in the world.

DHL has showcased something it calls an EffiBot, developed in co-operation with French startup Effidence.

And Mercedes has developed a multicomponent delivery system involving a van plus drones, a bit like the Workhorse system the US Postal Service is considering, although the Mercedes one seems aimed at the commercial market, as in it wants to sell its van-anddrones system to outside customers. l

A Ray robot, made by Serva Transport Systems, picks up and moves an Audi car at its Ingolstadt plant

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A musical robot that is hitting high notes Features

Interview

Interview: Ulrich Spiesshofer, the chief executive of ABB talks up musical talents of company’s YuMi collaborative robot

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BB boss Ulrich Spiesshofer has been praising the musical talents of the company’s YuMi collaborative robot.

The chief executive of the industrial giant is said to have musical talents of his own and can play the clarinet, saxophone and accordion.

Robotics and Automation News has been trying to get an interview with Spiesshofer but he gave an exclusive interview to Forbes instead.

In the interview, Spiesshofer tells Forbes: “Quite recently, our YuMi robot – that we have been showcasing since 2017 – demonstrated what artificial intelligence and robotics can do by conducting an orchestra with Andrea Bocelli singing in Pisa, Italy – a clear demonstration of where we are going in the world.”

Robotics and Automation News published an article about YuMi conducting the classical orchestra in Italy at the time.

Forbes reports that Spiesshofer considers YuMi to be a symbol of ABB’s transition from a “robot-based” business model to a “robotics-based one that’s solution- and functionality-driven”. Meaning, probably, that ABB is not entirely about selling robots but about solutions which include robotics and automation.

One example of this might be a new painting industrial robot, which fully integrated with ABB Ability, the company’s industrial internet of things platform.

ABB claims it is the “world’s first” digital automotive robotic painting system.Ability enables operators to monitor and control the painting robot to a very high level, which would allow them to discover efficiencies and editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

quality improvements.

Painting, though it sounds simple, is said to be one of the more complex, time-consuming and expensive parts of the automaking process.

Until relatively recently, a lot of painting was still done by human workers, but robots have been taking over in the past decade or so, and have become highly sophisticated of late. (Read our great feature on robotic painting systems.)

Automotive sector i The automotive sector is still the largest buyer of industrial robots, accounting for half of all sales in the North America region, for example, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

But Spiesshofer observes that the robotics market is broadening to include new industry segments.

“In 2009-10, the majority of our activity was in automotive,” Spiesshofer tells Forbes. “When the world talks about industrial robots, they talk about it in the context of automotive.

“But for me robots are ubiquitous, and we have played www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Interview

a major role in bringing robotic solutions into new industry segments from food and beverage to combating climate change challenges.”

Forbes notes that, before Spiesshofer took the helm at ABB, the company’s robotics unit was running at a loss of $300 million a year around 2009-10. Now, ABB Robotics “contributes 6 per cent to the company’s corporate headline growth”, in the words of Forbes.

Company turnaround But Spiesshofer is reluctant to take the credit, apparently.

“Our team achieved the turnaround in focus and reshaping of the robotics unit,” he tells Forbes. “I am proud of the momentum we have built, but it’s not about me.”

Spiesshofer is clearly looking to capitalise on industrial companies’ growing interest in IIoT platforms like Ability, which can use AI – perhaps in conjunction with robotics – to find efficiencies all across an operation.

And he sees “only one competitor” who has a similar level and scale of service in terms of intelligent control systems for industrial operations, and that company is Siemens, which has an IIoT platform called MindSphere. editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Features

There are other companies which have IIoT platforms, of course, but clearly Spiesshofer considers Siemens the closest competitor to ABB, especially when it comes to providing IIoT platforms for the oil and gas industry.

“We are taking the oil and gas industry from an automated into an autonomous operations sphere,” says Spiesshofer.

The oil and gas industry is an ideal market for IIoT platforms because they often have vast facilities with relatively few human operators or workers at them.

They tend to install massive sensor arrays and monitor everything automatically rather than manually.

And ABB is obviously well aware of this since it supplies a lot of power-generation equipment to companies in the sector, albeit downstream, as in further along the continuous manufacturing chain. l

ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer (right) with opera singer Andrea Bocelli and the YuMi robot

are taking the oil and gas industry from an automated into “We an autonomous operations sphere.

– Ulrich Spiesshofer, ABB

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Global software update

Hannover Messe

Features

Hannover Messe

Special report from Hannover Messe: How hard-bitten industrialists are turning to software

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ack in the old days, you knew what was what, who was whom, and industrial companies built machines and stuff, like cars, aircraft, power stations and whatnot.

