As I mentioned in an earlier post, advances in computer technology has infiltrated every industry, including (and especially) the manufacturing and industrial world. I saw many machines, processes and applications that were all influenced by information technology and advances in electronic design. Of course, these improvements are necessary to make it possible for manufacturing-based companies to become more competitive in their respective markets and to give them the ability to produce their product much faster, more efficiently and at a lower cost to the consumer or customer.
I couldn't believe some of the things I saw. The machines were just simply amazing in what they are able to do these days. I'm not going to bore you with details but I do want to at least show you some short (low-quality) videos of high speed, intelligent robotic equipment that just blows your mind when you watch what it does.
Before I show you the videos, take a look at the Tesla Roadster! This is a 100% electric sports car that gets 245 miles per charge and will go from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds! You can get one of these on order for you for just a little over $100K!!
And then there is this Spyder bike. I have seen a few of these non-traditional 3-wheelers on the road and they are awesome! I look for them to be working on a covered version of these things sometime in the future to make them an all-weather bike.
There was also this full-scale mock up of the F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter jet that is supposed to be the next generation of stealth fighter jets. The US military intends to buy over 2400 of these jets from Lockheed
Martin. I wouldn't want to be a foe against this piece of cutting edge technology!
Last of all, here are three of the videos I promised, which show some small, high-speed robotic pickers and a set of 3 arms that work together to accomplish their task. Each of these robotic arms have adaptive and semi-autonomous technology built into the robot's software. These things were just flat mind-blowing to me! The speed and accuracy was beyond what I imagined they could do at this point in time. The company that makes these things (FANUC Robotics) is top-notch and very good. They had a huge presence at the show and their robotic arms were integrated and partnered with many other companies that utilize them with their own equipment.
I couldn't get the videos attached to my blog correctly so here is a link to each one within my web album.
Robotic picker 1 - pay attention to the arrangement of the red parts on each conveyor.... staggered on the first conveyor and in a nice neat line with uniform spacing on the second conveyor.
Robotic picker 2 - what's cool about this one is that the M&M's are in random locations on the table, yet the picker is able to locate and sort them by color when separating them into the jars.
Synchronized robots - this set of arms was also fascinating to see. Obviously, the paths that the arms go through are programmed by someone, but FANUC has their own 3D programming software that makes this job much easier than you might imagine and once it is programmed, it's done. Also remember.....these things NEVER get tired!
Needless to say, I enjoyed seeing the latest technology as it relates to the machining world and my job. It was truly fascinating to see it all!
I LOVE the Tesla roadster. Great article Dad! I felt like I was reading an article on Engadget or some other tech magazine.
ReplyDelete