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#1 2020-09-18 00:01:46

StraitsResearch
Member
Registered: 2020-09-17
Posts: 2

Collaborative Robots Market

Collaborative robots, also known as cobots, are designed specifically to work with humans in a defined workspace. The combination of humans and robots in a workspace significantly improves performance, when it is shared optimally. The collaboration of robots and humans also allows several automation levels and human intervention. Collaborative robots are utilized for various purposes, including machine tending, assembling, and quality control activities. Moreover, unlike traditional robots that can hurt humans in their proximity, collaborative robots are equipped with sophisticated visual technology and sensors that help them detect and identify human presence.

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#2 2020-09-18 00:03:12

StraitsResearch
Member
Registered: 2020-09-17
Posts: 2

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

Market Opportunity: Incorporation of AI and Edge Computing

One of the key opportunities for the market is the incorporation of artificial intelligence with collaborative robots. Artificial intelligence assists in enhancing data collection in unstructured environments. It also helps with flexibility improvements and aids in performing new operations. Moreover, technological advancements in edge computing have also made the operation of cobots easier and more flexible. With edge computing, programming is not required for installation, which decreases integration costs.

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#3 2020-09-18 12:24:26

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

For SpaceNut .... if you will hold off on banning this (obvious) spam for a day or two, I'll use the email connection they filled out to see if they are willing to convert from a sales pitch to a contributing member.

(th)

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#4 2022-04-26 12:24:00

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

For SpaceNut (primarily but all NewMars members are welcome to comment)

Apparently my outreach to the spammer yielded a null result.

However, the topic contains the word "market" and today, I'm looking for a topic where we (members) might be interested in discussing a specific market opportunity.

Fresh potable water is most definitely NOT going to be free on Mars.

I think that there is a pretty good case to be made that there is no (or very little) "free" water left in the continental United States.  What little there is is being used up rapidly, and fresh water desalinated and transported from the ocean by Ma Nature is less and less "free".

In short, I think the future that awaits Mars settlers, of water NOT being "free" is approaching Earth residents, if it has not already arrived.

There are commercial water supply enterprises in the world already.

I think there is a substantial opportunity to scale up the size of commercial operations, by looking for markets of sufficient size in the United States and other nations who can afford to pay for water.

What is more, the need to ** pay ** for water will (if the past is a guide) provide incentive for Earth citizens to increase their productivity so they can provide goods or services to exchange for potable water.

(th)

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#5 2023-08-30 17:55:10

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

https://www.robotshop.com/products/lynx … -assembled

I decided to invest in this small robot for the education market. 

It claims to be capable of carrying 11 ounces of payload, and the tool I have in mind weights 266 grams.

This post could go into other topics with robots in the title.

(th)

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#6 2023-09-04 11:31:09

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

The robot arrived in a UPS shipment.  It powered up for the first time today.  It didn't do much.  A blue LED light came on, along with at least on LED of another color. There is a tiny reset button.  When pressed, the reset button caused to green LED to blink multiple times before settling into a steady on state.

Lynxmotion SES-V1 FlowArm PLTW Robotic Arm Software (Download)

There appears to be some software available to set up motion plans for the robot, and the starter version is reported to be free.  To obtain a copy, the robotshop web site made me go through the entire purchase process with a purchase price of zero.  It then told me I would receive something in email.

At this point, I'm expecting the software is just for Windows, but perhaps there are versions for other OS as well.

I'll report whatever turns out to be the case.

(th)

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#7 2023-09-04 11:58:43

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

The process of downloading the free software to control the newly arrived Lynxmotion robot is proving more difficult than I had expected.  The web site sent this email, but apparently I cannot get into my account (if I had one) and I can't create a new account.

RobotShop logo

Your product is ready


Hello Tom Hanson,
Thank you for your purchase at the RobotShop App Store: Your app is now ready!

Procedure to obtain your Robot App
1) Go to the My Robots Apps section of your account
2) Follow the instructions on that page
3) The activation license key for your app is:

Order Summary
Item
Qty
License Key

RB-Dsp-11
Lynxmotion SES-V1 FlowArm PLTW Robotic Arm Software (Download)
Product Code: RB-Dsp-11
Qty: 1
License Key: Not applicable
©2023 RobotShop Inc.

(th)

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#8 2023-09-04 15:14:51

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

Three hours later and the robot arm moved to Calibrate position (straight out) and back to Home position (lowered in a bow pointing to base).

It turned out that the USB connection simulates COM port 8.

I found a program on the Internet (thanks to helpful advice there) that shows USB connections on COM ports.

The name of the program is USB_Tree_View, in case anyone else needs this information.

The program is (apparently) based upon some code provided by Microsoft years ago in a development kit, but (according to comments) that code was a bit on the rough side.  This free software worked seemlessly.

