Robot tools are useful. Robot co-workers are even more useful. ABB has developed a human-friendly dual arm robot designed for the kind of automation, such as small parts assembly, where the optimal solution is for people and robots to work hand-in-hand on the same tasks.
YuMi is short for ‘you and me,’ working together.
Per Vegard Nerseth, head of ABB’s global robotics business, commented, “Naming this robot YuMi reflects the true spirit of human - machine collaboration – humans and robots sharing tasks side by side in ways we could never have imagined previously.”
YuMi was developed to meet the flexible and agile production needs of the consumer electronics industry in the first instance. ABB believes it will also prove its worth in other market sectors.
The collaborative, dual arm assembly solution has the ability to feel and see. The robot’s soft, padded dual arms work with with force-sensing technology, to ensure the safety of YuMi’s human co-workers. Safety is built into the functionality of the robot itself so that it can work cage-free.
The new robot also performs with accuracy so great it can thread a needle. YuMi is capable of handling everything from the delicate and precise parts of a mechanical wristwatch to the components used in mobile phones, tablets and desktop PCs.
“YuMi is going to change many of mankind’s assumptions about manufacturing and industrial processes,” stated Pekka Tiitinen, head of ABB’s Discrete Automation and Motion division. “Yumi will open endless possibilities. We are at the start of a very exciting new era for industrial automation.”
YuMi will be commercially launched on 13 April, 2015, at the Hannover Messe in Germany.
