Agile robots getting even more of a handle on things
At a vast greenhouse in the central Danish city of Odense, a squad of robots moves thin plastic pots of herbs for shipping without even putting a dent in them. For moviegoers used to seeing humanoid machines in action, that might not seem special — but in truth, it’s a remarkable feat.
Robots until recently have been limited to precise, preprogrammed and repetitive heavy-duty jobs like automotive manufacturing. Yet at the Rosborg Food greenhouse, the OnRobot devices adjust on the fly. One pot might be slightly out of position. The next might be a little heavy.
Robots that can see, learn and grip different items are advancing quickly into the retail, food and beverage, and consumer packaged goods industries. Though deliveries of robots to the U.S. auto industry fell 12% last year, shipments to food and consumer product companies soared 48%.
Johnny Albertsen, Rosborg Food Holding’s chief executive, expects that improvements in gripping abilities soon will allow robots to pull tender plants from their containers. He plans to expand his crew with more automatons, which pay back the investment in about 18 months. A single setup like the one Rosborg uses typically costs about $70,000, which includes the robot, the OnRobot gripper at the end of the robot’s arm and installation.
The grippers and the machine’s ability to “see” are key. Most heavy industrial robots still operate blindly and must be surrounded by cages to keep humans out of harm’s way. Any variation, such as handling objects with different sizes or textures, wasn’t possible. Now grippers that emulate a gecko’s sticky feet, or use soft polymers that expand to apply just the right amount of pressure, allow robots to take on more nuanced tasks.
Cameras let the devices see an object. Artificial intelligence helps them determine the best way to grab it. AI, through which a machine improves its own performance, will prove key for robots to perform tasks that are simple for humans but difficult for machines.
At Capacity LLC’s fulfillment center in New Jersey, workers had been tediously scanning items from such companies as cosmetics maker Glossier Inc. and shoe retailer Stadium Goods, then placing each product into one of 16 cubbyholes. The task now is done by a robot arm terminating in three phalanges and an air-driven suction cup in the middle.
Capacity — which packs and ships e-commerce orders from warehouses in France, Britain, New Jersey and California — has been testing the system from start-up RightHand Robotics Inc., based in Somerville, Mass., and has more devices on order. The return on investment of two years or less helps ease pressure from the tight labor market, says Capacity’s chief strategy officer, Thom Campbell.
“It’s performing well,” he says. “It’s slower than a human, but it does not take pee breaks. It does not go to lunch. It does not only work one shift, and it doesn’t charge for overtime.”
Soft Robotics Inc., based in Cambridge, Mass., makes pliable grippers that can grasp brownies, raw meat or a cellophane package. That flexibility eliminates the need for complicated coding or costly sensors, says Chief Executive Carl Vause.
“It fundamentally changes everything in robotics,” he says. “We’re not doing very precise, involved path calculations. We’re seeing and grabbing. End of story.”
To meet expanding needs, OnRobot makes a gripper that relies on millions of tiny, gecko-inspired fibrillary stalks that adhere to an object’s surface. Some tasks — folding clothes, say, or loading a dishwasher — are still out of reach.
“What would be the ultimate gripper to copy? Well, the human hand,” says Jesse Hayes, a manager at Schunk, based in Lauffen am Neckar, Germany. Schunk has designed a tool that looks right — dexterous enough to produce an eerie “come hither” gesture. But at $50,000 each and not rugged enough for heavy industrial purposes, it’s used mostly by researchers.