Inxpect: Radar ensures safety in robotics
I am a follower and daily user of radar technology and have been an enthusiast for 9 years. At that time I bought a car equipped with distance radar. Highlight of well over 200,000 km driven: A drive from Luxembourg to Paris in dense fog. Thanks to radar very safe and not tiring. In driving snow it switches off, but announces this beforehand. In city traffic, the part has already beeped a few times as the car in front suddenly braked and I did not notice it (eg defective 3rd brake light of the car in front of me) or I was simply inattentive.
Sure, a car is big and you can install anything in it. The more surprised I was when Garmin brought a bike radar on the market. As a road cyclist, I've been using it for years now and it has certainly done a valuable job for 20,000 km. It increases safety significantly: because with approaching cars the taillight lights up stronger, I get an info on the display (number of cars) etc.. With narrow road users (cyclists, motorcycles) it sometimes has a hard time. However, these also pose no danger and above all I am lenient, because the part is very compact and here perhaps because of the power consumption (battery) is waived performance.
Italian startup Inxpect specializes in radar technology
Founded in 2015 in Brescia, Italy, startup Inxpect received a remarkable US$20 million in 2021. In 2019, founder and CEO Luca Salgarelli, previously an employee at BellLabs and professor of telecommunications, had received US$5 million. Radar waves, by the way, are considered harmless to humans. Currently, the company is expanding worldwide. In Germany as well as in China. With a turnover of 2.1 million€ in 2021, several hundred or even thousand systems should already have been sold. A system costs less than €1,500 at the dealer.
Possible applications
The radar is suitable for both mobile applications and stationary robots. It is conceivable, for example, that the cobot travels at full speed and reduces its speed when a human approaches (warning space). If he comes dangerously close to the cobot, it can be stopped (safe space). If the employee leaves these areas, the cobot starts up again. Jugard+Künstner points out on its product page that up to 6 radars can be used and the detection range of a sensor can be defined individually. Against this background, I think it can make sense to install a Cobot workstation in an area that is only accessible from one side anyway. Then you save on radars.
Difficult environments are feasible
As mentioned at the beginning, even my old car radar can tolerate fog. Accordingly, Inxpect cites environmental influences such as dust, smoke, or dirt as unproblematic. The reference customer BMW, for example, uses radar sensors in its Munich welding shop. There, it is apparently industrial robots that have to be slowed down when a human approaches.
The related chips are obviously from Texas Instruments. The following video goes into more depth - but contains a good visualization at 9:15. The linked page from J+K (above) shows a use case.
Pilz previously offered radar solutions.
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-> To the Cobot group on LinkedIn (Link )
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The author of this blog is significantly involved in the AI/robotics project Opdra. He advises robotics companies and investors on market analysis and funding/subsidies. More about him can be found here.