On Tuesday 8th April 2014 the fourth “Robotics Award” ceremony took place at the Hannover Messe. The prize recognizes innovative robotic solutions with high practical relevance. Criteria such as technical innovation, economic benefits for industry as well as impact on the environment and society played a crucial role in the judging by the expert panel.
KEBA won first prize for their “KeTop T10 directMove” handheld control unit. The device permits a new and intuitive type of robot operation.
To teach a robot its movement sequence – known as the “teach-in” process – is no easy task. Repeatedly conceptualizing the three-dimensional movement options for a robot, mapped in the form of a coordinate system, and programming the movement paths, represents an extremely complex task. It really can take a very long time depending on skill level.
Thanks to the intuitive operation concept of the KeTop T10 directMove where you simply show the robot the path in effect, both experienced users and novices save around one fifth of the time required for the teach-in process.
Using inertial sensors of the 6D Inertial Measurement Unit (6D IMU), the KeTop T10 directMove detects its position and direction in the three-dimensional space. The operator therefore can easily specify the required movement or rotation by indicating the direction of motion and then operating a small joystick – regardless of his or her position relative to the robot. This means that no in-depth knowledge of coordinate systems is required.
The motion speed can be changed via the intensity of the joystick operation. This means that individual path points can be set and finely adjusted using the KeTop T10 directMove. Where required, additional standard operating units and screen-based devices such as notebooks can also be used for programming.
Practical studies show that time savings of up to 20% are possible, even for experienced robot operators. New users profit even more and are able to work reliably using the robot in shortest time.
For example, in service robotics where heavy loads are moved and complex coordinate systems are built upon each other, a teach-in is tricky to implement. But the KeTop T10 directMove offers a noticeable increase in ease of operation.
It is clear right from the start that with this product KEBA’s main focus is on the end user. Ergonomics, weight and maximum ease-of-use are essential aspects of the KeTop T10 directMove. Decades of experience in development of handheld units and in automation combined with precise knowledge of the field of application are reflected in a highly innovative product that fully justifies KEBA’s “easy to use” claims.
“Our customers enthuse at the intuitive operating concept straight away,” reflects Gerhard Luftensteiner, CEO of KEBA on the market opportunities for this product. KEBA is already in discussion with several renowned robot manufacturers and the series launch will take place later this year.
Even companies without the relevant experts on hand, who may previously have dispensed with robots in the production process, can now feel confident in acquiring such systems. Thanks to the KeTop T10 directMove the teach-in of the kinematics is possible with minimal time required for training and familiarization.
This new operation method opens up a whole new range of applications – even in situations without robot specialists being on hand.
The user has four operating modes available. It is possible to switch between these modes very simply as required. A 1.5″ color display indicates the active mode using icons.
Emergency stop and a 3-position enabling switch ensure a consistently high safety standard equivalent to traditional handheld units. In addition, special safety functions prevent the robot following rapid, accidental movements of the KeTop T10 directMove directly, and joints that are moved too quickly are blocked.
It is interesting to note that the origin of this patented in-house KEBA development lies in the company’s internal innovation process. Here, staff members actively contribute ideas for new products, processes and solutions. Following a feasibility and usability check, these ideas are progressed with purpose. This means that an award-winning product can come about from one single idea – the KeTop T10 directMove is just the latest example of this.
For more than 20 years, KEBA has been developing and producing mobile handheld terminals for industry at its main site in Linz, Austria. 20,000 of these mobile control units are shipped from KEBA headquarters each year, both under the KEBA brand and white-labeled for customers. KEBA is the market leader in mobile handheld terminals for the industrial sector.
KEBA will be exhibiting the KeTop T10 directMove as well as numerous other innovations from the fields of robotics, automation, control and visualization.
