ABB has made a donation of several robots and a robot controller to NC State’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering to support the departments research in robotics, artificial intelligence and manufacturing.
One of the donated robots in an IRB 6620 – which, according to ABB – is an incredibly versatile robot that can be used for a variety of different tasks. The robot has a handling capacity of 150 kg and a reach of 2.2 meters.
“The IRB 6620 is a flexible and agile robot with a large working envelope, and the robot controller equips with an advanced motion control feature, MultiMove, to enable multiple robots to work as a team and synchronously complete tasks that a single robot cannot carry out.” ABB researchers Dr. Biao Zhang and Dr. Jianjun Wang at the ABB US Research Center in Raleigh said. “The robot combines four robots in one: floor-standing, tilted or inverted mounted and shelf capability. This compact robot opens up opportunities for new flexible and improved line concepts. Functions that all help saving floor space, creating higher robot density and shorter lines.”
The second robot is an IRB 6640, which very similar to the IRB 6620, but has a slightly greater handling capacity at 185 kg and a greater reach at 2.8 meters.
Ther robots were donated to the labs of MAE Professor Tiegang Fang and Associate Professor Hao Su.
Fang is the director of the Spray and Engine Diagnostics Laboratory and the High Pressure Combustion Laboratory. His research objective is to investigate fundamental multiphase/reactive fluid mechanics involved in engine combustion, spray and atomization, and droplet interaction with complex surfaces, and to promote technology innovation in clean energy and power, manufacturing, forensic sciences, disease prevention, etc.
“The robot will be used for research on intelligent spray coating and adaptive painting over complicated 3D surfaces,” Fang said. “It can also be used to conduct research for liquid jets, spray, and droplet interaction with surfaces with well-controlled dynamic motions.”
Su heads the Biomechatronics and Intelligent Robotics Lab and he is interested in design, learning, and control of soft robots, surgical robots and humanoid robots.
Su works with ABB Corporate Research on robotics-related research projects and aims to leverage the robots to study advanced manufacturing for the automotive industry, physical human-robot collaboration, dexterous manipulation, and locomotion and manipulation biomechanics.