KUKA Deploys Industrial Robots to Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics

The Czech Technical University hosts global researchers and is located in the Czech Republic capital in Prague. 

The CIIRC contains a rapidly growing international research center established by the Czech Republic and the European Union. The research center is a space for graduate students and students at all Czech Technical University (CTU) sites. 

This allows advanced students across many schools to collaborate and bring their skills into research. Programs offered at CTU include a wide variety of engineering cores, information technology, business, and urban planning. The robots will add to the institute's robotics and informatics tools to facilitate research in many different fields. 

 

Students using KUKA technology. Image courtesy of KUKA.

 

The collaborative robots by KUKA will help researchers and students at CIIRC who are learning to use new tools for their scientific and manufacturing processes. The robots can carry out sensitive functions and work side-by-side with researchers to improve the speed and accuracy of even small-scale operations. 

The university and institute expect the center's purchase of KUKA robots to serve students and researchers in their current and future careers. It is one of the largest orders for educational purposes seen by KUKA to date. The LBR iiwa, the mobile robots of type KMR iiwa, and the ready2_educate cells will be used at the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics (CIIRC CTU) to equip its growing international research center. 

 

The LBR iiwa

This collaborative robot has a name that stands for "light-weight" in German and for "intelligent industrial work assistant." Its most highlighted feature is its fast reaction enabled by torque sensors on the joints. These can sense any dangerous contact or shearing with human workers.

The robot's advanced controls allow it to reduce its force and speed if it senses any danger of high impact or harmful collisions with a person. The joint-torque sensors also make it extremely sensitive to handle sensitive objects safely. It gently gauges its grip based on physical detection of the object's shape and size. 

 

The LBR iiwa. Image courtesy of KUKA.

 

The robot also features teachable programming, where users define paths and operations for the robot by physically moving it. 

 

The KMR iiwa

This mobile version of the intelligent work assistant is the KMR iiwa. KMR stands for the KUKA mobile robot. 

The KMR iiwa will serve research students learning to utilize KUKA robots on moving platforms. Researchers and graduate students use it to carry out operations at the school as the institute tries to bridge international efforts in science and technology through the center.

 

The LBR iiwa. Image courtesy of KUKA.

 

It is often used for transporting materials across the factory floor. The robot's rolling platform can be remote-controlled or programmed to find safe paths on its own through machine learning vision and AI. Overall, it will give graduate students and researchers the tools to interact with one of the most desirable types of robots in industry and maximize their capabilities in the center. 

 

Ready2_educate Cells

The ready2_educate cells and starter package will bring value to students and entry-level workers learning to use robotics in their everyday handling tasks. It will give instructors a practical way to teach and set up simulations for students.

The educate cells provide hands-on-experience for adding robots to processes in a range of simulation environments. The started pack tests students' programming and operation abilities for robots to take items off a conveyor or magazine, arrange items, and assemble machines. 

The educational robotic training cells also prepare students for robot set up in simulated tasks such as "hot-wiring."