Why robots need reflexes

Reflexes protect our bodies—for example when we pull our hand back from a hot stove. These protective mechanisms could also be useful for robots. In this interview, Prof. Sami Haddadin and Johannes Kühn of the Munich School of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MSRM) of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) explain why giving test subjects a 'slap on the hand' could lay the foundations for the robots of the future.

Hirebotics Cobot Welder is simple to use and setup

Hirebotics technicians teaches welding point with Cobot
Hirebotics simplified the welding application programming processes. | Image credit: Hirebotics

Hirebotics announces the launch of the Hirebotics Cobot Welder. The new solution is a complete, user-friendly collaborative robot (cobot) welding system that enables painless automated welding deployments.

If you’re not familiar with Hirebotics, the company is a new breed of robotics solution provider (RSP). RSP’s are the next generation of solution delivery organizations. The key for RSP’s like Hirebotics is that the company delivers a solution in a robots-as-a-serviced (RaaS) business model. The bottom line is that you don’t buy or own the equipment, rather the RSP “rents” the equipment and service for a set period of time, after which it is returned and deployed at another customer site. RSP’s deliver a solution that includes the hardware, software, service and training. You can be up and running with the new Hirebotics Cobot Welder solution for as little as $1300 per month.

The Hirebotics Cobot Welder is Powered by Beacon™, and includes everything necessary to quickly deploy a robotic welding station in your facility. Hirebotics developed a unique smartphone-based welding application that reduces the time to get it going and makes it easy to operate by staff without a robotics background. The use of state-of-the-art collaborative robotic manipulators means that the equipment doesn’t require the same fixed guarding as industrial robot manipulators.

“The Cobot Welder is a major leap forward in easy-to-use welding automation that combines industrial grade robot welding functionality with consumer level ease-of-use and a phenomenal price point,” says Rob Goldiez, Cofounder and CEO, Hirebotics.

Hirebotics Cobot in a welding application
The Hirebotics welding application leverages a collaborative robot. | Image credit: Hirebotics

The is Cobot Welder is complete and ready to go right out of the box, Cobot Welder provides all the hardware and software required to get started on an automated welding deployment, including: a UR10e collaborative robot, a Miller Invision 352 MPa cobot package, a Tregaskiss robotic torch, a mobile cart with a standard 5/8” diameter on 2” center hole pattern, and Hirebotics’ ingenious Cobot Welder smartphone application.

“With Cobot Welder, Hirebotics has managed to eliminate the pain points from robot welding system deployments. At the heart of the system is our Cobot Welder smartphone app, which turns welders into robot programmers in a matter of minutes, no pendant required,” says Mitch Dupon, Director of Business Development at Hirebotics. “By reducing the time taken to teach new parts by as much 60%, Cobot Welder reduces downtime, improves welding quality and productivity and ensures painless automated welding deployments.”

“The welding profession is experiencing a labor crisis. The average age for skilled welders is 55, most are likely to retire within 10 years, and younger people aren’t entering the profession in sufficient numbers to sustain industry demand,” he says. “There is an urgent need for collaborative welding systems that are safe to use around human beings and can be used to support expert human welders by taking over the tedious and unergonomic aspects of the welding process,” says Joe Campbell, Universal Robots VP of Marketing. Campbell encourages small to medium size businesses in particular to attend the upcoming Cobot Welder launch event (see the Hirebotics website) to see the system in action.

Takeaways

Hirebotics is delivering incredible value by lowering the cost of entry point for any manufacturer who wants to deploy robotic welding. The new Hirebotics Cobot Welder is a unique offering primarily because of the footprint and affordability of the solution. If you are a contract manufacturer, the Cobot Welder may be the perfect solution to help you bridge the gap on a limited-run manufacturing contract as you can deploy the Cobot Welder for as little as 1 month. The system is easy to setup and deploy. You can quickly reprogram the cobot for any variety of parts.

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