Universal Robots raises questions
Yesterday was the day. As we all know, Universal Robots had been raising the excitement for days with a remarkable campaign. It had been reported here several times that something big was to be presented, the biggest since the presentation of the first Cobots. I was allowed to be a guest at the press demonstration on the sidelines of automatica. Kim Povlsen, the UR president (on the right in the photo) was first standing next to the "big one".
The new one is indeed big
Something "big" was then indeed presented. A cobot with a payload of 20 kg, a reach of 175 cm, a dead weight of 64 kg and a speed increased by 30%. Whether the UR 20, as it is called, also corresponds to the promised revolution, I may not judge. Agile Robots and Neura Robotics definitely "delivered" at automatica, by the way.
Why was such an expectation built up?
I cannot hide a certain disappointment; other visitors to automatica shared my impression. With regard to the interpretation of "something big", we may have read too much into it. But as mentioned, there was also talk of a revolution. Revolution could have meant speed. But to speak of a "revolution" here is perhaps going a bit far. Universal Robots could have introduced the UR 20 just like that. Apparently, however, the company is under a bit of pressure. In addition to the new AI providers, FANUC and ELITE Cobots are showing ambitions to become world market leaders. (How realistic ELITE Robots' ambitions are remains to be seen).
What does the market want?
No question, no one knows the market as well as Universal Robots. The potential for the UR 20 will therefore be there. And UR will probably sell more units of the UR 20 than many small cobot manufacturers sell robots in total. Nevertheless, the question arises why Universal Robots continues to neglect artificial intelligence or the combination with mobile robots. Is the company simply not capable of doing this or does it not see the market? UR serves a wide variety of segments and industries: Large and small enterprises, mechanical engineering as well as pharmaceuticals. If artificial intelligence had no demand in all these submarkets, the newcomers in particular would have a problem. If, on the other hand, the advantages of artificial intelligence are a selling point in submarkets, Universal Robots would sooner or later be cut off from them. Peter Meusel, CEO of Agile Robots, told me that his cobots score points with AI and data delivery with large enterprises.
Why this design?
The UR 20 has the best known and thus proven design. The look may stand for stability, but Universal Robots itself seems to see the need for a redesign. The company finally presented a concept study with a new layout at the American automate. As a reminder, the shown possible design of the future:
A BMW designer once said to me that a new model must "rub". It may look too modern today, but after all it should remain on the market for years and then it would eventually look normal and finally even obsolete. The UR 20 is sold in the familiar design. However, this cobot should still be in use in companies 10 years from now.
Can a cobot become a hammer thrower?
Physics is not my strong point and I am not a safety expert. But I do have one question: How safely can a compact, 20 kg package be held when moving 180 degrees at full speed?
Which models will follow?
Handelsblatt (22.06.22) points out that the "Jumbo" shown is only the first model of the new platform developed (it allows the higher speed with the same safety). To quote Handelsblatt, "Whether the next one will be able to carry even heavier loads has not yet been decided, according to Povlsen." So Universal Robots' main concern may well be "higher, further and faster."
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The author of this blog is significantly involved in the AI/robotics project Opdra. He advises on almost all issues related to robotics incl funding/subsidies. More about him can be found here.