In the past, General Electric could be said to have been a typical industrial company; so could ABB, Bosch and many others.

But now, all of them, almost without exception, seem to have caught the software bug. Now they all want to be software companies.

“Software will take over the world,” says Matt Wells, senior product general manager, GE Digital, in an exclusive interview with this website. GE Digital could be described as the software arm of the plain old – and truly industrial – company General Electric, which is generally associated with building gigantic machines and components for machines, and of course power stations.

But GE Digital has grown so fast and is so profitable now that it's possible that software will eventually be the main thing that GE does.

Similarly, ABB, another huge industrial company which makes anything from robots to power stations, has also launched what is to all intents and purposes a software business, ABB Ability.

So too, Siemens, which seems overly keen to become a software giant, probably because it's a German company and when you think of software, you probably think of editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Silicon Valley, in the US. US tech giants like Google, Microsoft, IBM, Apple and others provide gigantic computing platforms – the hardware and the software – on which can be built pretty much any digital enterprise.

“We can provide all the infrastructure and tools a company needs to digitise its business and operations,” says Sanjay Ravi, worldwide managing director, discrete manufacturing, automotive and electronics, Microsoft.

And Microsoft is very well aware that everything is becoming digitised.

Digital twins So, a typical trend is the practice of creating “digital twins” of machines and plants, and, of course, individual components.

Software is available that enables you to walk around a factory and take pictures of all the machinery and then upload those photographs into the computer and then stitch those photographs together to create a threedimensional representation of the factory with all the parts in situ, or in place.

The level of detail allows for every single component and connector to be digitised. Not only that, but there is also software which can collect data from the sensors which are on, in or connected to each of those components. www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Hannover Messe

Features augmented reality glasses?

Having access to the ever-growing deluge of data can enable factory or plant managers to see, for example, which components might need to be changed or fixed in order to avoid any downtime. When every minute of downtime can cost thousands or even millions of dollars, that's quite an important bit of data.

No wonder then that companies like Siemens, GE, ABB and virtually all the others are developing these internet of things platforms.

Siemens invested $100 million in a company called Bentley Systems – not the car company, but a software company with about a thousand employees.

Bentley developed an IoT platform which, when viewed through the user interface, looks so simple that even someone with no idea about anything could potentially run a large industrial company.

Mark Biagi, solutions and business development manager, Bentley says the system was developed in partnership with Siemens, and is a “completely new way of looking at industrial production processes”.

can provide all the infrastructure and tools a company “We needs to digitise its business and operations.

Sanjay Ravi, Microsoft

The data collected can then be viewed on a screen, or a user interface on a desktop or tablet computer, smartphone, smartwatch, or even through virtual or augmented reality glasses or headsets.

The value of this data is what is driving the quite phenomenal growth in the industrial sectors as well as many others. Who would have thought that the old industrial companies would be among the most enthusiastic adopters of virtual reality headsets and

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Unimaginable efficiencies And it's not just about avoiding downtime: the data can often lead to previously unimaginable efficiencies.

“A task that previously took four hours can take less than one hour because the data collected can be used to make better decisions about processes,” says Werner Reuss, head of IoT industry vertical, Orange.

Yes, Orange, which many people may only know as a mobile phone network. Orange has a massive global telecommunications network, which includes involvement in the construction of epic undersea cables connecting continents across oceans.

Everyone wants a piece of the IoT action, and at the moment, it looks like the market is large enough to accommodate all of them, from industrial dinosaurs trying to accelerate their own evolution through forcibly adapting themselves to the new climate, to the entirely new software-only companies being co-opted, or contracted, to supply the know-how to larger conglomerates.

Examples include Parker Hannifin, a 100-year-old company famous for what are termed “motion and control” technologies – basically, mechanical stuff that moves other mechanical stuff. Mechanical, basically.

Hardware.

Parker has contracted Exosite to provide its longestablished operation with an IoT platform which enables the company to stitch together its entire production line and then tweak it to its heart's content.

Mark Benson, chief technology officer, Exosite, says he monitors 400 IoT platforms and none of them provide the opportnities for building apps and whatnot which can help companies like Parker discover efficiencies, and develop new ways of working.

“I think augmented reality will be merged with digital www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Features

Hannover Messe

twins,” says Benson, along with many other types of data, and the virtual world will become richer; so too will the big companies with access to this big data world.

Hannover Messe is said to be the leading industrial fair in the world, and having been here for the whole weeklong event, who am I to argue? Certainly its size and scale is – to use a technical term – absolutely ginormous...

