Drives & Controls March 2023

p A German specialist in explosion-proof mobile devices, i.safe Mobile , has announced what it claims is the world's first 5G smartphone for Atex and IECEx zone 1/21. The intrinsically safe phones can exchange large amounts of data almost in real time, with low latencies. They can be used on public or private 5G networks, and are expected to have applications including controlling robots and production lines, managing AGVs, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance and augmented reality. The Android 12 phones have 6-inch displays, 48-megapixel main cameras, and support standards including Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and NFC. www.isafe-mobile.com p A US company has launched a semiconductor power module for use in SSCBs (solid-state circuit breakers) which, it claims, lowers conduction losses “dramatically” compared to existing devices such as IGBTs (insulated gate bipolar transistors). Texas-based Ideal Power ’s SymCool modules, based on its patented B-Tran bidirectional power switch technology, will allow SSCBs to be smaller and more efficient than those using traditional power semiconductor switches, while operating “orders of magnitude” faster than electromechanical breakers. The 1.2kV, 100A modules will lead to more efficient industrial and utility power systems. https://www.idealpower.com p The Digital Twin Consortium (DTC) and OPC Foundation have formed a liaison agreement to accelerate the development and adoption of digital twin-enabling technologies. They hope to advance the use of digital twins across manufacturing. The two organisations, which have previously worked together on open-source projects, will: collaborate on standardisation; harmonise their technologies to achieve interoperability; and align their work in horizontal domains for adoption in vertical domains, use cases, and proof of concepts. They will also ensure that digital twins are compatible with the OPC UA framework used in run-time components in operational domains. p Honeywell has opened an r&d centre at its technology facility in Brno in the Czech Republic to help European warehouse and logistics companies to enhance their supply chains and improve the accuracy, efficiency and throughput of packages. The 6,000m 2 facility will develop next-generation warehouse systems including smart conveyors, robots, automated storage and retrieval systems, sorting systems, palletisers and advanced picking technologies. The facility will also allow Honeywell’s customers to experience and train on these technologies for the first time in Europe. https://sps.honeywell.com TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS TECHNOLOGY n 19 www.drivesncontrols.com March 2023 A FRENCHDEVELOPER has announced “revolutionary”software that allows non-experts to program and simulate almost any type of industrial robot, without needing to do any coding. Fuzzy Logic says that its Fuzzy Studio software will allow industrial users to create virtual cells and to robotise their production at an affordable price with low risk, even in situations that were once considered impossible – such as for small batches or complex parts. The company’s CEO, Ryan Lober, predicts that the software“will revolutionise mass-customisation and flexible production. Our ambition is to make industrial robotics accessible to a wider audience – such as for the production of small batches or unique parts – which are difficult to automate due to the high costs associated with complex robot programming. By democratising robotics, making it simple to program and simulate a robot for everyone, we make robotic automation feasible where it once seemed impossible.” He believes it is“currently the most advanced and accessible industrial robotics software on the market”. According to Fuzzy Logic, existing approaches to setting up robot cells are often complex. With its new software,“this process becomes incredibly simple and accessible”. It allows robotics novices to create interactive virtual cells, and lets anyone design, program and simulate robot cells as real- time digital twins. The basic specifications of a project can be validated in a fewminutes instead of several weeks, and at a much lower cost. Information on the sizing of a robot cell is displayed for easy decision-making before moving on to real-time control. Parameters can be modified rapidly in the simulation, cutting investment risks. Robot trajectories normally need complex, time-consuming programming by experts. The new software generates complex trajectories automatically in a few clicks using 3D information on objects in the digital twin. An unlimited number of waypoints can be added to the trajectories. The software includes a collision detection function. The positions of objects can be configured in minutes, and potential collisions anticipated. Any object can be reconfigured in a few clicks. When an object’s position is modified, its associated trajectories are updated. Interactions are dynamic, and it is immediately obvious whether a revised robot trajectory will work. Over the past two years, the Fuzzy Studio software has been used by a limited number of pilot customers. It is now being offered to a wider audience in two formats: the Fuzzy Studio Simulation version, which allows non-robotic users to create and preview robot cells in simulated environments; and the Fuzzy Studio Production version, which adds the tools needed to integrate and operate a real robot cell. It validates hypotheses formulated in the simulated cell, including trajectories, implementation and collisions, in the real world. With rapid simulation, the risk of errors is almost eliminated, according to Fuzzy Logic. If a problem is detected, it can be corrected in the simulation. The Fuzzy Studio Production version includes an I/O module, which can simulate and program the behaviour of a PLC in the virtual cell using simple functions such as generating a trajectory or launching a gripper. A click of a button in the software allows real-time connection with Fuzzy’s real-time operating system installed in a robot bay, enabling real-time control. The French Public Investment Bank (BPI) has recently given Fuzzy Logic a €1.75m grant to help it to“democratise”industrial robots. www.flr.io ‘Revolutionary’ software lets anyone programrobots Fuzzy Logic says that its no-code programming and simulation software will allow non-experts to program and set up industrial robots.