Flexible Robotic Manipulation

Samuel Bouchard Erik Nieves

Flexibility

Photo: kind of bruin on flickr

Flexibility

Process(Robot)

Output

Input- Command

- Output from previous processes

“External” perturbation- Engineering changes

- Market demand

« Everybody’s biggest fear about automation is to invest large amount of money on equipment that will be useless in 3 years. » - Integrator Proposal

Engineer

Flexibility in Robotic Handling = $

Potential benefits:

• Robotic cell can evolve with product and demand• Reduce cost and reaction time to engineering changes• Improve quality, reduce rejected parts• Reduce significantly fixture cost and complexity• Reduce low value-adding labour• Eliminate health, safety and ergonomic issues• Eliminate equipment overhead cost caused by humans close

to robots

How to Achieve Flexibility?

Know & Think

Sense Act

The Robot: Yaskawa SDA10

The Robotiq Adaptive Gripper

Grasp any object with simplicity.

[see videos on robotiq.com]

The Robotiq Adaptive Gripper

1 part Few different parts 10s-100s different parts

The Demo : Kitting Application

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YPwiwB-B4U

Robot & Gripper

Part 1

Part 2

Part ...

Part n

Parts kitPacking or assembly

Example: Machine Tending

Robot & Gripper

Part 1

Part 2

Part ...

Part n

Rack, jig

Costly machine (welding,

laser cutting, machining...)

Example: Sorting

Robot & Gripper

Part 1

Part 2

Part ...

Part n

Bins

Example: Ground Breakinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vK2qU6e6Og

Photo: Dayton Daily News