Future versions of the robot might also be able to synthesise these recommended compounds. It is hoped that Eve can help identify new drug candidates for malaria and neglected tropical diseases such as African sleeping sickness and Chagas disease, which are killing millions of people every year.
Prof. Ross King, from Manchester Institute of Biotechnology at University of Manchester, says in a media report, “Every industry now benefits from automation, and science is no exception. Bringing in machine learning to make this process intelligent, rather than just a brute-force approach, could greatly speed up scientific progress and potentially reap huge rewards.”
Real helping hands
Known more scientifically as collaborative robots, these are a rising new clan of robots that can truly work side-by-side with humans. Imagine a robot lending a real helping hand, lifting a heavy object into a truck, the way you manually guide it to, just as two humans would lift it? The current generation of agile and safe industrial robots are really breaking out of caged production lines and working besides humans.
Experts say that, when man and robot share the same workspace, it creates fruitful synergies and productivity benefits by combining the strengths and benefits of the machine, such as reliability, durability and repetition accuracy, with human strengths such as dexterity and flexibility. However, this class of robots also requires special designs, in terms of greater flexibility, receptiveness to ad-hoc instructions and enhanced safety measures. For example, it must be possible for the robot to assess its co-worker’s position and classify it into safe zones, warning zones and unsafe zones in real-time. The robot should also be able to automatically adjust its own position to always revert to safe zone.
New components such as SafetyEYE, a 3D camera system that helps monitor protected fields and detection zones in several dimensions, aid in implementing human-robot collaboration.
Comau’s Racer3 is a recent example of a robot capable of working besides humans. It is a high-strength aluminium 6-axis articulated robot that can be mounted on benches, walls, ceilings or inclined supports. It has been designed for out-of-the-cage use in industries like food and beverage, electronics, plastics and metalworking. Speed and flexibility are what Racer3 really excels in.
According to the company’s official press release, “Racer3 is a natural contortionist that can bend like a snake until it assumes the shape of a scissor, surpassing the flange at axis 1. Or, it can close like a book, bringing the wrist toward the body to rotate the axis 1 at maximum speed while avoiding collisions with anything in the surrounding space. With a cycle time of less than 0.36 seconds for a 1kg pick-and-place cycle, the rigid construction and stable base ensures high precision and repeatability.”
Fanuc’s CR-35iA stands apart from common collaborative robots in the market, which are usually small payload varieties. This particular helper is capable of handling 35kg payloads, which according to the company is an industry-first. A soft green foam cover helps protect humans working around the robot, which reportedly meets ISO 10218-1:2011 robotic safety requirements and is designed to work alongside humans in operations such as machine tending, handling heavy payloads that require lift-assist devices or custom equipment, higher payload mechanical assembly, palletising or packing, and tote or carton handling.
Another recent example is Fetch Robotics’ team of vision-guided robots, Fetch and Freight. Fetch is an advanced mobile manipulator, while Freight is a mobile base. The duo is designed to work alongside humans in warehouse environments, performing tasks like warehouse delivery and pick-and-pack operations. Interestingly, the robots are built upon the open source robot operating system.
In addition to a range of sensors, grippers and so on, which help them do their job, the two robots are also fitted with components that help them navigate automatically and work safely with humans. In Fetch’s base, there is a charging dock, 25m range laser scanner for navigation and an obstacle-avoidance laser from German company SICK. It also features a 25m range 2D laser scanner used to detect workers and follow them at speeds of up to 2m/s.
Industrial wearables
The media has been abuzz about wearable devices for a long time now; from fitness wearables and health trackers to car-friendly wearables and personal assistants, we have read about these all. Interestingly, wearables are expected to be the next big wave in automation, too.
Healthcare organisations like Dignity Health and Stanford University Medical Center, manufacturers like Boeing, hoteliers like Palladium Hotel Group and Disney Resorts, as well as retailers like Tesco and Woolworths are experimenting with the use of wearable devices like fitness trackers, smart augmented reality (AR) glasses, voice-controlled headsets, wearable cameras and body sensors. These efforts are expected to improve speed, safety and efficiency while lowering costs.
