| News

| Colleague omniRob is on the road

http://www.xing.com/companies/kukarobotergmbh

http://plus.google.com/117417596093526083583

Colleague omniRob is on the road

The mobile robot for batch size 1

At AUTOMATICA, KUKA Roboter GmbH is presenting two applications in the field of assembly and mobile robotics. The Augsburg-based technological leader is demonstrating the sensitive properties of the KUKA lightweight robot and presenting the further development of the omniRob.

The robot and system builder, based in Augsburg, is presenting its further-developed concept study of the omniRob, which made its AUTOMATICA debut in 2008. The omniRob study is a technology demonstrator for mobile manipulation and is used for the development and evaluation of new technologies in terms of their robustness and practicality. The omniRob navigates autonomously around the KUKA booth in an unstructured replica of a production shop and uses its robot arm to perform a variety of handling tasks. The material supply from an order-picking center to the robotic cell is demonstrated here. For this purpose, the omniRob fetches trays of rubber plugs from one point in the system and sets them down on a workbench, where a lightweight robot picks them up and inserts them.

Assembly work at the fair

The sensitive properties of the KUKA lightweight robot are demonstrated in two applications for selected assembly tasks. The first lightweight robot meshes a transmission component with several discs under force control. The visitor can see for himself just how difficult this joining operation is by performing the same task manually. The second lightweight robot inserts pins and plugs into holes and screws in the pins. Visitors can also try this for themselves.

LWR 4+, the successor model for the sensitive lightweight robot

KUKA Roboter GmbH is presenting the successor model to the sensitive lightweight robot. Unlike its predecessor, it has an outer structure made of aluminum, further improving quality and taking it a step closer to industrial operation.

The LWR 4+ has a payload capacity of 7 kg. With its in-built sensitivity, achieved by means of the integrated sensors, the LWR 4+ is ideally suited to handling and assembly tasks. Due to its low weight of 16 kg, the robot is extremely energy-efficient and portable and can thus be used for a wide range of different tasks. At AUTOMATICA, KUKA is demonstrating operation of the LWR 4+ on the mobile omniRob platform. As a team, these two systems constitute the production assistant of the future – an autonomously navigating robot.

KUKA omniMove

The KUKA omniMove permits unrestricted maneuverability in every direction and rotation about its own axis. The vehicle can be navigated freely via its omnidirectional wheels, without re-orienting the wheels, and steered by remote control in any direction, even in the tightest of spaces. The logistics area required is up to 50% less than for conventionally-steered wheels and a larger production area can be used. The omniMove wheel is the key to traveling straight ahead, diagonally, rotating or traveling sideways.
KUKA omniMove vehicles for internal logistics effortlessly lift payloads of up to 100 tonnes and, with ten different vehicle variants, offer numerous customer-specific options packages to cover a wide range of requirements.

About the KUKA Robot Group

KUKA Roboter GmbH, with its headquarters in Augsburg, is a KUKA Aktiengesellschaft company and ranks among the world’s leading suppliers of industrial robots. Core competencies are the development, production and sale of industrial robots, controllers, software and linear units. The company is the market leader in Germany and Europe, and the number three in the world.
The KUKA Robot Group employs about 2000 people worldwide. Of these, some 1100 are employed in Germany. In 2009, sales totaled 330.5 million euro (preliminary result). 25 subsidiaries provide a presence in the major markets of Europe, America and Asia.