Blockbuster movies aren’t the only thing robots are taking over this summer. With increasing demand for quality and shorter product life cycles across all industries, robot-based automation has become a necessity. From the automotive to logistics industries, robots are working alongside humans to create a more productive work environment. But this isn’t science fiction, its real! We’ve compiled a list of our top robotic automation reads to get you through the dog days of summer.
1.) Parking in the Future: Intelligent Sensors Control Autonomous Parking Robot
Have you ever been late and panicked trying to find a parking spot in a gigantic parking garage? Serva Transport Systems has a solution for this anxiety with their parking robot “Ray,” who parks your car for you. Using SICK sensors, the forklift-like robot lifts the car and puts it in a designated spot and returns it once the customer is done.
Read more on the parking revolution »
2.) Smart Production Lines in Automotive Industry Use Cobots
In the automotive industry, Continental, one of the world’s leading industry suppliers, has decided to take a more agile approach to production lines. Using collaborative robots or cobots, the company’s assembly lines can adapt quickly when there are changes or faults in a product. SICK safety sensors for robotic automation are used for special safety features, such as slowing down the cobot when a human operator is around.
Read more about how cobots are changing manufacturing »
3.) Agricultural Robot Cares for 1,500 Plants
HeliaPhen is an agricultural robot that tends to almost 1500 plants with little human intervention. The robot weighs, waters, photographs, and cultivates crops in an agricultural research park in France. Using SICK sensors, HeliaPhen can pick up the plants in their pots and put them back in the same place when it is done to gather research for scientists.
Read more about HeliaPhen and its 1,500 plants »
4.) Robots in the Electronics Industry: Fast, Precise, Flexible
In the electronics industry, new robotic arms are becoming the new normal in electronics production processes. The robotic arms are lightweight, compact, and flexible, as well as easy to program and operate. They take care of monotonous tasks and increase productivity. Paired with other human workers and operators, the robotic arms can increase the efficiency of the process tenfold.
Read about how robots are changing the electronics industry »
5.) Four LiDAR Alignment Methods for Robotics Navigation
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) must navigate to an exact location to perform a task. Without accuracy in this navigation, the AGV will be unable to perform the task correctly. Sensors and robotic automation systems are commonly used to navigate AGVs and monitor potential hazards of robotics, but these sensors can be difficult to perfectly align once they are installed on the AGV or robot.
Read more about SICK’s alignment aid that helps properly align sensors for precise navigation »
6.) Fostering the Next Generation of Robotics and Automation Innovators
MassRobotics is a nonprofit organization located in Boston, Mass. Its mission is to help create the next generation of successful robotic automation companies by providing the work spaces and resources needed to develop, prototype, test, and commercialize products and solutions. SICK has a partnership with MassRobotics to help robotics and automation startups gain traction and grow.
Read more about MassRobotics and their contribution to the robotics community »
