Overview
Pick & Place: sleep industry
This pillow manufacturing company decided to automate this Pick & Place task in order to avoid this repetitive, mechanical and monotonous operation for the workers. This way the human team can bring value in other functions.
RB-KAIROS+ is appropriate for this industrial application because it is not only able to perform this task mechanically, but thanks to its sensorisation it can also detect errors, avoid obstacles or recalculate its route when necessary.
Robotnik’s robotics solution
The RB-KAIROS+ mobile manipulator has an integrated UR10e arm and mecanum wheels that allow omnidirectional movement. It features the OnRobot Eyes vision system, as well as a tool changer.
The role of the manipulator robot in this factory is to select, classify and place the different pillow models, while detecting possible errors. To do this, the RB-KAIROS+ navigates in front of the shelf, detecting it thanks to OnRobot’s Landmark. Then it moves the robotic arm to the exact position of the shelf, using the camera to characterise the pillow and detect whether it is the correct one, and then performs the corresponding ‘picking’. Finally, it navigates to the next position autonomously and sets the pillow, i.e. the ‘place’ task.
RB-KAIROS+ is Robotnik’s most popular mobile manipulator because of its versatility, flexibility and ability to perform precise handling tasks in different locations.
Challenges
In this use case, the manipulator robot not only performs a Pick & Place but also a recognises and detects errors when sorting pillow models. The challenge here was to integrate the advanced vision system that allows the arm to detect these possible errors from different distances.
Other highlights are the two functions developed for the arm, using force control: one for centring and uncoupling the end tool and another that adjusts the exchanger and joins the two parts together, fixing the latching lock.