At the Hannover Messe 2018, the 'LBR iisy' was on display at Kuka's stand in combination with a camera system based on AI algorithms from the start-up and Kuka partner Roboception.

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'LBR iisy' is the name of the new sensitive lightweight robot that Kuka presented to the public for the first time at the recent Hannover Messe. According to its "father" Christian Tarragona, Senior Vice President R&D Product Development at Kuka Roboter, like its big brother - the 'LBR iiwa' - it is designed to work together with humans without guards or to relieve the worker of monotonous or non-ergonomic tasks. Designed as a 6-axis kinematic system with a reach of 600 mm, the 'LBR iisy' is able to carry a load of up to 3 kg. By comparison, the 7-axle 'LBR iiwa' is designed to carry a load of between 7 and 14 kg and has a reach of up to 820 mm. The target applications differ accordingly: While 'LBR iiwa' is ideal for applications such as inserting heavy parts into machines, its little brother is intended more for handling small parts, for example in the electronics manufacturing environment.

As far as the kinematics themselves are concerned, the design of the robot was modeled on the human arm. This means: "The supporting structure is a skeletal structure - there is only a plastic shell around it, which we can also make damping in a further expansion stage, for example," explains Tarragona. Kuka has also significantly revised its new cobot in terms of operation and programming, with the aim of making it even easier for non-robotics experts to use. For example, no standard industrial operating device is required to operate the 'LBR iisy'; instead, a consumer tablet is sufficient.

The 'LBR iisy' is certainly also Kuka's response to the increasing price competition for lightweight robots in the 3 to 5 kg payload range. More and more suppliers have recently launched models on the market with prices starting at around 15,000 euros. With the 'LBR iiwa', Kuka has been well above this in the past. However, when asked by Computer&AUTOMATION, Kuka CEO Dr. Till Reuter does not want to give an exact price for the 'LBR iisy'. Just this much: "In terms of price, we can keep up with the other providers, but users get even more service from us!" According to Reuter, it is not enough to offer a robotic arm alone, as many manufacturers do. Instead, especially in the age of Industry 4.0, you have to offer the customer a complete solution and also embed the robot in the digital world. For the product launch, the 'LBR iisy' will therefore also be available via the Kuka Markeplace as an 'out of the box' solution with various configuration options and with the option of integrating a wide range of additional components via the Augsburg-based company's partner network - for example, safe grippers from Schunk.

A robot for the living room

CEO Dr. Till Reuter: "The market for China will be decisive for the further development of Kuka."

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Kuka's new Cobot was not the only thing to attract visitors' interest in Hanover. The announcement that Kuka intends to enter the field of consumer robotics in the future also attracted attention. The first prototype of the 'i-do' concept study was already on display at the Kuka stand. The idea behind it is a mobile, modular system that end customers can put together individually and that can ultimately be variably equipped with options such as a coffee machine, a cleaning or air conditioning unit, a camera or even a voice assistant such as Alexa via a standardized interface. In other words, Kuka supplies the platform - i.e. the framework - and the customer decides which feature they would like to purchase - either from Kuka itself or from one of its partners.

According to Reuter, the potential for such household robots is enormous: "Estimates are around EUR 11 billion for the period 2018 to 2020, and the number of units is around 31 million". Midea, Kuka's main shareholder and the largest Chinese supplier of air conditioning and household appliances, is also expected to help develop this market.

The plans for China

Keyword China: According to Reuter, the 'Middle Kingdom' is the world's largest robotics market. A market in which the company aims to become number 1 in the long term, ahead of its global competitors ABB, Fanuc and Yaskawa. Between 2009 and 2017, Kuka's turnover in China grew from 50 to 700 million euros. Last year, almost 35,000 robots were sold in the region. In line with this development, the company has significantly expanded its local production and sales capacities since the takeover by Midea in 2016 and has also established various joint ventures with Midea: One in the healthcare sector (equipping/modernizing hospitals), a second in the warehouse management/logistics sector via Kuka subsidiary Swisslog, and a third focusing on industrial robotics.

In order to be prepared for the expected continued growth, Kuka is investing 400 million euros in a new robot park in Shunde in southern China, the home of Midea. In Shunde and the existing plant in Shanghai, new capacities of 100,000 robots are to be created by 2024 - and by no means just for the classic 6-axis robots! Reuter explains: "We are planning to produce all types of robots in China in future - including Scaras, Delta robots and Cartesian robots, which we don't currently have in our portfolio." Even if these are primarily needed in China, Reuter makes it very clear: "We will sell these products globally as an addition to our portfolio."