Left: The Eva desktop
robot from Automata
COVER STORY | COBOTS
changing demands and adaptation
of new manufacturing practices.
The Motoman HC20DT is a six-axis
robot which combines the powerful
capabilities of handling payloads
up to 20kg, the exibility of a reach
of up to 1700mm with the highest
levels of safety. This represents
‘game-changing’ cobot potential
for applications such as automated
palletising which have until now been
limited by the payload capacity and
working envelopes of other typically
available robots. Depending on
the application it can be switched
between safe / collaborative mode in
phases of man-robot interaction and
returning to high industrial speed
when the absence of the operator is
detected by additional safety devices.
Operator safety is assured thanks
to features such as power and force
limit technology that stops the robot
in case of contact with an operator
while the robot arm geometry is
designed to avoid nger pinch points.
Also, the robot arm can be guided by
an operator and robot positions and
gripper operation can be registered
via ‘Teach’ and ‘Tool’ buttons. These
features also contribute to time saving
during programming and where
the application requires additional
protective measures, such as safety
fences, these can be added in line
with risk assessments.
Unlike traditional and more
complex robot execution which
typically requires signi cant upfront
investment in training, the Smart
Series technology provides simple,
intuitive programming and operation
methods for operators.
Among the other important
features are a fully industrial robot
controller, the YRC1000 and YRC1000
micro, safety by design with smooth
rounded edges, internal cable routing,
a functional safety unit and safe force /
torque sensors for all six axes.
Clearly the future of cobots lies
in increasing their presence in the
SME sector. Naturally, this pushes
factors of cost and ease-of-use to the
forefront. This was the key principle
for the founders of Automata in their
development of the Eva robot.
Launched lasy year and claimed
to be the rst-ever desktop robot
for industrial use. Eva is designed
to be lightweight, user-friendly
and accessible, while maintaining
industrial quality performance and
costs just £4,990.
Weighing 9.5kg, with a
footprint of 160mm and a reach
of 600mm, it includes an onboard
controller in its base and
comes with a free subscription to
Automata’s Choreograph software.
It has no external control devices
as Choreograph can be accessed
through any web browser and
is programmed via two buttons
integrated on the robot arm.
Suryansh Chandra and Mostafa
ElSayed, co-founded Automata in
2015 after discovering the limitations
of conventional robots.
So, the pair set out to develop
their own robot that was affordable
to companies that don’t have the
budgets of vehicle manufacturers, for
example. The second requirement
was that it had to be quick to set up
and not need the bulky mountings.
Four years – and many iterations –
later, Eva is nally ready. The reason
for this long gestation period? Taking
on the “gatekeepers of robotics”
and creating their own gearbox, the
‘Automata Drive’.
ElSayed explains: “We knew that if
we had to make a dent in the robotics
market we were going to have to
tackle a gearbox. There’s only two
companies in the world that make
them harmonic gear drives, one
based in Germany the other in Japan,
they control the price.”
12 WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK | JULY 2020
/WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK