The project that goes into detail in the field of robotics and cobots.
A few years ago it was not yet possible to work together or next to a robot. The dangers were too great and the robot could harm humans.
The solution to let robots perform tasks within a company was found, the robots were placed in a shielded cage. A safe working environment, employees and the robot could not come into contact with each other in any way.
In the field of technology, small developments take place every day, or even every minute. In recent years, these developments have made it possible for robots to work alongside or even together with employees on the work floor. Robots went from large robust devices to small table-top models, which can easily be implemented in any workplace.
Cobots, or collaborative robots, the result of this change.
Cobots can now be used within different industries, an example of this is the packaging industry. Cobots perform various tasks such as palletising and packaging products.
There continues to be room for improvement, as the TU in Eindhoven also believes. They have started a research project into robot manipulation, in which they work together with two European institutions and five companies. One of the participants in this project is Franka Emika, the company that brought the most accessible and user-friendly cobot on the market for everyone. This is where the I.AM project comes into being.
The I.AM-Project
The I.AM project focuses mainly on the distribution centres, where, according to them, robots have become indispensable. Robots cannot predict what the effect will be when they collide, so under certain circumstances the robots are not fast enough.
The goal of the I.AM project is that robots can exploit a collision, so they can pick up and put down objects faster. The project works with three scenarios, varying in complexity, in which the robot performs various tasks.
The researchers expect that this new technology will eventually enable the robots to work 10% faster than is currently possible.
