Jean-Philippe JobinCTO, Robotiqrobotiq.com

2011-04-02

NIST DEXTEROUS MANIPULATION WORKSHOPAutomate Show, January, 24th 2013

USEFUL ROBOT DEXTERITY

for the FACTORY

2

MANUFACTURERS NEED ROBOT DEXTERITY

3

4

What our customers need

5

What our customers need

Low Mix High MixLots of :

ChangeoversNew Product Introduction

Production Cost

(given volume, over given period of

time)

Robot production(Robots only)

Manual production

Robot production (including tooling +changeovers)

Robot production (including tooling +changeovers)

6

What our customers need

Low Mix High MixLots of :

ChangeoversNew Product Introduction

Production Cost

(given volume, over given period of

time)

Robot production(Robots only)

Manual production

Robot production (including tooling +changeovers)

Robot production (including tooling +changeovers)

7

What our customers need

Stay ManualROI < 0

Stay ManualROI < 0

Not sureROI > 0Not sureROI > 0

AutomateROI >> 0AutomateROI >> 0

Low Mix High MixLots of :

ChangeoversNew Product Introduction

Production Cost

(given volume, over given period of

time)

Manual production

ROBOT HANDS TODAY

8

• Traditional approach– Robots and grippers with limited or

no sensors (vision, touch)– Mechanical repeatability– Adapt the environment / process

• System broken in pieces (arm, hand, vision)

• Gripper choice left aside while planning project

9

Current System Approach

( )

10

Hand functions

11

What is the best hand?

FlexibilityNumber of tasks it can do

PerformanceHow well it can do a task on a curent robot

Bad

Average

Good

12

What is the best hand?

FlexibilityNumber of tasks it can do

PerformanceHow well it can do a task on a curent robot

Bad

Average

Good

New Industrial

Robots

New Industrial

Robots

Traditional Robots

Traditional Robots

MAKING GOOD ROBOT HANDS

13

14

Making good hands

Image: http://www.darklingwood.com/2008/05/dac-and-the-vls.html

1. Robust, cost-effective industrial sensors2. Force / tactile control

– Algorithms– Integration

Benefits:– World of applications– Relax mechanical constraints

15

Challenge: Sensing

16

Challenge: Robustness

• Gripper ROI calculation– Purchase– Integration– Operation

17

Challenge: Cost

BENCHMARKING ROBOT DEXTERITY

18

Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP)•Measure performance of upper limb prostheses•Also applied to musculoskeletal and unimpaired participants•26 tasks

– 8 abstract objects– 14 activities of daily living

•Measured success and speed used to calculate performance

19

Benchmarking Dexterity

http://www.shap.ecs.soton.ac.uk/

• SHAP equivalent for manufacturing tasks?– X abstract objects– Y activities of daily manufacturing– Human vs Robots

• Programming or teaching time• Scale

20

Benchmarking Dexterity

21

Picture: Hélène McNicoll http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canyon_Sainte-Anne,_le_canyon.jpeg

OFFEROFFER DEMANDDEMAND

22

robotiq.com

TOOLS FOR

AGILE AUTOMATION