|
Hearken to this text  |
The brand new Reacher collaborative robotic arms from Rethink Robotics. | Credit score: Rethink Robotics
Rethink Robotics is making a daring return to Boston with a brand new roster of collaborative robotic arms, autonomous cellular robots, and a cellular manipulator. The corporate began creating cobots in Boston again in 2008, but it surely needed to revamp its product line and discover new homeowners.
Rethink Robotics had raised $150 million and developed the well-known Baxter and Sawyer collaborative robots earlier than shutting its doorways in 2018. The corporate’s selection of collection elastic actuators precipitated issues with the cobots’ precision. Rethink had licensed the actuation expertise from the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how.
Lower than a month after the corporate shut down, German automation and robotics specialist HAHN Group acquired the IP and logos for the Sawyer cobot and Intera software program. HAHN re-tooled Sawyer, but it surely nonetheless struggled to achieve traction in industrial functions.
Boston, you’re my dwelling
Rethink Robotics is now underneath the United Robotics Group umbrella of HAHN Group. The corporate is hoping a contemporary begin in Boston, one of many world’s main robotics clusters, will assist it regain its footing. Rethink at the moment solely has an workplace at MassRobotics, but it surely hopes to vary that quickly.
The U.S.-based firm advised The Robotic Report that it’s in search of an workplace area. It hopes to have a group up and working within the subsequent 3-6 months.
“When launching Rethink Robotics, we thought of Atlanta, Chicago, and Detroit,” mentioned Julia Astrid Riemenschneider, vice chairman of enterprise improvement, industrial robots worldwide, at United Robotics Group. “However everybody is aware of Rethink Robotics as being in Boston.”
Cobots have come a great distance because the unique Rethink Robotics closed its doorways in 2018. Common Robots (UR), which additionally has an workplace in Boston and is owned by Massachusetts-based Teradyne, continues to be the market chief.
Nonetheless, giant robotics gamers equivalent to ABB, FANUC, and KUKA have stepped up their respective cobot video games, too. Pressure and power-limited robots have gotten stronger, with bigger reaches and extra intuitive consumer interfaces, amongst different enhancements.
Competing with these gamers will probably be no straightforward job for Rethink Robotics or another cobot newcomer. Riemenschneider mentioned competing with UR was not a part of the choice to base the corporate in Boston.
“For industrial functions, Sawyer had points with repeatability and accuracy and made that unusual noise,” she acknowledged. “For many industrial functions, it simply wasn’t hardened sufficient. However our new motto is ‘Higher, sooner, stronger.’ Rethink Robotics is industry-ready now.”
Rethink reveals new cobot lineup
You received’t see any nods to Baxter and Sawyer in Rethink Robotics’ new Reacher cobot arm line. The brand new portfolio consists of seven fashions — RE 07, 09, 13, 16, 21, 30, and 30L — that may deal with payloads of seven to 30 kg (15 to 66 lb.).
Every cobot options an IP65 ranking to be used in moist and dusty environments, and precision with ± 0.03 mm pose repeatability. Relying on the mannequin, Rethink Robotics mentioned its most pace ranges from 120 to 200 levels per second.
The Reacher cobots function collision detection and compatibility with a wide range of equipment equivalent to grippers, imaginative and prescient programs, rails, and different end-of-arm and peripheral instruments.
Rethink mentioned its new cobots are designed for a wide range of functions, together with meeting, machine tending, materials dealing with, palletizing, welding, high quality inspection, and extra. See the desk under for a fast overview of Rethink Robotics’ new Reacher line:
Supply: Rethink Robotics
Cell robots a part of new choices
Rethink Robotics launched its first-ever autonomous cellular robots (AMRs). The brand new Rethink Ryder line the light-duty MRE 550 AMR, which may deal with payloads as much as 550 kg (1,212 lb.), and the heavy-duty MRE 1400 AMR to deal with payloads as much as 1,400 kg (3,086 lb.).
The corporate mentioned each AMRs include an built-in carry perform.
Rethink added that each AMRs use a number of sensing modalities for a 360-degree view of the surroundings in actual time. The AMRs use simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) for environmental visualization, dynamic impediment bypassing, and trajectory planning.
As well as, low-level controllers and sensor information are accessible by means of open-architecture software program appropriate with third-party functions, mentioned Rethink.
The Ryder AMR platform from Rethink Robotics.
Riser cellular manipulator combines merchandise
Rethink Robotics can be introducing its Riser cellular manipulator. The system combines a Ryder AMR with a Reacher cobot and a conveyable battery field. The corporate advised The Robotic Report that its innovation is in enabling the arm to be simply indifferent and re-attached to the AMR.
Rethink mentioned it could ship us a video of this in motion once we spoke to the corporate final week, however we’re nonetheless ready on that video.
The corporate mentioned the cobot arm and AMR every have their very own battery packs that require separate charging. Reacher has a 22-hour uptime, Rethink mentioned, whereas the Ryder AMR might be charged in two methods: manually or wirelessly by means of inductive charging. Every Ryder comes outfitted with three or 4 battery models primarily based on its measurement.
The management field that comes with Reacher is a compact and built-in unit designed to handle and management the robotic’s operations. This management field homes the important electronics, together with the robotic’s processor, energy provide, and communication interfaces. It serves because the central hub for executing instructions, processing sensor information, and coordinating the robotic’s actions.
Rethink Robotics’ Riser cellular manipulator.
