Realtime Robotics celebrates motion-planning collaboration with Mitsubishi Electrical

Supply: Eugene Demaitre, The Robotic Report

BOSTON — As factories and warehouses look to automate extra of their operations, they want confidence that a number of robots can conduct advanced duties repeatedly, reliably, and safely. Realtime Robotics has developed hardware-agnostic software program to run and coordinate industrial workcells easily with out error or collision.

“The dearth of coordination on the fly is a key cause why we don’t see a number of robots in lots of purposes in the present day — even in machine tending, the place a number of arms may very well be helpful,” mentioned Peter Howard, CEO of Realtime Robotics (RTR). “We’re planning with Mitsubishi Electrical to place our movement planner into its CNC controller.”

The firm final month obtained strategic funding from Mitsubishi Electrical Corp. as a part of its ongoing Collection B spherical. Realtime Robotics mentioned it plans to make use of the funding to proceed scaling and refining its motion-planning optimization and runtime programs. 

Final week, a high-ranking delegation from Mitsubishi Electrical visited Realtime Robotics to rejoice the businesses’ collaboration. RTR demonstrated a workcell with 4 robotic arms from completely different distributors, together with Mitsubishi, that was in a position to optimize movement as desired in seconds.

“Mitsubishi Electrical is a multi-business conglomerate, a know-how chief, and one of many main suppliers of manufacturing unit automation merchandise worldwide,” mentioned Dr. Toshie Takeuchi, govt officer and group president for manufacturing unit automation programs at Mitsubishi. “I see this partnership as the right level the place expertise meets innovation to create worth for our prospects, stakeholders, and society.”

She and Howard answered the next questions from The Robotic Report:

Mitsubishi Electrical, Realtime Robotics combine applied sciences

How is Realtime Robotics’ motion-optimization software program distinctive? How will it assist Mitsubishi Electrical’s prospects?

Takeuchi: Realtime Robotics’ software program is exclusive in some ways. It begins with the flexibility to do collision-free movement planning. From there, the movement planning in single robotic cells in addition to multirobot cells may be routinely optimized for cycle time.

Our prospects will profit by optimizing cycle time to enhance manufacturing effectivity and decreasing the quantity of engineering efforts required for gear design.

Howard: Usually, to offer entry for a number of instruments without delay, you want an interlocked sequence, which loses time. In response to the IFR [which recognized the company for its “choreography” tool], as much as 70% of the price of a robotic is in programming it.

With RapidPlan, we routinely tune for mounted purposes, saving time. Our cloud service can devour information and ship again an optimized movement plan, enabling lots of of hundreds of motions in a few hours. It’s like Google Maps for industrial robots.

Does Mitsubishi have a timeframe in thoughts for integrating Realtime’s know-how into its controls for manufacturing unit automation (FA)? When will they be accessible?

Takeuchi: We’re beginning by integrating RTR’s motion-planning and optimization know-how into our 3D simulator to considerably enhance gear and system design.

Our plan is to include this know-how into our FA management programs, together with PLCs and CNCs, and this integration is at the moment beneath growth and testing, with a launch anticipated quickly.

Howard: We’re at the moment validating and characterizing for distant optimization with prospects. We’re additionally doing longevity testing right here at our headquarters.

Within the demo cell, you couldn’t simply program 1.7 million choices for 4 completely different arms, however RapidPlan automates movement planning and calculates house reservations to keep away from obstacles in actual time. We do point-to-point, built-in spline-based motion.

Toyota requested us for a 16-arm cell to check spot welding, and we are able to add a second controller for an adjoining cell. We will at the moment management as much as 12 robots for welding excessive and low on an auto physique.

Mitsubishi Electrical lately launched the RV-35/50/80 FR industrial robots — are they designed to work with Realtime’s know-how?

Takeuchi: Sure, they’re. Our robots are developed on the identical platform which seamlessly combine with RTR’s know-how.

Howard: For instance, Sony makes use of Mitsubishi robots to fabricate 2-cm components, and we are able to get right down to submillimeter accuracy if it’s a recognized object with a CAD file.

Cobots are wonderful for bigger objects and voxels, however customers should nonetheless conduct security assessments.

MELCO’s Dr. Takeuchi adjustments optimization parameters throughout RTR demonstration by Kevin Carlin, chief industrial officer. Supply: Realtime Robotics

RTR optimizes movement for a number of purposes

What types of purposes or use instances do Mitsubishi and Realtime count on to profit from nearer coordination amongst robots?

Takeuchi: Our interplay with and understanding from prospects counsel that the majority manufacturing websites are constantly in want of accelerating manufacturing, effectivity, profitability, and sustainability.

With our collaboration, we are able to scale back the robots’ cycle time, therefore growing effectivity. Multi-robot purposes can collaborate seamlessly, growing throughput and optimizing flooring house.

By implementing collision-free movement planning, we assist our prospects scale back the potential for collisions, thereby decreasing losses and bettering total efficiency.

Howard: It’s all about shortening cycle instances and avoiding collisions. In Europe, power effectivity is more and more a precedence, and in Japan, flooring house is at a premium, however throughput remains to be crucial.

Our mission is to make automation easier to program. For patrons like Mitsubishi, Toyota, and Siemens, the {hardware} needs to be industrial-grade, and so does the software program. We speak to all of the OEMs and have shut relationships with the key robotic suppliers.

That is superb for makes use of instances equivalent to gluing, deburring, welding and meeting. RapidSense will also be useful in mixed-case palletizing. For cell manipulation, RTR’s software program might plan for the movement of each the AMR [autonomous mobile robot] and the arm.

Members of Realtime Robotics and Mitsubishi Electrical’s groups rejoice their collaboration. Supply: Realtime Robotics

Mitsubishi strengthens partnership

Do you count on that the addition of a member to Realtime Robotics’ board of administrators will assist it collectively plan future merchandise with Mitsubishi Electrical?

Takeuchi: Sure. Since our preliminary funding in Realtime Robotics, we now have each benefited from this partnership. We sit up for integrating the Realtime Robotics know-how into our portfolio of merchandise to proceed enhancing our next-gen merchandise with superior options and scalability.

Howard: RTR has been working with Mitsubishi since 2018, so it’s our longest buyer and associate. We’ve got different traders, however our relationship with Mitsubishi is extra holistic, broader, and deeper.

We’ve seen loads of Mitsubishi Electrical’s workforce as we create our merchandise, and we sit up for reaching the subsequent steps to market collectively.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eugene Demaitre

Eugene Demaitre is editorial director of the robotics group at WTWH Media. He was senior editor of The Robotic Report from 2019 to 2020 and editorial director of Robotics 24/7 from 2020 to 2023. Previous to working at WTWH Media, Demaitre was an editor at BNA (now a part of Bloomberg), Computerworld, TechTarget, and Robotics Enterprise Assessment.

Demaitre has participated in robotics webcasts, podcasts, and conferences worldwide. He has a grasp’s from the George Washington College and lives within the Boston space.