INDUSTRY News
Sensing structure needs no touch
Touch sensors that don’t require direct new sensitivity for robotic
systems, thanks to researchers at Qingdao University in China and South Korean scientists. Their new type of touch sensor detects sensor up to 100mm away. The sensor is aimed at robotic and bio-mimicking (bionic) applications, where electronic skin will allow robots to detect and react to external stimuli promptly. It will also up and manipulate it. Most current sensors rely on direct touch that creates a physical deformation of the contact layer, leading to changes in electrical capacitance. But this doesn’t render sensitivity and overall abilities of these sensings systems. “To bring greater sensitivity and versatility, we have useful electrical properties,” says Xinlin Li of the Qingdao University team.
For the composite, the team combined two materials with a high dielectric constant – a measure of the materials’ graphitic carbon nitride added to polydimethylsiloxane, which exhibits an unexpectedly low dielectric constant – a counter-intuitive result that is ideally suited to making a
3D printing method. The team created a grid that senses develop the technology for mass production, but also explore other possibilities beyond detecting shape and movement.
ABB COLUMN SECURING THE BIGGEST BENEFITS
Most of us recognise that the future is automated, but many organisations remain unsure about how to implement and operate robots and other systems in a way that will allow them to reap the biggest benefits. Suppliers therefore need to support customers effectively throughout any automation project – from conception and design to operation and optimisation. Traditional customer service
meant having account managers who would work with customers to specify the right solutions, or having engineers ready to come to the rescue when something goes wrong. Today it means much more than that. It means having dedicated systems in place to empower customers to make the most of their automated assets. ABB’s RobotStudio is a great example. It’s the world’s most popular offline
programming and simulation tool for robotic applications. Using virtual controller technology, the RobotStudio suite offers full confidence that what you see on your screen matches how your robot will behave in real life. It enables you to build, test and refine your installation in a virtual environment, speeding up commissioning time and improving productivity by an order of magnitude. There are desktop and Cloud-based versions, and even a RobotStudio Augmented Reality Viewer that enables users to visualise robots in a real environment or virtual room on any mobile device. Meanwhile ABB OptiFact is a modular software platform that can extract and build business value by collecting, managing and analysing data. OptiFact enables you to see and interpret what’s happening throughout your operation and make better business decisions as a result. With OptiFact, you can design your own dashboard and organise data based on your specific needs and KPIs. You might want to maximise overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), for instance, or increase production time by reducing the number of errors across your facility (improvements of up to 20% are possible). These kind of support systems are about making the most of your in-house expertise at a time when there’s a real squeeze on the availability of skilled labour. For example, use the Data Manager feature in OptiFact to make sense of data faster and you can unlock up to 25% of your most valuable experts’ time. If the next wave of automation is really going to deliver the benefits we all hope
for, I believe it’s critical for suppliers like ABB to provide users with truly empowering customer support.
Julian Ware, UK & Ireland Sales Manager, ABB Robotics Warehouse-in-the-sky allows drone deliveries
H2 Clipper (H2C) has been granted a US patent for its warehouse-in-the-sky that includes aerial drones for picking up, transporting and delivering packaged goods and other payloads. The technology incorporates a beacon, charging bays and on-board cameras. The beacon can be a dedicated device or a mobile phone. Aerial drones are launched off a dirigible, allowing the drones to use all on-board energy to lift heavier packages rather than using that same energy to fly to the drop- off or pickup zone, resulting in efficient use of routes. The bays recharge the drones between flights, further reducing package delivery and trips. Each drone’s on-board camera provides proof of delivery. With this patented technology, H2C’s warehouse-in-the-sky is the only airship technology that allows for pinpoint pick-up and
automationmagazine.co.uk
delivery accuracy for commercial, consumer and humanitarian use.
“By using airships for delivery, shipments can bypass the exceedingly crowded and inefficient port facilities and airports, and eliminate the need for multiple intermodal transfers, handling steps and ground-based facilities, minimising delays and reducing costs. With the continued increase in online purchasing, the speed, convenience and cost of local delivery are essential considerations for the supply chain,” said Rinaldo S. Brutoco, H2C Founder and CEO.
This latest patent follows H2C’s January 2024 announcement that it was awarded a robotics patent for using advanced “swarm robotics” in manufacturing applications, which radically improves the processes and reduces costs.
Automation | May 2024 7
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