Universal Robots

Last updated
Universal Robots
Industry Automation
Founded2005
FounderEsben Østergaard
Kasper Støy
Kristian Kassow  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Headquarters Odense, Denmark
Key people
Kim Povlsen (CEO)
Products Industrial robots, cobots
RevenueUSD 311 million (2021) [1]
Number of employees
1000+ (2022) [2]
Parent Teradyne
Website www.universal-robots.com

Universal Robots is a Danish manufacturer of smaller flexible industrial collaborative robot arms (cobots), based in Odense, Denmark. Since 2015, the company is owned by American automatic test equipment designer and manufacturer Teradyne.

Contents

Universal Robots was the first company to launch a collaborative robot that could safely operate alongside employees, eliminating the need for safety cages or fencing. [3] [4]

As of 2022, Universal Robots was the market leader for collaborative robots, credited with 40-50% of the market share. [5] [6] [7]

History

Universal Robots was founded in Odense, Denmark in 2005 by Esben Østergaard, Kasper Støy, and Kristian Kassow. [8] [9] During joint research at the Syddansk Universitet Odense, the founders came to the conclusion that the robotics market was dominated by heavy, expensive, and unwieldy robots. That led them to develop the idea to make robot technology accessible to small and medium-sized businesses. [10]

In 2008, the first UR5 cobots were available on the Danish and German markets.

In 2012 the second cobot, UR10, was launched. [11]

In spring 2015, the table-top cobot UR3 was launched. [12]

In 2015, Universal Robots was acquired by Teradyne for USD 285 million. [13] [14]

In 2016, Universal Robots launched the UR Academy, a training platform that offers online and in-class robotics training courses. [15] In the same year, Universal Robots launched the UR+ Ecosystem, a platform for third party developers to create and sell products that are compatible with collaborative robots from Universal Robots. [16]

At Automatica 2018, a German trade fair for smart automation and robotics Munich, Universal Robots introduced a new generation of collaborative robots called the "e-Series". [17]

In 2019, the company launched the UR16e cobot. [18]

In 2020, Universal Robots had installed 50,000 collaborative robots worldwide. [19]

In April 2022, Universal Robots announced that it had broken ground on a new headquarter in Odense, Denmark. The headquarter will be shared with Universal Robot's sister company MiR. It will be the world's largest hub for collaborative robots and autonomous mobile robots. [20]

In 2022, Universal Robots opened its 100th training center for cobot programming in Täby, Sweden. The company has training centers in 23 countries. [21]

At Automatica 2022, a German trade fair for smart automation and robotics, the company revealed the UR20 as its latest product addition. [22] [23]

Products

Universal Robots has seven collaborative robots on the market. All robots are six-jointed robot arms. The CB3-series consists of the UR3, UR5 and UR10, [24] while UR16e, UR10e, UR5e and UR3e are part of the newer e-series. [25] The UR20 is the first collaborative robot in a whole new generation of collaborative robots. [26]

Collaborative robots from Universal Robots [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]
ModelRelease yearPayload (kg)Footprint (mm)Weight (kg)Reach (mm)
UR30202430245641300
UR20202220245641750
UR16e20191619033.1900
UR10e201812.519033.51300
UR5e2018514920.6850
UR3e2018312811.2500
UR32015312811500
UR1020121019028.91300
UR52008514918.4850

Universal Robots' collaborative robots are used for many different applications including welding, machine tending, palletizing and grinding (abrasive cutting) [32] within industries such as automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, food and beverage. [33]


Awards and recognition

Universal Robots received an Honoree in the "robotics" category at Automation World’s “Leadership in Automation” in 2016. [34]

A collaborative robot from Universal Robots is used to attach a label to a smartphone

At the Learning Technologies Award in London at the end of 2017, the UR Academy was awarded “Silver” in the category “Excellence in the design of learning content - international commercial sector” [35]

In 2018, Esben Østergaard, one of the co-founders of Universal Robots, was awarded the Engelberger Robotics Award for his work on developing Universal Robot's collaborative robots. [36]

At the 2018 Annual Manufacturing Leadership Awards, Universal Robots won three awards in "Collaborative Innovation Leadership" for the UR+ platform, "Smart Products and Services Leadership" for the product portfolio, and co-founder Esben Østergaard received an award in the category "Visionary Leadership". [37]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Electric</span> Japanese electrical equipment, elevator manufacturer and electronics company

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 1921 as a spin-off from the electrical machinery manufacturing business of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding at the Kobe Shipyard. The products from MELCO include elevators and escalators, high-end home appliances, air conditioning, factory automation systems, train systems, electric motors, pumps, semiconductors, digital signage, and satellites.

Teradyne, Inc., is an American automatic test equipment (ATE) designer and manufacturer based in North Reading, Massachusetts. Teradyne's high-profile customers include Samsung, Qualcomm, Intel, Analog Devices, Texas Instruments and IBM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robotic arm</span> Type of mechanical arm with similar functions to a human arm.

