Comau Develops Mobile Manipulation System For EU-Backed Projects

Comau announced late last month that it has developed a new mobile manipulation system that is being used for three European projects involving warehouse and manufacturing tasks.

The Southfield, Mich.-based company has installed its Racer-5 COBOT on to its Agile 1500 autonomous guided vehicle. Each of the robots have their own batteries and can be independently controlled if needed.

The company noted the system is designed “to handle individualized production within an Industry 4.0-enabled manufacturing environment.” Visual feedback for pick and place operations, as well as other tasks, is provided thanks to an integrated vision system, such as the novel Comau MI.RA, installed directly on the arm.

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The company added that the system can “be seamlessly integrated within Comau’s digital infrastructure.”

DIMOFAC, an EU initiative aimed at helping companies implement a smart factory architecture, is using the system for pick and place and warehouse automation tasks.

The PeneloPe Project, an EU-backed digital manufacturing group, is using it to for glue dispensing and non-destructive quality inspection in the public transport domain. The PeneloPe Project has been tasked with developing a closed-loop, end-to-end digital manufacturing solution that facilitates bidirectional data flows across the entire manufacturing value chain.

The ODIN Project, another EU-backed group tasked, has been tasked with understanding how robots and AI can help boost economic development. It has been using the system to to support the manipulation of mechanical parts for automotive applications with the aim of demonstrating the technical and performance feasibility of collaborative robotics on the factory floor.

Comau is a part of Stellates and claims to be a leading developer of advanced industrial automation. It said its portfolio includes technology and systems for electric, hybrid and traditional vehicle manufacturing, industrial robots, collaborative and wearable robotics, autonomous logistics, dedicated machining centers and interconnected digital services and products able to transmit, elaborate and analyze machine and process data.