The COM port where the device was connected had some text next to it, that (I presume) means something, but the advice on the Internet was to simply unplug the device and watch the display of USB_Tree_View.  Sure enough! The robot arm connection turned bright red, and when I plugged it back in it returned to normal black and white.

This has been a bit of a learning curve, for sure.

(th)

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#9 2023-09-05 19:01:56

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

Today's email included a note from a RobotShop employee, offering assistance for the download that I eventually found.  The note included a link to the RobotShop community, so I opened an account there, and was taken aback but the abundance available there... I'll try to post a screen scrape of the opening welcome page.

Trending
MBot2 Python Programming Tutorials
22w ago by Zavazkey in Tutorials

Use of Raspberry Pi Board
9w ago by Riley224 in Tutorials

ROSMASTER R2--Ackermann Structure ROS Robot
16w ago by Riley224 in Robots

Zhorik 1 (stair climbing robot platform)
10w ago by Zhorik in Robots

15 Intermediate Robot Project Ideas for Students that Won’t Break the Bank
21w ago by EmilyNewton in Blogs

Trending News in the Robotics Field for March 2023
23w ago by BRobot97 in Blogs
Looking for help?
The RobotShop Community is the ultimate community where you can learn about robotics, see what others have built, ask questions and get to know community members.

Looking for a new robotic project? Search among our robots projects and build something new today. Want to get started in robotics? Have a look at the tutorial section. Want broader content about the field of robotics and technology? The blog section is here for you.

Do you have a specific question? Ask robotics enthusiasts and experts on the forums or consult our growing knowledge base!

(th)

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#10 2023-09-05 19:12:16

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

This is ridiculous!

Apache Internal Server Error

Nothing I tried to paste from the RobotShop Community web site was accepted.

(th)

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#11 2023-09-05 19:13:32

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

I'll try again with tutorials...

Latest tutorials
Robot Arm Inverse Kinematics Equations
3w ago by cbenson
Use of Raspberry Pi Board
9w ago by Riley224
Basics: How Do I Choose a Robotic Arm?
2y ago by geraldinebc15
How to Make a Drone / UAV – Lesson 8: Airplanes
4y ago by cbenson
How to Make a Drone / UAV - Lesson 5: Assembly
4y ago by cbenson
How to Make a Drone / UAV - Lesson 4: Flight Controller
4y ago by cbenson
View all

(th)_

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#12 2023-09-05 19:15:03

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

This section is (apparently) about robots folks have designed or built ...

Latest robots
Build Chatbot
13h ago by Buildchatbot
12DOF ROS2 Robot Dog--The Perfect Combination Of Smart Techn...
6d ago by Riley224
Quadruino quadruped walking robot
5w ago by jortsal
Zhorik 1 (stair climbing robot platform)
10w ago by Zhorik
Star Wars Rickshaw Droid from Book of Bobba Fett
8w ago by TKCC71
Automated Knife Sharpener with Arduino
8w ago by demej00
View all

(th)

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#13 2023-09-05 19:15:54

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

This last section appears to be blog posts...

Latest blog posts
When will Raspberry Pi 5B board appear?
6d ago by Riley224
Trending News in the Robotics Field for August 2023
1w ago by Mnadeau989
Security in the Robotic Age: Protecting Operational Resilien...
1w ago by MilesOliver
EAI Technology's Encounter with Xiaomi in Pursuit of Dreams
1w ago by YDLIDAR
How STEM Education Fuels Robotics Careers and Professional S...
1w ago by EmilyNewton
Ultimate Back to School Sale at RobotShop!
2w ago by RobotShop

(th)

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#14 2023-09-05 19:26:04

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

For the record, this is the robot arm on site:

Lynxmotion SES-V1 AL5D PLTW Robotic Arm (5 DoF) Assembled
LYNXMOTION
Lynxmotion SES-V1 AL5D PLTW Robotic Arm (5 DoF) Assembled
SKU: RB-Lyn-958

Sale price$438.90
Reviews

Below is text about the graphical user interface that I (somehow) managed to download and install on Windows 7.

The interface "sees" the robot arm on COM Port 8 (varies from computer to computer).

Once recognized, the interface was able to "Calibrate" the arm, and return it to "Home" position.

My interest is in learning how to generate the codes that are being transmitted to the robot arm.

The GUI interface is nice, but it is a long way from where I want to be ...

My goal is a full teleoperation capability using a game controller.  That goal is some distance out, I suspect.

(th)

Graphical interface for Lynxmotion AL5D-PLTW Robotic arm
Interfaces with Lynxmotion SSC-32 servo controller
Created for Project Lead The Way

One license required per computer
Download with volume license key

Lynxmotion SES-V1 FlowArm PLTW Robotic Arm Software is a new graphical interface which provides the user with complete control over the Lynxmotion AL5D robotic arm, both offline and in real time. The user is presented with multiple views of the arm, allowing the user to click and drag the arm to the desired location while the software takes care of all inverse kinematics equations.

