Lidar Will Bring More Robots to Factories

摘要

Most automakers use robots to weld and paint the metal bodies of their cars. But the final assembly line, consisting of about 500 ever-changing tasks such as the installation of engines, dashboards, and seats, has defied most efforts to replace workers with robots. There's a good reason: Increasing automation requires robots to cooperate with humans on the factory floor, and that can be dangerous."Being with a robot in a tight space is like standing next to a horse," says Patrick Sobalvarro, co-founder of Veo Robotics Inc. of Waltham, Mass. "If the horse is calm and likes you, and knows where you are, you're perfectly safe. But you have to know it's not going to surprise you or step on you or crush you against the wall."Veo has pioneered the use of three-dimensional flash lidar-which bounces lasers off objects to help determine what's nearby-to create real-time maps of robots, humans, and everything else inside a factory. Its proprietary software slows a robot down and stops it when a human gets too close. The system also shuts all nearby robots when it can't positively identify what's happening in a workstation.