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ABB buys Gomtec to boost its collaborative robotics drive

17 April, 2015

ABB has acquired the German robotics specialist Gomtec to expand its offering in the field of collaborative robots. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Privately owned Gomtec, based near Munich, has 25 employees and develops mechatronic systems that integrate mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, control and computer engineering. At last year’s Automatica show in Munich, it unveiled a family of modular, collaborative six-axis robots, called Roberta, with prices starting at around €28,000.

Although ABB has more than 250,000 robots installed worldwide, it has so far lagged behind rivals such as Kuka and newer entrants including Denmark’s Universal Robots and Rethink Robotics in the US, in offering robots that can collaborate safely with human co-workers without needing protective cages or fencing.

But at this week’s Hannover Fair, ABB formally launched its two-armed collaborative robot called YuMi, which it has previewed at several other events. While YuMi is aimed at small-parts assembly tasks, the Gomtec robots will add larger lifting capacities.

Speaking at Hannover, ABB’s CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer said: "We stand at the threshold of an enormous expansion opportunity in robotics. Not every robot that works outside of a cage must be a dual-arm robot. There are many applications where just one arm is enough. Gomtec has experience here.

“We also have experience with a certain payload with YuMi, while Gomtec has a different technology which has a larger payload,” he added. “The fact is, Gomtec fits ABB like a glove.”

Spiesshofer predicted that dramatically expanding applications for robots will mean that global sales will skyrocket beyond today’s figure of about 150,000 robots a year. “YuMi makes collaboration between humans and robots a reality,” he says. “It is the result of years of research and development, and will change the way humans and robots interact.”

Spiesshofer demonstrated YuMi to the German chancellor Angela Merkel and the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, who visited ABB’s stand after opening the Fair. “When you touch it, it comes to a halt,” he explained. “What's more, this robot learns on its own. It has cameras, the robot can be led, and can be programmed very quickly and intuitively.”

YuMi has a light, but rigid, magnesium skeleton covered with a floating plastic casing wrapped in soft padding to absorb impacts. Its compact size and human-like movements are said to make humans co-workers feel safe working alongside it.

If the robot senses an unexpected impact, it can pause its motion within milliseconds. It can be restarted as easily as pressing "play" on a remote control. There are no pinch points, so nothing can be harmed as the axes open and close. The robot can be taught tasks simply by operators moving its arms. It is claimed to be precise enough to manoeuvre a thread through the eye of a needle.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer, Hans-Georg Krabbe, head of ABB in Germany, and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, get to know the YuMi collaborative robot at the Hannover Fair

Although YuMi was designed primarily to meet the flexible, agile production needs of the electronics industry, it could be applied in any small parts assembly environment where its dual arms, flexible hands, universal parts feeding system, and camera-based part location, would be advantages.

YuMi will cost around $40,000. Spiesshofer estimates it will typically pay for itself in two years, through productivity and flexibility benefits. At Hannover, he revealed that ABB has taken its first orders for the machine. “YuMi is not just a true revolution in robotics technology,” he declared. “It has also garnered an enthusiastic reception from customers.”

ABB says that Gomtec’s technology will strengthen its development of a new generation of “safe-by-design” collaborative robots, opening up new applications.

“We are seeing an increasing trend of automation innovation where humans and robots work side-by-side in ways that weren’t possible before,” explains Pekka Tiitinen, president of ABB’s discrete automation and motion division. “The addition of Gomtec to our robotics offering will help accelerate ABB’s expansion into new markets as well as our penetration of traditional industries as manufacturers pursue new ways to increase flexibility, agility and competitiveness.”

“We have found the best partner for the next step in our journey,” says Gomtec CEO, Bernd Gombert. “ABB’s global reach and broad installed base, coupled with its world-class operations will help us bring innovative robots and solutions to the rapidly growing market for collaborative automation.”

BCG Research predicted recently that by 2025, adoption of advanced robots will boost productivity by up to 30% in many industries and lower labour costs by 18% or more in countries such as South Korea, China, the US, Japan, and Germany.

•  The Danish pioneer of collaborative robotics, Universal Robots, has revealed that it is on track to meet its goal of doubling its turnover each year between 2014 and 2017. It is aiming to achieve sales of more than $150m by 2017. It took on 50 new employees in 2014 and expects to recruit a similar number this year.




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