Walking from one end of the fair to the other could potentially take hours if you stop for just a minute or two at just a small portion of the exhibitor stands you pass.

It's basically impossible to summarise in one article, but perhaps the most important trend in evidence at the

are planning to launch something in a few months which will “We change everything

Philippe Bartissol, Dassault

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fair is the move into software. Every single company, without any exception that I could see, has apparently decided that, by hook or by crook, they will become a software company, and nothing will stop them.

“Of course, companies will still make hardware,” says Erwin Tanger, principal consultant, manufacturing IT, Atos.

Well, that's a relief, if you appreciate well-made cars and smartphones and whatnot.

But Atos is a software company which employs more than 100,000 people, and the only hardware it manufactures is a large supercomputer-like machine – presumably to run its software.

World outlook How long before all of the rest of industrial world adopts a similar business structure or model?

All may not be lost, however, as companies such as Dassult Systemes are creating a virtual world so accurate in terms of its physics, and so photo-realistic – combining the flawless appearance of 3D computer graphics – that maybe even the most ardent fans of cars and machines may not miss the real thing and be happy to live in the future make-believe world being created now.

“We are planning to launch something in a few months which will change everything,” says Philippe Bartissol, vice president, industrial equipment industry, Dassault.

Given that Dassault is the second-largest software company in Europe after SAP, what they launch will have significance for the industrial world as well as the world at large.

Proof once again, as if it were needed, that software is indeed taking over the world. l www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

17thh EDITION JUNE 112 TO 15 2018 PAL ALEXPO GENEVA www.ephj.ch W W W. E P H J. C H

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Features

Exhibition

Raving with the machines

Hannover Messe and CeMAT review: The machines are not out to get us, claims the Deutsche Messe boss

G

erman Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto set the tone on day one of the Hannover Messe/CeMAT doubleheader. Asked to shake hands with a robot, they both editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

went for the more casual fist bump – a symbol for the relaxed, natural interaction of humans with digitization, robots and machine learning. (See main picture.)

Dr Jochen Köckler, chairman of the managing board at Deutsche Messe, at the close of Hannover Messe/CeMAT, said: “Technology is not about competing with us humans – it’s about assisting us. That is the core message conveyed by this trade fair, which has again underscored www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Exhibition

Features

Messe/CeMAT has once again confirmed it is the “Hannover definitive home base for the global transition to Industry 4.0.

Dr Klaus Mittelbach, ZVEI

Left: German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto set the tone on day one of the Hannover Messe/CeMAT double-header by giving a casual fist bump to a robot Below: Joe Kaeser, CEO of Siemens, presents German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto with sports shoes – produced with Siemens technology

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Hannover’s reputation as a global hotspot for the digital transformation of industry.

“The focus here has clearly been on the human element: We’re the ones making the decisions and setting the course. The interaction of humans with machines and IT adds up to a huge competitive gain across manufacturing, logistics and the energy industry.”

Under the motto of “Integrated Industry – Connect & Collaborate”, a total of 210,000 visitors seized the opportunity to explore the innovations on display. A total of 5,800 exhibitors were present at Hannover Messe/CeMAT. Topics like machine learning, artificial intelligence, industrial IT platforms, the expansion of power grids for eMobility, the use of robots and autonomous systems in production and intralogistics, and the role of workers in the integrated factory were the subject of intense debate at the stands of exhibitors at the event.

Mexican message As the official Partner Country, Mexico profiled itself as an innovative business partner and industrial location.

“Businesses have successfully negotiated the first steps on the path towards digitized, connected production and are now firing up for the second stage of the journey,” reported Thilo Brodtmann, executive director of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA).

“New platform-based business models, the use of digital twins and initial experiences with machine learning – all of this is set to play an increasingly important role in the mechanical engineering sector. Hannover Messe is a place where people present and discuss the shape of things to come, and we are once again highly satisfied with the outcome of the show,” he continued.

The VDMA believed that automation, software and intralogistics would continue to define the character of Hannover Messe/CeMAT, he said.

Dr Klaus Mittelbach, executive director of the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI), said: “Hannover Messe/CeMAT has once again confirmed it is the definitive home base for the global transition to Industry 4.0. Extended value creation networks, new forms of human-machine collaboration, and the increasing integration of artificial intelligence into production operations.

“These remain the key features of digitization and connectivity, and were once again first unveiled here in Hannover. All of this requires even more connectivity, which is why the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI) has been calling for an industry-capable 5G network right from the start.

