Collaborative Robots and the Future of Inspection robots
Overview:
The future of technology is rapidly shifting towards collaborative robots, also known as "cobots", and inspection robots. With advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, robots are moving beyond simple automation tasks and are now able to perform more complex functions. Cobots are forecast to make up 34% of all industrial robot sales by 2025, highlighting their significant potential. Inspection robots, on the other hand, are transforming various industries, offering efficiency gains, reducing downtime, and enhancing safety. This information guide will provide a detailed overview of these promising technologies, touching on the benefits, potential risks, and future possibilities.
Collaborative Robots:
Cobots are designed to work with humans in shared workspaces, performing tasks that would be either dangerous, monotonous or strenuous for human workers. They represent a fundamental shift towards increased manufacturing flexibility, with over 400,000 units projected to be sold annually by 2025, a tenfold increase from 2015. They are capable of taking on physically demanding or repetitive tasks, thus, reducing the incidence of workplace injuries which is around 2.8 per 100 full-time employees in the U.S. as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They also offer agility, as they can be easily reprogrammed or repurposed to match rapidly changing production requirements.
Inspection Robots:
Inspection robots bring revolutionary changes to various industries, such as the provision of safer, more cost-effective inspection services in energy utilities, manufacturing, and the public sector. These robots are designed to access hard-to-reach or hazardous areas, reducing the risks that human inspectors encounter. There was a sharp 41% rise in workplace fatalities from falls to a lower level in the U.S. between 2008 and 2017, which could be greatly minimized with the use of inspection robots. Furthermore, these robots ensure fewer errors - while a human inspector, on average, has an error rate of 10%-20%, a robot programmed with machine learning can have an error rate as low as 1%.
Key Takeaways:
- Collaborative robots represent a substantial shift in manufacturing, offering flexibility, savings, and safety advantages. Advances in technology are enabling cobots to carry out an increasingly diverse range of tasks.
- Inspection robots bring safety benefits, particularly where human inspectors may encounter risk. Use of these robots can mitigate workplace accidents and make inspections more efficient and reliable.
- Both types of robots show promising growth trends, with cobots expected to represent a third of overall industrial robots sold by 2025.
3Laws Robotics – Enabling Safety and Efficiency in Robot Use:
Recognizing the tremendous potential and diverse opportunities of both cobots and inspection robots, 3Laws Robotics is developing state-of-the-art safety software aimed at enhancing robot reliability and certification. The 3Laws Supervisor software uses Control Barrier Functions (CBFs) a technology crafted at Caltech that boasts mathematically provable safety. Built to run on various platforms like mobile robots, cars, drones, and manipulators, it's a robust solution compatible with popular robotic middleware like ROS and ROS2.
3Laws is committed to easing certification pain points for robotics companies. Its software offers compelling evidence of system robustness, thereby potentially easing the certification path. Notably, it led to a 40% efficiency gain in a warehouse automation project, reducing the payback period to just six months. The software also emphasizes real-time guardrails for autonomy stacks, allowing robots to function near their peak capabilities – all while assuring safety.
Moreover, it answers the growing demand for collaborative robotics solutions, facilitating safe and uninterrupted operation of robots near humans. The software’s reactive collision avoidance capabilities enable robots to efficiently navigate in unpredictable settings minimizing unnecessary e-stops or collisions, thus optimizing operational efficiency.
Finally, 3Laws presents itself as a progressive safety solution that surpasses traditional e-stop methods. It offers a dynamic approach to safety that opens up the full potential of robots using predictive safety, aiming for safety certifications for ISO 3691-4 and ISO 26262.