Information briefs for the week check out BMW saying the first-ever Manufacturing unit in a Field as an add-on to its manufacturing strains, cobots braving gamma rays to make medical radioisotopes, extremely dexterous, deep-sea cobots saving human divers from harsh environments, ABB does it once more with yet one more acquisition for AMR management, and Mujin Robotics and Accenture accomplice in hope of jumpstarting robot-AI automation in Japan.
Manufacturing unit in a Field
Cell manufacturing simply received an fascinating enhance in what’s being hailed by carmaker BMW as a Manufacturing unit in a Field, which is actually a small, robot-driven manufacturing facility (with a number of industrial robots or cobots) that may simply be crated up and shipped wherever on the globe.
First conceived of and developed in Sweden in 2007, Manufacturing unit-in-a-Field Options for Availability and Mobility of Versatile Manufacturing Capability, was an answer for the conclusion of “cellular and reconfigurable manufacturing capability on demand.” Three key options of the system have been mobility, flexibility, and pace.
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On the tenth Convention on Studying Factories, in 2020, Manufacturing unit in a Field, along with cellular manufacturing, was introduced as “a mannequin manufacturing facility—a extremely participating and efficient studying expertise” for coaching workers in new and novel manufacturing procedures. As an alternative of many workers touring to a producing web site, the location got here to them. The outcomes have been spectacular, exhibiting improved recall from individuals, and improved studying outcomes as individuals learn the way and why to use new instruments and methods not simply what they’re.”
BMW lately (2024) used the idea for a real-world utility by producing the world’s first Manufacturing unit in a Field for its door meeting manufacturing line (see video).
The carmaker claims: “Manufacturing unit in a Field, the world’s first modular plug & play course of tools for door sealing functions. Developed in collaboration with AyTec Automation, it ensures a fast startup at our crops.”
Cobots, labs & gamma rays
Cobots have been working their means into a variety of laboratories and demonstrating wonderful ends in almost each utility. One of many newest is at Argonne Nationwide Laboratory (Chicago) on a federal authorities venture to see how greatest to securely pace up the manufacture of medical radioisotopes by incorporating cobots, synthetic intelligence (AI) and machine studying (ML).
Medical radioisotopes are these radioactive supplies used notably for imaging, analysis and remedy of varied medical situations. With tens of millions of radioisotope therapies yearly needing preparation, sluggish, costly, and oftentimes harmful manufacturing processes have been the norm. Some radioisotopes are nonetheless made based mostly on applied sciences used for the reason that Nineteen Forties.
In apply, a radioisotope manufactured from Iodine-131 travels all through the physique and localizes within the thyroid gland. As a result of it’s radioactive, its presence could be detected. It’s a radioactive tracer that detects a goiter, which is an irregular development of the thyroid gland.
In consequence, in lots of circumstances, the demand for these rising isotopes is much past the obtainable provide. This limits the speed of progress in growing these superior most cancers therapies. That’s why the mixing of cobots and synthetic intelligence into the manufacturing of radioisotopes holds a lot promise.
As Argonne physicist Jerry Nolen sees it: “Simply by gaining the flexibility to do the manipulation of the pattern from throughout the room signifies that we will safely deal with samples as much as 10 instances as radioactive. This dramatically will increase our skill to supply these worthwhile and needed isotopes.”
6-axis, subsea cobots
Some cobots are being constructed for subsea adventures, like these from the comparatively new (2016) Sydney, Australia-based Attain Robotics. 
The Attain X, for instance, is a watertight, 6-axis, underwater manipulator with 3D imaginative and prescient that may dive to 1,000 ft and has end-effector gripping accuracy of 0.39 of an inch (<1cm). …It’s dexterous gripper abilities can swiftly unzipper a duffle bag on the ocean flooring.
With 75% of the globe’s floor coated in water, and with the world’s largest island/continent—Australia—surrounded by identical, Aussie subsea cobots ought to have an odds-on likelihood at doing pretty properly as business merchandise. And certainly, the corporate has risen rapidly. Between its two founders (2016) and at present’s 50 workers (2024), Attain Robotics has constructed a shopper listing of personal companies, authorities, and better schooling, in over a dozen vertical industries.