“This trade show has conveyed two other key www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Features

Exhibition

messages. First, that we can only advance down the road to technological progress and social prosperity by teaming up and working together – not by protectionism or isolation. And second, that bringing young students into direct contact with technology – as we have done at this event – is a great way to kindle their interest. And we have to do even more to attract their attention, for they represent tomorrow’s urgently needed workforce.”

Out of a total of 210,000 visitors at the fair, more than 70,000 of them came from abroad, for an international share of 30 percent. China headed the foreign visitor statistics with a total of 6,500, followed by the Netherlands (5,300), Poland (2,700) and the United States (1,700). A total of 1,400 visitors attended from Mexico, which was this year’s featured Partner Country.

“

More than 160 Mexican businesses were at the fair to present their products and innovations.

IT and mechanical engineering Central trends highlighted at Hannover this year included the ongoing convergence between IT and mechanical engineering, industrial IT platforms and other new business models, and the imminent impact of artificial intelligence on the factory environment. The exhibitors in the automation halls profiled drive technology and fluid power as a key driver of digitized and integrated manufacturing.

The close integration of production and logistics was a key topic in the CeMAT halls – unsurprisingly, since the digital factory simply cannot work without intelligent logistics systems. Product highlights included industrial trucks, autonomous shuttles, order-picking robots and complete systems.

Further highlights consisted of assistance systems like exoskeletons, AR goggles, and above all robots. Agile

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fabrication and intralogistics rely on autonomous transport systems, drones and intelligent personal assistants (IPAs). The trend towards human/machine collaboration continues unabated.

Meanwhile, displays in the energy-related halls centered on energy efficiency in direct correlation with climate protection. The focus was on decentralized, smart energy systems and infrastructure solutions for the environmentally friendly mobility of the future.

Impressive innovation Impressive innovative performance was also demonstrated by subcontractors and development partners, who revealed approaches to connecting operations with customers for seamless efficiency. Multimaterial and lightweight concept design are opening the way to a complete rethinking of structural components, resulting not just in cost-cutting and greater efficiency, but also improved performance.

More than 160 Mexican businesses were at the fair to present their products and innovations. German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto agreed that progress and prosperity could only be achieved via open markets.

Mexico’s participation therefore fit perfectly into the context of the international free trade agreement concluded last Saturday between Mexico and the European Union, with 99 per cent of goods between both parties to be traded in future free of tariffs.

The next Hannover Messe will be staged from 1 to 5 April 2019, with Sweden as the official Partner Country.

The next CeMAT will run parallel to Hannover Messe from 20 to 24 April 2020. l www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

The Inaugural Edition of the Mala aysia International Robotic & Automation E Exhibition Robotex 2018 is coming to town!

www.oneinternational.com.my ORGANIZED BY

CO ORGANIZER CO-ORGANIZER R

ONE ROBOTEX SDN BHD No. 2-3, Jalan Kuchai Maju 11, Kuchai Entreprrene eurs Park, 58200 Kuala Lumpurr..

T: +603-7987 1668 F: +603-7987 2668 E: enquiry@oneinternational.com.my

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Features

Exhibitions

New Hannover Messe event planned for Asia-Pacific

D

“

We are pleased to launch in Singapore a Hannover Messe event that is tailored to the needs of the fastgrowing Asia Pacific market Marc Siemering, Deutsche Messe

eutsche Messe and SingEx Exhibitions have signed a contract of partnership to stage Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific – a Hannover Messe event, which will take place from 16 to 18 October 2018 at the Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The first event of its kind in Asia Pacific, the new trade show will expand its focus beyond the local landscape with state-of-the-art solutions and an international line-up in the conference component.

It is expected to welcome more than 150 exhibiting companies and 5,000 visitors as well as 25 speakers and 500 participants at the conference.

Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific focuses on topics ranging from advanced manufacturing, smart factory and intelligent supply chain management to R&D, technology transfer and workforce development.

Target sectors The event will address the needs of industry sectors such as electronics, marine and offshore, aerospace, automotive, biomedical sciences, precision engineering, chemicals, oil and gas and consumer goods manufacturing.

“Hannover Messe is the global hotspot for Industry 4.0.

We are pleased to launch in Singapore a Hannover Messe event that is tailored to the needs of the fast-growing Asia Pacific market,” said Marc Siemering, senior vice president, Deutsche Messe.

“Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific presents not only cutting-edge Industry 4.0 products, technologies and services, but also provides numerous opportunities for knowledge and technology transfer.

“Visitors from all over the region will find at one time and place all the tools and information they need to be

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competitive in today’s rapidly changing industrial landscape.”

“Advanced manufacturing is identified as a key driver of future economic growth for major economies, including Singapore,” said Aloysius Arlando, CEO, SingEx Holdings.

“Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific supports the effort by showcasing how advanced manufacturing is transforming production and logistics through an experiential ConfEx format.

“In addition to the tradeshow and conference, participants benefit from a curated selection of workshops, open-session learning, networking events, and thematic zones that present innovative solutions, new knowledge and best practices in fields such as design, engineering, operations, production, and smart supply chains.”

In November this year, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Deutsche Messe to hold Industrial Transformation AsiaPacific in Singapore for the next three years.

Government support In line with the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE)’s vision of developing Singapore to become a globallycompetitive manufacturing hub, the event has garnered support from Singapore government agencies including the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, SPRING Singapore, STB and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

“We are pleased to partner with Deutsche Messe and SingEx to launch this new industrial event in Singapore,” said Lim Kok Kiang, assistant managing director, EDB. “It will bring together leading manufacturers and technology providers to co-innovate and showcase the latest advanced manufacturing solutions.

“Deutsche Messe’s decision to introduce the Hannover Messe brand in Singapore is testament to our reputation as a hub for high- value manufacturing with deep engineering and innovation capabilities. We look forward to the event and the role that it will play in increasing the vibrancy of the industrial ecosystem in Singapore and the region.”

Besides support from five Singapore government agencies, this partnership has brought a sense of excitement and enthusiasm to the industry ecosystem and is welcomed by both associations and the private sector.

“The mission of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation is always to strengthen Singapore as a manufacturing hub, and to champion local manufacturers in the pursuit of manufacturing excellence in an increasingly digital world,” said Douglas Foo, President of Singapore Manufacturing Federation.

“With this exciting new platform, I strongly believe the key stakeholders will benefit through increasing business opportunities, building capabilities as well as transforming businesses with new business models and technology.” l www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

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Marketplace

Marketplace: companies Associati A i tiions: Robotics and Automatiion

British Automation & Robot Association bara.org.uk The aim of the BARA is to promote the use of, and assist in the development of Industrial Robots and Automation in British industry.

In 2009 BARA joined forces with the PPMA (Processing & Packaging Machinery Association) to become a special interest focus group.

International Federation of Robotics ifr.org

Robotics Society of o Japan sj.or.jp The Robotics Socieety of Japan promotes progress in academic ields and providess specialists with ith a venue ffor an nnouncing i heir research and d exchanging echnical informattion.

The purpose of IFR shall be to promote and strengthen the robotics b ti industry i d t worldwide, ld id to t protect its business interests, to cause public awareness about robotics technologies and to deal with other matters of relevance to its members.

euRobotics AISBL is a Brussels based internationaal non-profit association for all stakeholders n European robotics. euRobotics builds upon the su uccess of the European Roboticss Technology Platform and the academic a network of EURON N, and will continue the coopeeration abetween members of these two community driven organisations.

Our Mission is to foster the development and facilitate the exchange of scientific and technological knowledge in Robotics and Automation that benefits members, the profession and humanity. Our Vision is to be the most recognized and respected global organization in Robotics and Automation.

Robotic Industriess Association obotics.org

China Robot Industry Alliance cria.mei.net.cn

The Robotic Industries Association RIA) drives innovaation, growth, and safety in manu ufacturing and service industtries through g education, promottion, and advancement of roobotics, related automation technoologies, and companies deliverring integrated solutions.

CRIA is a non-profit organization composed of enterprises, manufacturers, universities, research institutes,, regional g or local robotic associations, related organizations as well as organizations in the fields of R&D, manufacturing, application and services of the robot industry.

d

PHD PHD is a leading manufacturerr of industrial automation actuators, rs, designed to help companies across all industries optimize their manufacturing processes. s. phdinc.com

Witte enstein

ATC

From m machine tools or woodworking oodworking and packaaging machines through robotics and handling equip ipmentt tto ffood d processing, pharm maceutical and medical techn nology or intralogistics, Wittenstein actuators keep you one step ahead of the competition. witten nstein-us.com

The Actuator Technology Company operatess independently and is located close to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. rt.

W are acclaimed We l i d and d appreciated i t d for offering vital design support during FEED and detailed design stage (EPC). atc-actuators.com

IEEE Robotics and Automation Society ieee-ras.org

euRobotics AISBL L eu robotics net eu-robotics.net

b ti

Acttuation t ti

t

ti

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Ham--Let More than half a century of excellence servicing the high purityy and process industries with designing, developing, producing and marketing of fluid system comp ponents. ham-let.com -let.com

The Valve and Actuator Co We realise there is an urgent need to provide experienced technical support with competitive pricing.

