Collaborative robotics represents the future of industrial production and is the form of industrial automation that takes collaboration between operator and robot to the highest level, including sharing spaces and tasks.
Unlike a traditional industrial robot, whose impressive speed plays an essential role in making production more efficient and at the same time defect-free, the collaborative robot - known more simply as a cobot - is characterised by slow movements that allow collaboration alongside operators, in perfect symbiosis with their rhythm.
Safety vs. speed: a compelling choice?
Kawasaki Robotics, thanks to a series of innovative "safety skills" that can also be implemented on a traditional industrial robot, makes it possible to rethink the production process as a shared activity between man and robot without sacrificing very high production speeds.
Flavio Marani -System Integrator Sales Manager of Tiesse Robot- presents the "safety skills" developed by Kawasaki Robotics, in the perfect example of industrial automation and collaborative robotics with the Kawasaki robot model RS07L T-Skin.
"The RS07L T-Skin robot is characterised by its 7 kg capacity, high speed, large working volume and excellent repeatability. We can understand this robot system by imagining a three-tier structure. The first level is Kawasaki's super-fast industrial robot, the second level is Kawasaki's additional Cubic-S hardware that brings it to Robotics Safe status."
The Kawasaki Cubic-S hardware and laser scanner first slow and then stop the robot as the operator approaches the danger zone, restarting at low speed and then full speed as the operator moves away.
But this is not the only "safety skill" with which the Kawasaki robot model RS07L T-Skin is equipped: "The most interesting aspect - continues Marani - is the third level: the Robot Skin. The robot is in fact covered by a series of sensitive panels that, connected to a specific hardware in turn managed by the Kawasaki Cubic-S board, makes it collaborative. The Robot can therefore move very fast and at full power when the operator is far away and freeze when touched. Conversely, when the physical contact is released and the operator moves away, the robot resumes full speed."
The robot used in the robotic system shown in the video is therefore a Robot / Safe Robot / Cobot and complies with the technical standard for collaboratives ISO TS15066.