A Attain specialty is that its cobot arms are purposefully engineered for “ultra-subsea dexterity” in order that they’ll carry out duties usually meant for human divers. In keeping with its founders, that’s exactly the corporate’s mission: “extending human attain into harsh environments by creating powerful, sturdy, superior manipulation and notion techniques.”
ABB Robotics does it AGAIN!
Immediately, ABB Robotics is an autonomous cellular robotic (AMR) phenom! And all of it since 2018! Whereas simply since final week, it TWICE jumped up a number of notches in management for new-age mobility in “sensible” AMRs. Well timed plan brilliantly executed.
Along with the AMRs, ABB will get a aspect profit: ABB now has a cellular platform for its cobots.
Final week, What’s New in Robotics? reported on the ABB acquisition trifecta of Intrion (2018), and ASTI (2021), that vaulted ABB into AMR prominence; after which the January addition of Sevensence (2024) vaulting it additional into management in “sensible” AMRs.
Now comes this week’s acquisition of software program developer MeshMinds (2024) for AI, Industrial IoT, and machine imaginative and prescient. Collectively, Sevensense and MeshMinds will construct out a brand new R&D hub for revolutionary automation. These two shall be joined by Austrian-based Bernecker & Rainer Industrie-Elektronik (B&R), acquired by ABB in 2017 that produces industrial PCs and manufacturing facility automation gadgets designed to extend productiveness.
Development by way of acquisition for ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation enterprise is how the corporate intends to catapult itself into management place in what ABB calls “subsequent technology versatile automation”.
Sami Atiya, president, ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation Enterprise was greater than happy: “AI-powered robotics and automation have the ability to remodel industries,” he mentioned, “offering companies with larger flexibility and intelligence amidst important international developments and workforce challenges.”
ABB’s general boss since 2020, Björn Rosengren, promised extra acquisitions: “Among the firm’s development will come by way of acquisitions [maybe 5 to 10 a year] notably small to medium-sized ones to assist divisions strengthen their market positions.”
AMR’s have been a lot wanted at ABB. The marketplace for autonomous cellular robots (AMRs) is predicted to develop by round 20% per 12 months as much as 2026, in keeping with ABB estimates, increasing from $5.5 billion in 2023 to $9.5 billion by 2026.
This fee is quicker than the one anticipated for typical mounted robots, the place ABB sees annual development of 8%.
Mujin Robotics and Accenture to jumpstart automation in Japan
Current analysis in Nature and from the Oxford Martin College painting Japan’s industrial automation efforts as ranging wherever from lagging to stagnating. Graeme Mcdonald at Citigroup factors out one of the best automated factories in Japan are those who make robots: “Manufacturing at a few of Japan’s main robotics corporations is already almost absolutely automated.” However automation doesn’t prolong a lot past robotics.
Now that synthetic intelligence (AI) and machine studying (ML) have begun to converge with robotics, Japan’s limitations have grow to be obtrusive: Japanese robotics lags as AI captures international consideration, reads a header in a current Nature article.
“AI and robotics will not be separable,” says Minoru Asada, an emeritus roboticist at Osaka College. “Large modifications occurred, and we couldn’t catch up.”
The consensus on Japan, robots, AI, and automation is that the “nation’s automation analysis would possibly want a renewed focus.” Enter Mujin Robotics and Accenture partnering with a plan to ascertain a “new paradigm” in automation in Japan. Mujin Robotics might be Japan’s greatest instance of an AI-driven robotics vendor, and naturally, Accenture is a Dublin-based info expertise companies and consulting large to largely the International Fortune 500, with revenues for 2023 of $64.1 billion. The article in AIThority states it plainly: Accenture and Mujin Set up Joint Enterprise to Convey AI and Robotics to the Manufacturing and Logistics Industries.
The brand new enterprise, referred to as Accenture Alpha Automation, will assist Japanese corporations automate their administration infrastructure with data-driven options that seamlessly mix operational knowledge from manufacturing and logistics operations with administration knowledge. The three way partnership is owned 70% by Accenture and 30% by Mujin.
“Mujin gives clever automation options for industrial websites. Its clever robotics platform permits corporations to deploy industrial robotics techniques with out the standard complicated advance settings and integration, together with movement settings and peripheral tools, typically required for different robotics techniques.”
With its East Asian opponents, China and Korea, properly forward of Japan in AI convergence, Accenture Alpha Automation will want a mighty effort to get Japan again into the sport.