'Roibot Award' goes to inclusion project

Daniel Hillebrand suffers from tetraspasticity, which makes controlled movement of his extremities impossible. Despite this, he is able to work independently thanks to an automated workstation created by the Wittekindshofer Werkstätten deaconry foundation in Bad Oeynhausen using a low-cost robot from Igus. This inclusion project has now been honored with the 'Roibot Award'. The competition honors innovative and economical automation projects that have been successfully implemented with the help of Igus products. Other award winners include the Dutch company Paperfoam, the French research institute CNRS and the Politecnico University of Milan.

Daniel Hillebrand sits in a wheelchair and moves a joystick with his chin. He uses it to control a robotic arm that sorts plastic components. Several hours a day, without outside help. "Daniel is used to being almost completely dependent on help in his life," says Torsten Jeschke, electrician and educator at the Wittekindshof workshops. "Thanks to the new system, he can now work independently despite his severe paralysis." For him, this is heaven on earth. "The robot is cool," confirms Daniel Hillebrand. "I first had to get to grips with the technology, but everything is now working really well. The best thing is when the bag is full after a long day's work."

Standard industrial robots would have been prohibitively expensive for the Wittekindshof workshops and too complex to control. Jeschke has therefore put together a cheaper solution that is as easy to operate as a computer game - with the help of the low-cost robotics platform RBTX from Igus. The core of the whole thing and Daniel Hillebrand's arm replacement is the 'Rebel', an articulated arm robot made of high-performance plastic.

Igus announced the competition for the third time to recognize companies and organizations that implement particularly smart and economical automation projects with the help of the RBTX marketplace. The winners receive vouchers for robotics hardware worth up to 5000 euros. "It's really moving for us to see how the Wittekindshofer Werkstätten have managed to set up an automation project with limited financial resources and all the more imagination to improve people's lives so much. We hope that they can use the 5000 euro voucher to implement more projects of this kind in the future," says Alexander Mühlens, Head of the Low-Cost Automation division at Igus and patron of the 'Roibot Awards'.

Igus itself has signed the Good Work Charter of the German Engineering Federation and is thus committed to the positive contribution of robotics to society. The charter emphasizes that robotics and automation technologies not only increase productivity, but can also improve people's lives by optimizing working conditions and creating new opportunities.

The other award winners

Second place and 2500 euros for robotics hardware go to Paperfoam. The Dutch company has equipped the articulated arm robot 'Rebel' with a camera to randomly check its bio-based and recyclable packaging for production errors. The solution reduces the physical strain on employees and increases production quality at the same time.

The French research institute Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) is delighted to have won third place and 1000 euros for the development of a calibration device for a telescope for astroparticle physics. By using lubrication-free linear axes from Igus, the designers achieve high precision and ease of maintenance.

The special prize for educational institutions, also worth 1,000 euros, goes to the Politecnico University of Science and Technology in Milan. With the 'Rebel' robotic arm, it has designed a mobile manipulator that makes fruit picking more efficient and less labor-intensive through automation.

"The winners prove that automation is no longer just a question of money," concludes Mühlens. "Even with small budgets and creativity, cost-effective automation solutions with a quick return on investment can be realized."