We carry an extensive stock of electric and pneumatic actuators and general valves. valveandactuatorcompany.co.uk

Rethink nk Robotics Our patented p SEA technology uses springs to advance the robot’s motioon control solution from one of rigid positioning to one of force contrrol. rethin nkrobotics.com

Parker Parker actuators come in a wide de range of construction types, ranging g g from compact p light g duty aluminum air actuators, motorized electric actuators, to heavy duty hydraulic designs. parker.com

dit i l@roboticsandautomationnews.com b ti d t ti

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Marketplace

Sensor Readings

Marketplace: companies Computing C ti & Software

Arduino Arduino is an open-source computer hardware and software com mpany, project and user commun nity that designs and manufacturess kits for building digital devices and d interactive objects that can sense and control d. the physical world arduino.cc

IIntegr t ration ti & Proce ess

Cogn nex No matter m what the machine vision n application, Cognex offers mplete family of vision a complete products—from ucts—from standalone vision systeems to 3D vision software— p unparalleled accuracy that provide and repeatability. cognex.com

RoboDK

Raspberry Pi

Rockwell Automation

Offline programming has never been easier thanks to RoboDK. You don’t need to l learn b brand-specific d ifi lan l guages anymore. RoboDK handlles the robot controller syntax aand outputs the right program for your robot. robodk.com

The Raspberry Pi is a series of credit caardsized single-board d computers develooped in the UK b the by th Raspberry R b Pi Foundation F d ti with the intention of promoting the teaching of baasic computer science in schoolss. raspberrypi.org

Preferred in ntegration starts with using plug--and-play technology, which mean ns robots connect through Eth hernet/IP with software and d service i e interfaces i t f that simplify dessign, operation and maintenancce efforts to improve machine and nd overall line OEE. rockwellautomation.com tomation.com

Adept Adep pt has cultivated and main ntained key partnerships with indusstry-leading integrators, OEMss, and machine builders acrosss the globe and throughout numeerous application segments. adept.com

Evana Auto omation

KUKA.WorkVisual Dassault Systemes Robotics Programmer p provides a 3D environment wheree robot programmers can create, program, simulate and validate v an entire robot workcell.

3ds.com

Programming. Coonfiguration.

Loading. Testing. Diagnosis.

Modifying. Archiving. KUKA. WorkVisual group ps all the steps of a project together in a homogenous offline development, online diagnosis and a maintenance environment environment. kuka-robotics.com m

Evana specializes in designing and implementin ng robotics automation solutions thaat fit your specific manufacturing ing needs. Let our robotics eng gineering and robotics manufacturing ing experts develop a custom robotics otics automation solution that meets yyour requirements. evanaautom mation.com

NewB Botic Corporation NewB Botic is a robotic systems integ grator, best known for its sp pecialized engineering services that designs advanced transsformative manufacturing and wareehousing processes for a wide variety of industries. industries newb botic.com

FANUC Autthorized Integrators

Aldebaran by Softbank ABB RobotStudio Aldebaran enables both novices and experts to use its roobots with ease. To do this,, an SDK has been developed to support creation in the best way possible: 3D simulator, simple and intuitive programming software, C++ libraries, Python, .Net. aldebaran.com

RobotStudio provides the tools to increase the p prrofitabilityy of your robot system m by letting you perform tasks succh as training, programming, and optimization without disturbing g production. abb.com

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An Authorized zed FANUC Integrator is ready to analyze your system requirements nts and provide a robotic solution olution that will improve quality, ality, throughput, and productivityy to g p give yyou the return on investment ent you are looking for. fanucamerica.com ica.com

Gene esis Systems Geneesis Systems Group designs, builds and implements p robotic arc welding w systems, assembly autom mation systems and robotic toolin ng, material handling solutions, non-d destructive inspection cells and robottic waterjet cutting systems like n nobody else. genesis-systems.com

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Marketplace

Marketplace: companies Microcon Mi ntrollers t ll & Microcchips

Freescale Freescale F l Semico S i nductor d t enables bl secure, embedded d processing solutions for the In nternet of Tomorrow. Freesccale’s solutions drive a more innovvative and connected world, ssimplifying our ives and making u us safer. reescale.com

Atmel Atmel Corporation n is a worldwide eader in the desig gn and manufacture of microcontrollers, capacitive touch soolutions, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio requency compon nents nents. atmel.com

Silicon Labs Silicon Labs is a team of hardwarre and software innovvators dedicated o solving our custtomer’s oughest g embeddeed design g challenges. silabs.com

