KNOWLEDGE BASE Steve Sands, Technical Consultant at Festo GB explained to H&P, that having spoken to its customers, it’s clear they are experiencing several change drivers that are affecting their business in multiple ways. These include labour shortages in fields and factories, rising energy costs and the need for higher flexibility and productivity. The result is increasing opportunities for automation and robotics. The desire for increased automation is not just localised says Sands. Global technology giants are investing heavily in robotics. He highlights, for example, that Google intends to leverage its machine learning technologies into robotics. It has also invested in its own household service robotics company, Everyday Robots, with some very interesting mobile robot concepts for homes, offices, and factories. He adds that Amazon and Tesla are also pushing into robotic technology. Both have internal automation needs but see many opportunities beyond their own warehouses and factories. Tesla has already revealed its Optimus humanoid robot, literally making big strides in a short space of time. These new entrants into the robotics sector are bound to be disruptive and further drive the pace of change. Sands explains that pneumatics and fluid power in general still have an important role in automation and are key to delivering new robotic solutions: “Typically lightweight and compact, pneumatics offer fast movements coupled with high force density. The Festo concept Cobot shows how pneumatic 26 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS September 2023 www.hpmag.co.uk rotary drives can be installed in individual joints enabling robotic axis to be combined to deliver speed and significant weight savings. Such robots can be programmed for a degree of accuracy that suits most applications, with a great combination of speed, precision, and repeatability either operating independently in applications like lab automation or working alongside humans in Cobot mode.” Getting to grips Sands highlights that Festo has several robotic development projects in train, looking at ultra-lightweight handling systems, reducing moving masses and making it safer for automated assistance devices to work alongside humans. One of these strands has been exploring the use of controlled pneumatics. This, he says, has evolved into a concept cobot that was demonstrated at Hannover Fair and offered some very interesting features which are now being evaluated in industrial applications. These development concepts don’t just demonstrate an interesting diversification of drive technology, they also incorporate improved - and that means simplified - programming and teaching modes, and more flexible end-effectors. Traditionally, vacuum generated by pumps or venturi nozzles with contact through flexible cups or porous plates has been used for most pick and place applications, with specialist Bernoulli non-contact grippers being deployed for very delicate Rapid developments in robotic automation The engineering automation sector has been coping with the accelerating pace of innovation for many years. Beyond general progress, we also experience step-changes that can be triggered by the alignment of technological trends or a major global event like the recent pandemic. With disruptive technologies like Artificial Intelligence entering the mainstream, there are exciting times ahead. Steve Sands, Technical Consultant at Festo GB explains further to H&P. Festo’s pneumatic concept cobot combines unique drive technology with simplified programming We have seen a rapid increase in the use of robotics in automated drug discovery
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