Created for Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Project Lead The Way is the nation's leading science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) solution and is used in over 5,000 schools across the U.S. The PLTW Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) curriculum includes creating an assembly line and use of the Lynxmotion AL5D arm. This software was created so students would have full control of the arm without having to spend significant time programming, and integrate it easily into a larger manufacturing / assembly system.     FlowArm PLTW (Download)
Complete Control

FlowARM PLTW works with the versatile Lynxmotion SSC-32 servo controller board which not only allows for control of the 6 servo motors of the AL5D arm (with wrist rotate), but also allows for control of additional digital I/O via the interface:
2 additional servo outputs
8 outputs available for lights, buzzers, and other devices
4 inputs for receiving start and stop signals
The digital inputs and outputs are particularly useful for interfacing the Lynxmotion AL5D with other robot systems used in the PLTW CIM course. This way, the arm can move a object into place, activate another robot, wait until it is done, and then move the object away.

The SSC-32 and SSC-32U servo controllers can be easily adapted for Bluetooth (wireless) control. As such, the software automatically scans all of the computer's COM ports at various Baud rates in order to automatically detect and connect to the controller, whether it is connected using a cable or via Bluetooth.    FlowArm PLTW (Download)
Pattern Sequencer

FlowArm PLTW has a powerful pattern sequencer component (normally found only in the full version of FlowBotics Studio) that is used to create reusable patterns within minutes or hours, instead of days or weeks. The sequencer also allows you to vary the speed of playback of a routine.

FlowArm PLTW (Download)

Created using FlowBotics Studio

FlowBotics Studio includes hundreds of built-in components that allow you to interface your PC to many of the standard computer peripherals and you can quickly create new components for new hardware. You can also easily create new projects with custom GUI screens, knobs, buttons, switches, etc. that will run live from within FlowBotics Studio without needing to wait for compilation.

The FlowBotics Studio programming language includes a powerful graphics engine that allows you to make custom graphical objects by using standard bitmaps or by drawing your own shapes on the screen. Using this system, you can build entirely custom interfaces for your projects and integrate photographs, drawings, and graphs.

FlowArm PLTW (Download)

(th)

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#15 2023-09-05 20:15:26

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

Apparently there is additional free software available for the Lynxmotion robot arm.  I've attempted to request a copy.  The process to download software is convoluted.  Everything is handled through the payment process, even though the cost of an item might be zero.

If the download arrives I'll report it here.

Well! Despite the convoluted process, it seems that a file to help with flow control is here:

Order Summary
Item
Qty
Price
Subtotal

RB-Dsp-06
Lynxmotion FlowBotics Studio Graphical Programming Software (Download)
Product Code: RB-Dsp-06
In Stock
Qty: 1
Price: USD$0.00
Subtotal: USD$0.00
Subtotal:
USD$0.00
Shipping:
USD$0.00

Order Total:
USD$0.00


Downloadable Products
Thank you for purchasing a robot app at the RobotShop App Store. You will receive your download link as soon as your order has been processed internally.

(th)

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#16 2023-09-07 06:36:31

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

This appears to be a programming manual for the Lynxmotion robot arm that showed up here recently.

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/14719 … -Pltw.html

The manual is free to download.

If a forum member decides to investigate, I would be happy to (at least try to) answer questions.

The robot works, as confirmed by running a GUI program to operate the program with a mouse manipulating images on the screen.

The robot extends it's arm in "calibrate" mode, and tucks itself in in "Home" mode.

I am interested in operating the robot with a game controller, and apparently folks have developed programs to interface between game controllers and the robot arm.  Apparently the Raspberry Pi is a popular intermediary, as is the Arduino.

(th)

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#17 2023-09-07 15:16:03

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

https://www.instructables.com/Chess-Rob … -AL5D-Arm/

The link above shows a (to me remarkable) implementation of Python to run a robot arm as part of a chess playing package.

The chess playing software is reported/claimed to be able to beat most humans. 

The developer uses a high quality webcam to watch the playing board, and the Raspberry Pi carries out all the calculations.

There is a video that shows the system in operation.

(th)

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#18 2023-09-08 11:01:57

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

The link below brings up a video by a chap who build a hardware interface and wrote software to allow a Sony game controller (PS4) to operate an industrial robot with five degrees of freedom.

In order to do this, the presenter created a design for a PCB board, ordered the board and populated it with parts, wrote the software (including pygame which I am using in the Python topic) and then connected everything together and demonstrated success.

The main value for me was seeing a game controller operating a robot arm almost exactly like the little education unit I have on site.

