Automation
Here, you’ll find interesting ideas that will enable you to develop your own story about Stockholm - The Capital of Scandinavia.
At Volvo CE Components AB in Eskilstuna, west of Stockholm, ABB, Volvo CE, Robotdalen (Robot Valley) and Mälardalens University are cooperating to develop automation for the factory of the future – Lean Robotics.
The Solar Photovoltaics industry is growing globally by 30 to 40 percent per year, as demand for clean electricity from renewable sources soars.
Technology for eye tracking has evolved dramatically in recent years. Tobii Technology in Stockholm now offers customized original eye tracking components for seamless integration into various devices. This means that companies can add eye-tracking capabilities to their product offerings, quickly and efficiently, with a minimum investment and without extensive eye tracking knowledge.
The robotics project for this year at Mälardalen University is to build a humanoid dasher. The goal is to, during 20 weeks build a robot that can run 100 meters in 9.5 seconds and break the human record of 9.74 seconds (Asafa Powell, Jamaica).The project consists of 16-21 students at the end of their master degree education in the subjects of robotics, mechatronics, electronics and computer science.
In many SMEs machines are not operating full-time, which can make investments in robots expensive. However, with one robot that can operate many different machinery equipments and perform various tasks, the situation is another.
In one of the pilot projects from Robotdalen (Robot Valley), ESAB, ABB and Specma have collaborated with Örebro University to develop a robot system for 3D Friction Stir Welding (FSW). This welding method, developed in England in the beginning of the 1990ies, enables material being joined together in a process in which only mechanical heat, generated through friction, is used. The advantages of FSW are many and the method is suitable for materials otherwise difficult to weld, such as aluminium or copper.
Health problems relating to muscle damage cost Sweden hundreds of millions of Euros every year. The rehabilitation process can be shortened significantly if a patient receives more effective treatment.
The Swedish Robotics cluster Robotdalen arranges the Robotdalen Scientific Award. The prize aims at supporting young, innovative research scientists within the field of robot-based automation. The prize sum is 20 000 EUR and the winner will be presented at the Robotdalen Day in Sweden on September 10, 2008. Last year the competition was arranged for the first time and received high quality contributions from all over the world.
The EU funding, given for the period 2008 - 2010, will allow Robotdalen (Robot Valley)to accelerate the development projects within robotics for commercial use in theindustry, logistics and health sectors.
ABB, a global leader in power and automation technologies, together with Atlas Copco, ESAB, and Volvo Construction Equipment are some of the companies found in Robotdalen (Robot Valley). Robotdalen is dedicated to creating growth by supporting the development of new products and companies within the following areas: Industrial Robotics, Field Robotics, Health Robotics, and Logistics Automation.
Carl-Gustav Fresk is a Swedish elite yachtsman who is right now preparing to participate in Paralympics 2008 in Beijing. He has created a chair for installation in a standard boat, which automatically, with the help of sensors, remains in a horizontal position.
The aim of the project involving the eating aid ’Bestic’ is to support a disabled person with difficulties to bring food into the mouth so that the person can eat independently of others. At a reasonable cost and with an attractive design, the eating robot ’Bestic’ is now being commercialized for use in private homes as well as at restaurants. The idea is that the person who uses the eating aid will be able to eat together with others without having to be fed.
With reduced recourses in the healthcare sector and a growing population of elderly people, less time is spent between healthcare professionals and their patients. Health Robotics is a high priority area at Robotdalen (Robot Valley), where solutions are created for the rehabilitation of muscular injuries, the compensation for physical handicaps and the restoration and maintenance of physical fitness – solutions suitable for clinical settings and private homes. The robots help healthcare professionals by reducing routine work, thus making more time available for personal contact with patients and carrying out therapeutic activities. The result is improved productivity and service quality.
