WORLD-CLASS LINEAR MOTION LOCAL MANUFACTURING

Quality Linear Motion Solutions from THK

THK is committed to meeting the worldwide demand for linear motion products. We manufacture, assemble, and ship across North America from our location in Hebron, Ohio. We’ve also ramped up our automating processes at existing facilities, including our U.S. manufacturing plant, where over 70% of THK Robotics Components are manufactured. Automated processes at this state-of-the-art facility enable increased production while maintaining the high standard of precision associated with THK products.

To learn more, call us at 1-800-763-5459 or visit www.thk.com.

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Automate 2023, Detroit, MI, May 22-25 - Booth #5610

ABB introduces its smallest robot arm ever

Organization Name: ABB

Country: Switzerland

Website: new.abb.com

Year Founded: 1988

Number of Employees: 144,000+

Innovation Class: Technology, Product & Services

Innovation Subclass: Technology & Product Introduction

Description:

ABB launched in October 2022 the IRB 1010, its smallest industrial robot arm ever. With a footprint of 135 mm (5.2 inches) by 250 mm (9.8 inches), the IRB 1010 is 30% smaller than ABB’s now second-smallest robot, the IRB 120. The IRB 1010 has a reach of 370 mm (14.5 inches), repeatability of 0.01 mm and can handle payloads up to 1.5 kg (3.3 lb).

Analysis:

The market for wearable smart devices is accelerating rapidly, with projections estimating double-digit growth between 2022 and 2028. To meet this growth, companies are looking for compact robotic solutions that are suited to narrow production spaces in electronics manufacturing lines and that can accurately handle the small components used in wearable devices.

As one of the finer robots in its class for 1.5kg payloads, ABB’s IRB 1010 meets these demands, enabling companies to maximize output and productivity of small electronics, including smartwatches, earphones, sensors and health trackers, while maintaining high levels of product quality. The introduction of the IRB 1010 also further diversifies ABB’s already leading portfolio of robotic arms.

RR – Steve Crowe

Agility Robotics Digit humanoid targets logistics tasks

Organization Name: Agility Robotics

Country: USA

Website: agilityrobotics.com

Year Founded: 2015

Number of Employees: 101-500

Innovation Class: Application & Market

Innovation Subclass: Logistics

Description:

In 2022, Agility Robotics started testing its Digit humanoid with logistics customers. This version of Digit is is 5 ft. 1 inches tall, weighs 99 lb. and can run for 3 hours doing light work. Agility is targeting applications such as moving totes and packages, with trailer unloading a possibility further in the future.

Analysis:

Digit incorporates decades of research, development, and scientific breakthroughs in mobility and manipulation from Agility’s team. This allows the robot to navigate obstacles, dynamically balance and walk around its environment while carrying light payloads.

Humanoid robots have existed for a number of years now, but none have been designed and sold to industrial customers to perform useful tasks. Any humanoid that’s been commercially sold has targeted research labs.

Digit is the first humanoid to be sold commercially with the goal of performing tasks for customers. To help engineer these capabilities and scale the company, Agility raised a $150 million Series B funding round in April 2022. The round was led by DCVC and Playground Global, but it also included participation from the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund. RR – Steve Crowe

Alert Innovation acquired by Walmart to boost fulfillment

Organization Name: Alert Innovation

Country: USA

Website: alertinnovation.com

Year Founded: 2016

Number of Employees: 101-500

Innovation Class: Business & Management

Innovation Subclass: Leadership

Description:

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, acquired Alert Innovation for an undisclosed price in late 2022. Alert Innovation develops automated storage and retrieval systems for e-grocery fulfillment. Alert Innovation and Walmart began working together in 2016 to build custom technology for Walmart’s micro-fulfillment centers (MFC). Walmart piloted its first MFC in Salem, N.H. in late 2019 using custom technology from Alert Innovation. Alert Innovation continues to operate under the Alert Innovation brand based in the Boston area.

Analysis:

Some have said Walmart is a place where innovation goes to die. That couldn’t be further from the truth with its acquisition of Alert Innovation. According to Alert’s CTO and co-founder Bill Fosnight, “ultimately we met with Walmart, and Walmart provided us with the ability to start up as a company in 2016.”

Walmart has been there from the beginning for Alert Innovation, and for good reason. With Alert’s technology, Walmart said it will be better positioned to leverage its more than 4,700 U.S. stores, situated within

10 miles of 90% of the population. Bringing Alert’s technology in-house will enable Walmart to reach its customers quicker by deploying MFCs with greater speed. This is part of Walmart’s broader goal to introduce the next generation of fulfillment centers and continue to transform its world-class supply chain. It’s also a win for robotics startups, which haven’t always had a happy ending when working with Walmart. RR – Steve Crowe

Amazon looks to automate ‘Holy Grail’ with Sparrow

Organization Name: Amazon Robotics

Country: USA

Website: amazon.jobs/en/teams/amazon-robotics

Year Founded: 2003

Number of Employees: 501-1000

Innovation Class: Application & Market

Innovation Subclass: Logistics

Description:

Sparrow is a bin-picking robot that picks individual products in an Amazon warehouse before they get packaged. According to Amazon, Sparrow can handle 65% of the more than 100 million items in Amazon’s product catalog. Sparrow can pick a variety of items, like DVDs, socks and stuffed animals, but struggles with items that have loose or complex packaging. It uses an offthe-shelf Fanuc robot arm and custom so ware and suction-based gripping.

Analysis:

Amazon built an e-commerce giant in part by automating the movement of goods around its warehouses. One task that has remained the ‘Holy Grail’ is using a robot arm to pick individual items to be shipped. On a small scale, Sparrow has started to change for Amazon.

Many third-party companies built binpicking robots that they have tried to sell to Amazon. But Amazon didn’t bite, perhaps because those systems couldn’t reliably handle enough of Amazon’s inventory. If Sparrow can, it will be another gamechanger for Amazon, ala Kiva’s automated guided vehicles and Amazon’s new Proteus autonomous mobile robot. Sparrow could be a boon for Amazon’s stalling logistics operations during a period of cost-cutting and help legitimize bin-picking systems in the larger supply chain industry.

RR – Steve Crowe