S nsors Se Ranesas

Alphasense

Renesas Eleectronics Corporation, the world’s n number one supplier of microcontrollers, m is a premier su upplier of advanced semiconductor solutions including microcontroollers, SoC solutions and a broad rang ge of analog and power devices. renesas.com m

Alphasense has established a reputation as a reliable sourcee for a wide range of gas sensorr technologies. We supply high-quality Oxygen,CO2, toxic and flammable Gas sensors to many of the world’s leading industrial OEMs. alphasense.com

STMicroelectronics

4D Te echnology

Sensiron

A world lead der in providing the semiconducctor solutions that make k a positive iti contribution n to people’s lives, both today and in n the future. st.com

4D Technology echnology designs and manu ufactures laser i t fferometers, interf t surface roughness profilers and interfferometry accessories.

4dtecchnology.com

Sensirion is a leading sensor manufacturer, providing relative ve humidity sensors and flow sensor solutions with unique performance. sensirion.com

Infineon

Sano

Hansford Sensors

We provide semiconductor and system solutions, utions, focusing on three centraal needs of our modern society: Eneergy Efficiency, Mobility and Securityy. infineon.com m

Sano is a biomeetric sensoor and software company with a paten nted, breakthrough sensor that w will help people understand what’s happening inside their bodiees through continuously monittoring important markers in their bodies’ chemistry. sano co sano.

At Hansford Sensors, we design, gn, develop and manufacture a wide range of high performance ce industrial accelerometers, vibration transmitters (loop powered sensors) and ancillary ry equipment. hansfordsensors.com

Texas Instruments

EMX

TI’s microcoontroller platform offers innovvative devices with integrated on-chip o architectures, unique intelllectual property, system expeertise in key markets, and a comp prehensive ecosystem y of software, tools and support. ti.com

EMX is one of the world’s leading ing innovators of specialty sensorss in the factory and process automation markets. Our sensors sors are used in automotive, packaging, ging, labeling, g, metal stamping, p g, paper er and wood processing, plastics,, electronics and pharmaceutical al manufacturing. g emxinc.com

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Synap ptics Synap ptics is a world leader in capacitive pacitive touch sensing p g techn nology. This patented techn nology is at the heart of our indusstry-standard TouchPad products ucts and other solutions. synap ptics.com

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Marketplace

Sensor Readings

Marketplace: companies Kawa ada

Kawasaki

SynTouch

For over 40 years,, Kawasaki ng technology has been improvin to meet the high demand of assembly applicattions. Kawasaki’s innovative hardwaare and software can help you solvee your complex assembly challenges. kawasaki.com

SynTouch LLC developed and makes the only sensor technology in the world d that endows robots with the ability to replicate - and sometimes exceed - the human sense of touch. uch. syntouchllcc.com

3D Robotics heir world 3DR helps people see th from above. As North Am merica’s largest personal drone company, c 3DR is a pioneer in making advanced, easy-to-use drone d technology.

3dr.com

Hond da Robotics

DENSO Robotics

Yaskawa Yaskawa Motoman offerrs a wide range off industrial i d t i l robot b tic ti t arm models for high-speed p precision assembly and small parrt handling including high-performaance sixaxis robots; flexible seveen-axis manipulators; dual-arm m robots with 15 axes; and more. motoman.com

Universal Robots Universal Robots is a ressult of many years of intensive research in robotics. The product portfolio includes the collaborativve UR3, UR5 and UR10 robot arm ms named after their payloads in kiilos. universal-robots universal robots.com com

Vecna Vecna’s robotic logisticss solutions are a familyy of autonomoous mobile robots, built to operate within human-centric environments. vecna.com

Cutting edge technology, class leading prod ducts and groundbreaking systems ystems are only part of what you can expect when you choose h DENSO Robotics.

R b ti densorobotics.com m

”Servving society throu ugh technology,” b Kawada’s has been mission since its inception in 1922. Our mission has been accomplished through techn nological innovations in a vast rangee of operations, including projeects involving transportation, energ gy, and information, all basic necessities of society. globaal.kawada.jp

Hond da has further advanced intellligence technologies enabling its ad dvanced humanoid robot ASIM MO to act autonomously and perfo form uninterrupted i t t d service i tto officee guests. hond da.com

SCHUNK SCHUNK iss one of the largest manufacturer f t rer for f automation t ti components, s, toolholders and workholding equipment. schunk.com m

Epson

iRobo ot

With over 45,000 robots installed in factories throug ghout the world, many of the top manufacturing companies rely on n Epson Robots every day to reducce production costs, improve prooduct quality, increase yields an nd help increase their bottom line. epson.com

iRobot’s ot’s home robots are revollutionizing the way people clean n – inside and out. More than 10 million home robots have been sold worldwide. www w.irobot.com

