ABB REVEALS YUMI, THE FUTURE OF HUMAN-ROBOT COLLABORATION

'Cobot' That Can Work Hand-in-Hand with Human Co-Workers

ABB, a world leader in power and automation technologies, has unveiled what it claims is the world’s first ‘truly collaborative’ robot: YuMi. The human-friendly robot is designed for a new age of automation, where humans and robots work in close proximity on shared tasks and will be launched on April 13, 2015 at next year’s Hannover Messe, Germany.

The name YuMi is short for ‘you and me,’ denoting a close relationship between humans and robots. “YuMi has been developed to meet the flexible and agile production needs of the consumer electronics industry in the first instance. It will increasingly be rolled out to cover other market sectors.”

The robot comes equipped with soft, padded dual arms and high-tech force-sensing technology to safeguard YuMi’s human co-workers. This means automated robots no longer need to be housed behind safety cages. YuMi’s innovative design allows it to work on everything from delicate, precision parts used in watch-making to components found in mobile phones, tablets and other electronic goods. According to Pekka Tiitinen, head of the Discrete Automation and Motion division, “YuMi is going to change many of mankind’s assumptions about manufacturing and industrial processes.”

Cobots like YuMi are expected to form an essential part of the ‘Factory of the Future’ concept, for example the German government’s ‘Industry 4.0’ strategy for the computerization of traditional strategies.