Robots Are Coming

By Jason Burgos

The RoboUniverse Conference and Expo has become an epicenter for ideas and strategies related to the use of robotics in industry and education. This month the conference, which has gone global with events in countries such as Korea and Japan, made its first ever stop in New York City. From May 11-13 vendors displayed their innovative products for riveted visitors, who attended workshops and educational sessions.

The use of robots, instead of humans, is becoming a key way of doing business for many companies, such as the Norwegian company N-Link, which manufactures a mobile drilling robot. This machine, which can be rented for various periods of time based on need, is used in construction-related drilling.

By using a pre-programmed and laser guided pattern (which can be done via a tablet), the robot can do the work of a human worker five times faster. This is not only a benefit in speed, but this sort of work has a history of causing shoulder injuries to workers. So it saves on pain and suffering for employees as well as on the medical costs related to these ailments. There are plans in place to have these machines be more multi-dimensional, so that they only drill, but do simpler jobs such as painting. The company hopes that their equipment will eventually take over a majority of the work necessary to construct and finish the creation of new buildings.

Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer is used for jobs that need a more precise touch. Retailing for $29,000, this device from the Massachusetts based company has a head camera and cameras located in its arms, giving it a wide field of view to re-orient its position in the event there is an obstruction. When such problems occur, the Sawyer actually shows reactions of confusion or concern on its face-screen, which alerts nearby people so that they can handle the dilemma. Sawyer is currently used in hundreds of plants across the globe, including warehouses for Yankee Candle, and at one time, it was even used by PayPal.

However, this event wasn’t just for machines made for use in industry, there were also interesting gadgets for home use. Canadian company Kinova Robotics showed off its Mico robotic arm. This lightweight arm (priced at $35,000) takes about the same amount of energy as a light bulb and is the perfect added assistance for individuals with disabilities. It is like having an extra arm, as it can pick up things with a soft touch. What also makes this device so useful is its ability to connect to any style of wheel chair.