Robotiq Our goal is to enable all manufacturers rers to take full advantage of robotics. We work with robot manufacturers, system integrators and end-users to automate applications pplications that require fexibility fexibility. robotiq.com m

TEUN

Future Robot

TEUN is a compreehensive concept, based on n a smart unmanned machine, the PIQR. The concept has been developed to offerr a solution for the frequently q y com mplex p laborintensive and expeensive way of unloading contain ners. teun.com

We, Future F Robot, aim to create an exxemplary service robot markket. We deal with Coupon Advertising Robot, Mobile Infotaainment Service, Robot Event Serviice,, and manyy more.

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Honeybee Robotics Since 1983, Honeybee has completed p over 300 p projects j for NASA, the U US Department of Defense, accademia, industry and artists. honeybeeroobotics.com

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Sensor Readings

Marketplace

Marketplace: companies Brain Corpo oration Energid

Stäub bli Stäub bli is a mechatronics solutions provider with three dediccated divisions: textile, connectors ectors and robotics, serving customers omers who want to increase their productivity in many indusstrial sectors. staub bli.com

Energid Technolog gies develops dvanced softwaree and robotic ystems for the aeerospace, griculture, manufacturing, ransportation, deffense, and medical industriess. energid.com

Brain Corpooration develops software, haardware, and cloud services forr consumer robotics.

Our goal is to t make intelligent and useful m machines a part of everyday lifee with the world’s first training-bassed operating system for robots – BrainOS. braincorporration.com

Ekso Bionics

Bosch Robo otics

DMG Mori Ellison

Ekso Bionics helpss urvivors of strokee, pinal cord injury aand other forms of low wer extremity weakness k t walk to lk again. i ntl.eksobionics.coom

We are workking on Personal Robotics and the enabling technologies. Our interdisciplinary team conducts research on topics such h as mobile bil manipulation, i l ti navigation, p perception and semantic an nalysis of 3D data. bosch.us

DMG Mori Ellison Technologies is a provider vider of advanced machining solutions to North American metal-cutting manufacturers and th i global their l b l affiliates. ffiliates. ellisoontechnologies.com

ASI

DAIHEN

Autonomouss Solutions is a world leeader in vendor independentt vehicle automation systems. Frrom our HQ in Utah, we serve clients in the mining, agriculture, automotive, governmentt, and manufacturing industries w with remote control, teleoperatioon, and fully automated solutions solutions. asirobots.coom

The D DAIHEN Group makes it our m mission to provide products and services indispensable to primaary industries around the world d, including first and foremost the poower industry or so-called “lifeline” of society. daiheen.co.jp

Dyson Dyson recently invvested in a oint robotics lab with w Imperial College London too investigate ision systems and d engineer a generation of houssehold robots. dyson co uk dyson.co.uk

Clearpath Roboticcs

Axium m

We build the world d’s best unmanned vehiclees for research nd development. Our products will save time, money and headaches on your next project. learpathrobotics. p .com

Axium m designs, manufactures and in nstalls a complete range of autom mated solutions for robotic material handling (palletizing, depallletizing, case packing, and perip p pheral equipments) q p and transformation of plastic products. axium msolutions.com

Aethon Aethon is beest known for its TUG autonomouss mobile deliveryy robot which transports medications, meals and materials m through hospitals. aethon.com

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Aurotek Aurotek delivers high valueadded services and solutions, and helping customers achievee greater value through its introduction of advanced and quality components, acquirement ment of new technology concepts. robot.com.tw

Apex Automation and Robotics Apex Automation A A t ti and d Robotics R b ti s is an Australian company specialising in the design and manufacture of custom-built automation machines and robotic otic systems. apexautomation.com.au

Adept Adept systems provide unmatched ched performance and economic value throughout the production on lifecycle, enabling customers too achieve precision, quality and productivity in their assembly, handling and packaging processes. sses. adept.com

Reis Experts know REIS as creative pacemaker for process-oriented d system y solutions. Since 1957 our ur way has been going dynamicallyy up.

The fundamentals: Inventive genius, nius, competence, innovative power, and reliability. reisrobotics.de

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NEXT ISSUE

The monthly magazine for the robotics and automation industry Issue 15 July 2018

THE FUTURE OF SEX

Robots could replace human romantic partners in the future

Giant robots Giant robots exist.

But why?

10 warehouse robots We list the 10 best-known warehouse robots

Companion robots A look at the little robots that want to live in your home