Robot control system “enhances” manufacturing
12 Jan 2016
The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) has developed a novel control system for industrial robots.
The control system is designed to substantially lower a robot’s programming time, which enables the use of automation in short production runs, VTT said.
“The new solution significantly enhances the efficiency of productive operations and opens up new opportunities for utilising robots,” said Tapio Heikkilä, principal scientist at VTT.
“The interactive solution [between the human and the robot] makes it possible to take advantage of the human observation capacity for carrying out the required task."
Two force/torque sensors built into the system are designed to recognise the pressure on a tool.
One sensor is attached to a wireless control stick by which the robot can be steered through the operation step by step.
The control stick and the control system operating in real time make it possible for a human controller to work in the same working space with the robot, and control the robot's movements by directly using a control stick attached to the robot or the load, VTT said.
“The interactive solution [between the human and the robot] makes it possible to take advantage of the human observation capacity for carrying out the required task,” Heikkilä said.
Because of the interactive system, the manufacturing of test pieces in particular is faster than could previously have been achieved, VTT said.
“When the customer has a versatile range of single-item products to process, efficient partial automation may be a competitive solution,” Heikkilä said.
The control system was designed as part of a three-year project designed to “boost” Finland's chances of succeeding as a manufacturing economy.