A robotic arm is a type of mechanical arm, usually programmable, with similar functions to a human arm; the arm may be the sum total of the mechanism or may be part of a more complex robot. The links of such a manipulator are connected by joints allowing either rotational motion or translational (linear) displacement. The links of the manipulator can be considered to form a kinematic chain. The terminus of the kinematic chain of the manipulator is called the end effector and it is analogous to the human hand. However, the term "robotic hand" as a synonym of the robotic arm is often proscribed.

Adaptable Robotics refers to a field of robotics with a focus on creating robotic systems capable of adjusting their hardware and software components to perform a wide range of tasks while adapting to varying environments. The 1960s introduced robotics into the industrial field. Since then, the need to make robots with new forms of actuation, adaptability, sensing and perception, and even the ability to learn stemmed the field of adaptable robotics. Significant developments such as the PUMA robot, manipulation research, soft robotics, swarm robotics, AI, cobots, bio-inspired approaches, and more ongoing research have advanced the adaptable robotics field tremendously. Adaptable robots are usually associated with their development kit, typically used to create autonomous mobile robots. In some cases, an adaptable kit will still be functional even when certain components break.

CoroWare, Inc. is a publicly held company based in Woodinville, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comau</span> Italian multinational company

Comau is an Italian multinational company in the automation field based in Turin, Italy. It is a part of the automaker Stellantis. The company is present in 13 countries and employs 4,000 people.

A cobot, or collaborative robot, also known as a companion robot, is a robot intended for direct human-robot interaction within a shared space, or where humans and robots are in close proximity. Cobot applications contrast with traditional industrial robot applications in which robots are isolated from human contact or the humans are protected by robotic tech vests. Cobot safety may rely on lightweight construction materials, rounded edges, and inherent limitation of speed and force, or on sensors and software that ensure safe behavior.

ISO 10218 is an international standard for industrial robot safety, developed by ISO/TC 184/SC 2 "Robots and robotic devices" in parallel with the European Committee for Standardization in 2011. It consists of two parts:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rethink Robotics</span> Robotics company headquartered in Germany

Rethink Robotics is a robotics company co-founded by Rodney Brooks and Ann Whittaker in 2008. In 2018 the assets of Rethink Robotics were bought by the German automation specialist HAHN Group. In 2021 Rethink Robotics joined the United Robotics Group GmbH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air-Cobot</span> French research and development project (2013–)

Air-Cobot (Aircraft Inspection enhanced by smaRt & Collaborative rOBOT) is a French research and development project of a wheeled collaborative mobile robot able to inspect aircraft during maintenance operations. This multi-partner project involves research laboratories and industry. Research around this prototype was developed in three domains: autonomous navigation, human-robot collaboration and nondestructive testing.

Blue Prism is the trading name of the Blue Prism Group plc, a British multinational software corporation that pioneered and makes enterprise robotic process automation (RPA) software that provides a digital workforce designed to automate complex, end-to-end operational activities. In March 2022, Blue Prism was acquired by SS&C Technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dobot</span> Global Collaborative Robots Manufacturer

Dobot ranked No.1 Collaborative Robot exporter in China, is one of the leading global providers of collaborative robots and the creator of desktop-grade robotic arms. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Shenzhen, China. Dobot cobots and solutions are widely used in the manufacturing, education, healthcare, and new retailing sectors, enabling manufacturing automation, industry transformation and AI robotics talents cultivation. Today, Dobot's cobots and solutions can be found in automation in over 100 countries and regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Bicchi</span> Italian robotics scientist

Antonio Bicchi is an Italian scientist interested in robotics and intelligent machines. He is professor at the University of Pisa and senior researcher at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Genoa. He is an adjunct professor at the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, US.

The HAHN Group GmbH is a conglomerate of companies that specialize in industrial automation and robotics. The headquarters are located in Rheinböllen, Germany.

Zivid is a Norwegian machine vision technology company headquartered in Oslo, Norway. It designs and sells 3D color cameras with vision software that are used in autonomous industrial robot cells, collaborative robot (cobot) cells and other industrial automation systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Techman</span> Robotic company of Taiwan

Techman Robot Inc., formerly a business division of Quanta Storage Inc., is an independent company under Quanta Computer established in 2015. The company is most recognized for its cobot with a built-in vision system: the TM Robot series. This robot series previously won the COMPUTEX D&I Gold Award. Techman Robot Inc. is also among the first companies to receive the TARS certification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workplace impact of artificial intelligence</span> Impact of artificial intelligence on workers

The impact of artificial intelligence on workers includes both applications to improve worker safety and health, and potential hazards that must be controlled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruno Siciliano (engineer)</span> Italian control engineer and roboticist

Bruno Siciliano is an Italian engineer, academic and scientific popularizer. He is professor of Control and Robotics at the University of Naples Federico II, Chair of the Scientific Council of the ICAROS Center, and Coordinator of the PRISMA Lab at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. He is also Honorary Professor at the university of Óbuda where he holds the Rudolf Kálmán chair.

