Japan based KAWADA Industries has been developing humanoids to work alongside Homo sapiens in factories manufacturing cash dispensing machines and ticket dispensing machines. While the development of so many robots might terrify many people owing to the science fiction movies that have hit the market, but they have been accepted as important, even inspirational, members of the entire working team. It takes the robot a whole three minutes to make a cup of instant coffee while elevator music plays softly in the background.
Its overall design includes a head with two cameras, a torso, two 6-axis arms and a mobile base. Its head is equipped with stereo vision just like a human. This means that Nextage can attain 3D coordinates with high precision. Moreover, the head has two degrees-of-freedom allowing it to adjust its field of vision with the workflow. Its torso has a LED display to assure visibility of the robot status. Its overall height can also be adjusted by changing the height of an element in the torso. Nextage has two cameras on its end effectors that can capture 3D information of an object by taking different pictures of it from different angles. The cameras bring precision to the robot’s work.
Its base has wheels, so it can be moved around and rapidly reassigned to another workstation. Its base contains all its control systems such as the image recognition system through an integrated PC. Its software uses GUI which helps to operate the robot intuitively with graphical elements. The source code for the software is licensed by GNU General Public License. This means the general public can download, distribute and duplicate it.
Under the circumstances, GLORY adopted the humanoid robots to build a new production line, which is capable of processing detailed precise works in manufacturing currency handling machines using a number of different parts. The new innovative assembly line, capable of stabilizing the product quality, has been built up by adopting the humanoid robots NEXTAGE, and will flexibly adapt to manufacturing a wide variety of products in variable quantities.
The close collaboration between GLORY, having the technical skills in mass production, and KAWADA INDUSTRIES, having the cutting-edge technology in the robot manufacturing industry, has demonstrated, each providing their respective strengths, a future path toward preserving domestic manufacturing bases in Japan. Kawada Industries is working towards building industrial robots that are not only used in manufacturing plans, but ones that will work alongside human laborers. The Japan Times reports that the Robot has cameras on each of its arms and can detect movement and doesn’t collide with people who enter its space.