Because the education unit has it's own built in controller, and since it uses a USB interface, I am hoping an ordinary PC can provide the software interface.

I'm headed out shortly to try to find a suitable game controller for this project.

Update later: The link did not make it into the post, so I'll go back and find it.

Based upon the video, I stopped in at Target and picked up a Sony Playstation 5 controller.  It looks very similar to the PS4 model, but does cost a bit more.

It can be charged from a USB port on an ordinary PC, which saves on charger expense, although there appear to be special chargers available for serious games.

Update 2023/09/12 ... I never did find the video.  I thought I had saved the link but may not have.

The video was about making a customer PCB board for controller chips for an industrial robot arm.  The creator of the video showed that he was using a Sony Playstation controller, so I went out and bought one.  Subsequently, I discovered there is no easy way to find the control commands that are generated by the device.  Multiple folks have solved the problem, so obviously there is a solution.

(th)

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#19 2023-09-12 21:22:06

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

I lost track of the video reported in Post #18

Here is a web site where instructions for controlling a small robot are supposed to be stored:
http://mattdyson.org/projects/robotarm

The YouTube video about the project is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvKGxHoBBII

Robot Arm controlled by Xbox Controller and Raspberry Pi

(th)

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#20 2023-09-13 11:14:22

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

Here is the video that was reported in Post #18 ... the missing keyword was "industrial"

Industrial robot arm controlled with Gaming joystick!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXH5t3ltg0U

42,142 views  Mar 2, 2022  #RobotArm #Robotics #DIY
$2 For 2 layers 5 PCBs & Get $24 SMT Coupons Here : https://jlcpcb.com/cyt

I have made a Robot Arm controller for my IGUS robot arm. It uses TMC5160, Teensy, Raspberry Pi and PS4 joystick! All the good stuff in the single video! Enjoy!

Special thanks to my special Patrons: RobotDigg Shanghai, Shounak Bhattacharya and M. Aali!

Please subscribe. This will help me to develop other projects like this, to bring the bright future closer!

One time donation:
https://www.paypal.me/Skyentific

If you want to help this channel, please support me on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/Skyentific

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#DIY #Robotics #RobotArm

(th)

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#21 2023-09-16 12:01:34

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,042

Re: Collaborative Robots Market

The local 3D Printer group held it's monthly meeting last night, and I joined in via Zoom as usual. There was a nice turnout at the Maker Space, including one 3D Printer which made a print during the meeting, and a guest who brought in a complete set of miniature battle bots whose armor was all 3D printed.

The gent who put together the miniature battle-bot system demonstrated the system by running one bot from his smart phone, and inviting another attendee to control the second device with another smartphone.  I was duly impressed! 

During a lull in the conversation, one of the attendees asked me what I'd been working on, so I showed them the little robot arm and the Sony PS5 controller. The hardware for the project appears to be on hand ... I have a RaspBerry Pi 2 which should have more than enough horsepower to facilitate flow of data between the PS5 controller and the Lynxmotion robot arm.

Today, after setting up a new Chromebook, I paired the PS5 controller with the Chromebook, but then drew a blank, because the games I downloaded seemed to all be mouse oriented.

BARD has been improving since the first encounter I had with it, so I decided to try it again.  ** This ** time BARD was ** very ** helpful.  I explained the situation, and it came back with a title: PS5 Controller Analyzer, which is free to download from the Google Play Store.  I installed the app, and as soon as it started it found the PS5 Controller and displayed all zeros for the status.  As soon as I clicked a button I knew we were off to a good start, because the display echoed the Right Button was pushed.

Here is an inventory of the buttons and other controls:

R2 Button
L2 Button .... these are the lower of two buttons on each side of the forward edge of the controller

R1 Button
L2 Button ... these are the upper set of two buttons on each side of the forward edge of the controller

Create Button .... this is a small button on the left, just above a set of arrow keys

Option Button ... this is a similar small button on the right, just above a set of four keys with symbols (Triangle, Circle, Square and X)

The four direction buttons give: Left, Right, Up Down

The four buttons on the right give: Triangle, Square, Circle and X

The touch pad yields Touch Pad

There are two joy sticks on the PS5

Pressing gives L3 Button and R3 Button

The joysticks provide a full range of real numbers on each side.

Stick L_X
Stick L_Y

Stick R_X
Stick R_Y

The numbers range from -1 to 1, except that they all seem to have home positions that are slightly negative.

For detail planning, I note that the excursions from -1 to +1 make sense (to me at least) for left and right excursions, but they are opposite what I expected for the up-down excursions.

Taking the  joysticks in turn:

L1 far left is -1
L1 far right is +1

R1 is the same for left and right

However...

L1 forward is -1
L1 full back is +1

R1 is the same.

(th)

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