OnRobot has launched a new vision system for robotics called Eyes. The 2.5D vision can give robotic arms depth perception and parts recognition abilities.
OnRobot said Eyes offers seamless integration, one-picture calibration, intuitive programming, and is simpler than existing vision systems.
Eyes can be mounted on both the robot wrist or externally, making it useful for many unstructured applications in need of vision guidance.
Robotic arms are often tasked with picking items not presented in the same orientation, shape, or size. To provide consistent positioning, manufacturers frequently add fixtures, bowl feeders and other hardware, adding cost and complexity to what ends up being rigid applications that lack the ability to easily pick different objects or achieve quick changeover times.
OnRobot CEO Enrico Krog Iversen said, “A significant part of our customer base does not want to be tied to a fixed incoming position of a product they want to pick. They would love to eliminate complicated, bulky and expensive part feeders and fixtures to achieve this, but until now, vision systems have felt out-of-reach. Our new Eyes vision system changes all that.”
OnRobot said its Eyes needs to take a single image for calibration and part recognition. The system has automatic focus to work at different distances within the same application.
Eyes can help sort a variety of objects or for CNC machine tending with metal parts that are defined by outer shape, as well as many other pick-and-place applications where orientation is important. Eyes also offers depth perception within its 2.5D vision.
Iversen said 2.5D is emerging as the perfect technology for vision-guided applications.
“Compared to 2D, it adds not only length and width but also height information for the specific part, which is ideal when objects may vary in height or if objects must be stacked.”
Eyes can be mounted on the robot wrist or externally and integrates with all leading collaborative and light industrial robot arms through OnRobot’s One System Solution, a unified mechanical and communications interface based on the company’s Quick Changer, now an integrated part of all OnRobot products.
The new vision system directly interfaces with other OnRobot devices making it is very easy to use Eyes together with any of OnRobot’s grippers.
With a dual setup, using a dual Quick Changer, the gripper’s tool centre point can be automatically configured by Eyes, eliminating any potential conflict between different software packages from different tool vendors.
The optimal mounting depends on the application. Some of the advantages of having Eyes mounted externally is not having to worry about cables running alongside the robot and the ability to optimise cycle time, as Eyes can take the picture and process this, while the robot is doing another operation.
OnRobot is present in Australia through its distributor partners: APPMA members Australis Engineering, Diverseco and Scott Automation and Robotics, as well as Mobile Electrics, Collaborative Robots Australia and Auto Controls Systems.
