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KUKA’s new LBR iiwa lightweight robot works right next to humans to take over uncomfortable, cramped jobs like plugging holes in a wheel well. Specialized torque sensing automatically adjusts for variations in robot placement and keeps the human safe.
KUKA calls the lightweight robot LBR iiwa. (LBR for “Leichtbauroboter,” German for lightweight robot, and “iiwa” for “intel- ligent industrial work assistant.”) With seven axes, it’s based on the human arm and features high-performance collision detection and integrated joint torque sensors in all axes, so it can handle delicate joining processes. It’s on a mobile platform called the KUKA fl exFELLOW, so an operator would place the system near the programmed job and execute the operation while he goes on to other nearby jobs. Let’s say the job is inserting rubber plugs into the holes in a car body’s wheel well. If the operator didn’t place the plat- form in exactly the position expected by the program, the robot is able to calibrate the