Industrial Automation and Motion Control Blog | The Knotts Company

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

Ever tried to program a robot? If the answer is no, here’s your chance. Universal Robots Academy comprises a series of free e-learning modules that will eliminate your status as a novice and turn you into a robot programmer. And even if you already have some experience with robot programming, you might still benefit from a brush-up.

Robots are not new to the American manufacturing industry. Assembly line robotics have been instrumental in improving quality and efficiency in automobile assembly, electronics, furniture and more. But the autonomous mobile robot is a new venture that is sure to help factories even more.

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

Who cannot relate to this? You are driving to work, listening to the radio to brighten up the dull commute. But listening quickly becomes boring if the radio keeps playing the same five hit songs over and over again. Similarly, packing goods in a production can be a very dull task and while some people can make the best out of almost every boring situation, nobody enjoys doing the same repetitive job day in and day out.

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

“Man vs. Machine?” – A plea for rethinking their collaboration

On the way to Industry 4.0 many people wonder: “Will machines substitute human workers?” Since its beginning, the fourth industrial revolution has been discussed alongside with this question. It is as old as automation itself; however, it looks at the winds of our times from the wrong perspective. It is not about “man VS machine”, but “man WITH machine”.

According to a study carried out by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the number of robots sold globally will have doubled to about 400,000 units by 2018. 70 per cent of total turnover is generated in China, Japan, USA, South Korea and Germany. Here are some figures to compare: South Korea employs 478 industrial robots per 10,000 employees, in Germany, this figure currently stands at 292 units. Of course, this number will not stay at 2.9 per cent robots among 10,000 employees, but even with this number going up, the density of robots dampens the widespread fear of losing one’s job.

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

This post is brought to you by Universal Robots.

The “dirty, dull and dangerous” describe the tasks we want our ever more sophisticated robots to perform. Letting the robots do this doesn’t mean that we lazily lean back. It means we’re awarded a new drive and a new reality; the robot is man's tool for a better and less mechanical life.

The story of people working with robots is a story of humanity's conflict-ridden quest for a better world. In this context the word “robot” has both a dark and a lighter side, fear of the unknown  and its enormous potential.

It is easy to be intimidated by the rapid development in robotics. The robots are regularly cast as the villains - as technology run amok depicted in science fiction with robots seeking world domination.

Quick fact: The robot is not a conscious being.  It is not possible to even create one. Robots are what we build them to be, and robots do what we program them to do. Neither more nor less. But that doesn’t keep us from anthropomorphizing them..

At Universal Robots we see this on a rather harmless level when our users give the robot arms nicknames. What in reality is a useful and advanced tool is called Louis, Robert, Thelma & Louise and so on.

Here is IAI's full video of their upcoming products that were displayed at the International Trade Show in Tokyo in 2015.