Editorial
In the spirit of the inventor
They vacuum, mow the lawn or show us the way to the product we are looking for in a retail store - we are talking about service robots. We may personally appreciate the benefits of a robot vacuum cleaner, for example, but one recently drove a 16-year-old to flee in the middle of the night.
Alone in his parents' detached house in Munich, he heard noise on the other floor and jumped out of the second-floor window out of fear of the suspected burglar. Unharmed, he made his way to safety to a neighbor. The police were alerted. They arrived with eight patrol cars and a dog handler to apprehend the burglar while he was still in the house. Which they did. As a spokesperson put it the next day: "We caught the robot!" A story that makes us smile. Robot vacuum cleaners are actually designed to do their rounds unnoticed at night without disturbing the actual occupants of the house. However, the robot in the crime story above got so stuck that it caused the "burglary noise". The panicked reaction of the 16-year-old could not have been foreseen and was probably not what the inventor had intended.
But history shows something else: people first have to get used to the new technology! With service robots or artificial intelligence such as Alexa from Amazon, we are bringing technical roommates into our four walls. As with a human roommate or a pet, you first have to get used to the presence and quirks of machines. In the case of the robot vacuum cleaner, it's the new ambient noises; in the case of Alexa, it's the fact that a female voice can suddenly join in a conversation to ask for an order confirmation.
What applies on a small scale in your own home also applies on a large scale: Industrial and commercial service robotics supports people in their daily work, increases flexibility and effectiveness in production and can also minimize the potential risk to workers, for example in the inspection and maintenance of oil and gas platforms. But here, too, people must be involved in the development process.
At Automatica from June 19 to 22 in Munich, you can find out what potential the technology really has, which areas of application have already been developed and how you can take your employees and colleagues with you on the path to a higher degree of automation. At the special show on service robotics, you can talk directly to the inventors and get to the bottom of the meaning behind the respective development.
Andrea Gillhuber, Editor-in-Chief
You might also be interested in
Predictive maintenance in retrofit
Predictive maintenance pays off. This is because early detection of impending failures means that systems can be serviced in a targeted manner before production downtime occurs. But how complex is it to integrate such a maintenance concept into an...
read more...Maintenance instead of replacement
The circular economy starts with the machinery
Sustainability in industry starts with machines, says our guest author from Deguma: How maintenance, modernization and the 5R strategy save resources, energy and CO₂.
read more...3D printing for unplanned requirements
The material fails and the machine suddenly stops? Then you need to take the right measures to be able to resume production quickly. Material failure in the form of faulty components or material wear in the frame are a risk for any production.
read more...High demands in terms of safety, application and robustness
Demanding work in the electrical trade and energy supply as well as smooth processes in production require innovative and customized measurement technology that scores points for safety, ease of use and resilience.
read more...Car meets e-bike: riding with lubrication-free polymer bearings
Studies show that the proportion of pedestrian and bicycle traffic is increasing in urban areas. With the JetBike, JetBike GmbH from Braunschweig presents a mixture of e-bike and car and relies on lubrication-free polymer bearings from Igus.
read more...Hydraulic hub for more efficient servicing
Bosch Rexroth presents a digital toolbox for service and maintenance. With a comprehensive range of digital services, the Hydraulic Hub simplifies and accelerates the service and maintenance of hydraulic products and increases machine availability.
read more...Arnold Umformtechnik expands after-sales...
Faster help with VR glasses
Arnold Umformtechnik is expanding the after-sales service for its machines to include digital remote services. The focus is on data security, simple operation and clear processes.
read more...147,000 euros per hour: high costs for German companies due to unplanned downtime
According to the "Value of Reliability" study, 67% of industrial companies in Germany experience unplanned downtime at least once a month. This costs the German economy 147,000 euros per hour. Nevertheless, reactive maintenance concepts are not...
read more...Maintenance starts with a maintenance planner
Legal requirements stipulate that machines and systems must be serviced regularly. The maintenance work serves to ensure occupational safety and economic efficiency.
read more...