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Universal robot software platform will slash costs

08 April, 2021

A French start-up aiming to make industrial robots simple enough for anyone to use, has announced a software platform that, it claims, will cut the cost of robot programming by a factor of ten. Fuzzy Logic Robotics (FLR) says that its Fuzzy Studio software will allow any factory to automate using robots quickly, simply and cost-effectively, even for complex applications involving tasks such as welding, gluing, grinding, painting and dispensing.

It says that its platform is as intuitive and easy to use as a video game. The software uses the same standard interface for any make of robot, and delivers “industrial-grade” precision and performance for real-time control of the robots.

The software covers all of the steps involved in integrating robot workcells, from pre-project design and commissioning, to real-time production control, inline re-programming and maintenance.

FLR hopes that the platform will accelerate the uptake robots for any user, from large manufacturers to SMEs, systems integrators, and even OEMs.

The company argues that until now, both industrial and collaborative robotics has been too costly for truly flexible production because of the complexity of the software and integration required. Only a few handling applications – such as pick-and-place – have been made truly accessible to non-experts, and thus cost-effective for flexible production.

Most robot and cobot applications need complex, dedicated software tools and brand experts to implement. The tools require significant training and expertise. As a result, says FLR, more than 75% of the TCO (total cost of ownership) of robots in standard mass production applications is devoted to software training and services. In flexible production, this figure can exceed 90% of the TCO and can kill the potential return-on-investment.

Fuzzy Logic Robotics claims that its universal robot programming and control software will make robots easy and cheap enough for anyone to use

FLR contends that its universal platform covers all steps of the robot process intuitively. It:
• allows users to drag-and-drop CAD parts into 3D digital twins, generating complex trajectories automatically, and to deploy these trajectories to production robots in a single click;
• removes the gap between offline simulation and real-time control,
thus cutting downtime and streamlining the robotics workflow;
• reduces the need for robotics expertise through its use of a no-code real-time digital twin technology;
• can swap between any make and model of robot in a couple of clicks to choose the best one for an application, without needing to switch software and redo time-consuming design work; and
• allows any size of company to implement complex robotic applications.

Users of the software can:
Pick robots from an extensive library of models, and filter them by specification.
Import CAD and 3D files in more than 40 formats, including Step and Iges, to construct robot systems rapidly.
• Find the right end-of-arm tooling from top manufacturers or import custom-designed tools. The supported tools are plug-and-play compatible.
Create tool trajectories visually, without needing confusing coding or coordinate systems, and then execute them directly on a robot. The trajectories can be modified in real-time, with the changes visible in 3D.
Drag-and-drop 3D CAD objects to generate tool trajectories automatically, avoiding collisions, saving time, enhancing performance, and reinforcing safety.
Create a complete process including trajectories, tools, sensors, and synchronise I/O, without needing to write any code.
Swap any robot with two clicks to find the right one for the job. All trajectories and processes are re-computed automatically, and any incompatibilities can be fixed easily.
Deploy entire applications to production robots with a single click, and bridge the gap between simulation and reality. What you see in the simulation is what you get in reality. You can also monitor and adjust processes directly and in real-time.

Fuzzy Logic Robotics was founded in 2018 by a Franco-American team of robot experts who envisaged a new way of controlling and programming the next generation of robotic applications. It drew on expertise from top robotics research institutes in France.

Thanks to an early client in the audiovisual industry, the founders were able to develop a new paradigm that allows untrained users to interact with, control and program any industrial robot to perform complex applications.

FLR says that its mission is to enable the next revolution in robotic automation “by crushing complexity and transforming the way people interact with and use robots”.

The first release of Fuzzy Studio is being announced during this month’s virtual Hannover Fair.




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