Mech-Mind Robotics, simply as Mech-Mind, is an AI+3D robotics company founded by Tianlan Shao in 2016. The company focuses on industrial 3D cameras and software suites for robotic applications. Its main products include Mech-Eye series, Mech-Vision, Mech-DLK, and Mech-Viz, which can be used in the logistics, automotive, home appliance, and steel industries.

Addverb Technologies is a robotics and automation company headquartered in Noida, India. Founded in 2016, the company develops industrial robotics and automated warehousing systems.

References

  1. ↑ "Universal Robots - revenue".
  2. ↑ "Universal Robots reaches 1,000 employees". 15 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "StackPath". www.mhlnews.com. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  4. ↑ "Collaborative robotics — history and recent trends | RoboticsTomorrow". roboticstomorrow.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  5. ↑ "Cobot", Wikipedia, 2022-11-30, retrieved 2022-12-30
  6. ↑ Staff, Robotics 24/7. "Universal Robots Reports $85M in Revenue for Q1 2022". Robotics 24/7. Retrieved 2022-12-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Kuokkanen, Kimmo (2021-03-22). "Global Collaborative Robot Market is Forecasted to Reach $2.3bn by 2025". EIN News. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  8. ↑ Devi, Sharmila (2014-05-19). "Universal Robots are a big hit" . Financial Times . Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  9. ↑ "Our history | Universal Robots". www.universal-robots.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  10. ↑ "Grundlægger Esben Østergaard forlader kæmpesuccesen Universal Robots fire år efter milliard-salg: "Det har været en fantasisk rejse for mig at være med fra tidlig ide til at skabe en global industri"". Computerworld (in Danish). 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  11. ↑ "Robotic Solutions for Small and Medium-Sized Applications". automationworld.com. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "UR3-Roboter". Universal Robots. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Godske, Bjørn. "Universal Robots solgt for 1,9 mia. kroner" Ingeniøren , 13 May 2015. Accessed: 13 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "Collaborative robots open new fronts in automation". The Business Times. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  15. ↑ "UR Academy offers the largest, most comprehensive cobot training platform – Advanced Motion & Controls" . Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  16. ↑ admin (2018-12-06). "Universal Robots Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary Of Selling The World's First Commercially Viable Cobot". Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  17. ↑ Crowe, Steve (2018-06-20). "Universal Robots e-Series cobots launch at Automatica". The Robot Report. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  18. ↑ "SHOW NEWS: Universal Robots launches new UR16e cobot". Robotics and Automation. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  19. ↑ "Universal Robots Reaches Industry Milestone With 50,000 Cobots Sold | 2021-02-08 | ASSEMBLY". www.assemblymag.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  20. ↑ Odense, Invest in (2021-03-03). "The world's largest Cobot Hub to open in Odense in 2023". Invest in Odense. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  21. ↑ Technology, Surgical Robotics (2022-06-01). "Universal Robots Opens 100th Cobot Training Center". Surgical Robotics Technology. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  22. ↑ Crowe, Steve (2022-06-21). "Meet UR20: Universal Robots' fastest, strongest cobot ever". The Robot Report. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  23. ↑ Mennings, Robbin (2022-06-22). "Universal Robots unveils the new UR20". WiredWorkers. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  24. ↑ "CB3 Family | Collaborative robots by Universal Robots". www.universal-robots.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  25. ↑ "e-Series Cobots | Collaborative robots by Universal Robots". www.universal-robots.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  26. ↑ "This is the cobot. Redefined". www.universal-robots.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  27. ↑ "Collaborative robots from UR | Start your automation journey". www.universal-robots.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  28. ↑ "Universal Robots products: Transforming the industrial landscape". Robotics & Automation News. 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  29. ↑ "UR3e Technical Specifications Contact" (PDF).
  30. ↑ "Technical specifications UR10" (PDF).
  31. ↑ "UR5 Tekniske specifikationer" (PDF).
  32. ↑ "The Benefits and Capabilities of Cobots by Universal Robots". blog.hirebotics.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  33. ↑ "HOW ARE COBOTS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR INDUSTRY ?". www.universal-robots.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  34. ↑ "2017 Leadership in Automation: First Team Honorees". Automation World. 2018-01-11. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  35. ↑ "Learning Technologies Awards 2022". Learning Technologies 2023. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  36. ↑ "Universal Robots Co-Founder & CTO Wins "Nobel Prize" Of Robotics". Manufacturing.net. 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  37. ↑ Sullivan, Frost &. "2018 Manufacturing Leadership Awards Program Honors Leaders of Industry Transformation". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2022-12-30.

External links [1]

  1. ↑ "Universal Robots UR3 Arm Is Small and Nimble, Helps to Build Copies of Itself". Universal Robots UR3 Arm Is Small and Nimble, Helps to Build Copies of Itself. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.