Happy new year!

At iREX 2022 (International Robot Exhibition 2022) held in March last year, we introduced a 4-legged robot, Bex. In April, we opened the Future Lab HANEDA and started a Proof of Concept for the autonomous mobile type service robot, Nyokkey in the restaurant.

With the catch phrase of “from an industrial robot manufacturer to the fully-integrated robot manufacturer to offer solutions to social problems,” we started to challenge social robots last year. This year, we would like to implement our idea in actual society.

Another challenge is a robot digital platform, ROBO CROSS that provides customers with continued services. It was also exhibited at iREX2022 and attracted a lot of positive reactions from customers. We are hoping to start a Proof of Concept this year, too.

Needless to say, we will also continue to develop new industrial robots, aiming mainly at the “Logistics” industry and “Inspection” fields. As Kawasaki Robotics offers new technologies and products, we ask for your continued support.

January 1, 2023
Noboru Takagi
Executive Officer and GM, Robot Business Division
Precision Machinery・Robot Company
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

In addition, we will introduce our new lineup of self-propelled robots that realize automated transport between processes, the TRanbo -7. An application using the self-propelled robot is compact and capable of moving within the  factory passage width of 800 mm.

Please visit Kawasaki booth at East Hall 4F-12. Our representatives will be there to meet you.

A keynote speech by President Hashimoto is scheduled on Friday, 17 June. For details, see the summary below. We are looking forward to your visit.　　　　　　　　

Exhibits

■AutomatedInterprocess Transferwith TRanbo -7

-The slim body can go through the factory passage width of 800 mm recommended by JIS standard.  The arm and the travelling device are controlled by a single controller, making the TRanbo-7 simple and compact. It can easily be introduced to the exisiting factory and the process with the minimum layout changes. It realizes the automation of interprocess transfers and picking tasks.

■Manufacturing process of substrates

・FPC transport/Assembly by duAro2
–The dual-arm duAro enables transfer and assembly of FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuit boards) without changing jigs and hands. The optional flip axis can also automate work with an angle to the workbench.

・Substrate Assembly by duAro1
-Multi-task operations by a single dual-arm robot enable screw tightening that cannot be achieved by a dedicated machine. Taking advantage of the features of the dual arm, it performs high-speed and high-precision positioning and multitask operations with its wide motion range.

Presentation by Kawasaki

■Keynote Address
・Date: Friday, June 17, 13:30-14:15
・Presenter: Yasuhiko Hashimoto, President & CEO
・Topic: Kawasaki Group’s Efforts to Build
a Hydrogen Supply Chain

*Exhibition registration and seminar registration are required.

Booth Map

The Lab – which was established by a consortium comprising Kawasaki, Intellectual Capital Management Group (ICMG), Kiraboshi Bank, Ltd., Haneda Airport (Japan Airport Terminal Co., Ltd. and Haneda Future Research Institute Inc.), and Ota City, Tokyo – offers a space for conducting demonstration tests intended for social implementation of robotics products to resolve various social issues. The launching of the Lab was part of the “Haneda Kyoso (Co-Generation) Project,” aimed at establishing a sustainable service ecosystem.

The Lab will be collaborating with “KicSpace HANEDA,” an incubation hub launched by Kiraboshi Bank in 2021 as another part of the Haneda Kyoso Project for promoting the growth of startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. This collaboration seeks to support labor-saving efforts of small and medium-sized firms in Ota City and of other manufacturers suffering from labor shortages. It also assists in the development of new products by robotics startups and small and medium-sized companies involved in robotics innovation.

Under the Haneda Kyoso Project, Kawasaki is committed to working with major corporations, small and medium-sized firms, startups, and central and local governments in order to resolve social issues, promote social transformation, and realize such initiatives as “Smart Airport City,” “Carbon Neutrality,” and “Regional Revitalization.” Through this new Lab at Haneda Airport, a travel gateway for the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, Kawasaki plans to advance its social innovation initiatives.

The Lab is comprised primarily of these two areas:

1. “AI_SCAPE”: a demonstration café where visitors can experience robots firsthand

At AI_SCAPE, demonstration tests are conducted with the objective of having robots perform all café operations ― from cooking to serving ― without human intervention. It is designed to collect data on the time spent on each task and on the robots’ range of movements, as well as other information necessary for real-life implementation. The dishes served at AI_SCAPE, devised by food creator Makie Sonoyama, have been designed to feature specialty ingredients from different regions in Japan and to be cooked by robots. Also, “robot-friendly” furniture has been used to help robots wait on tables easily. In other words, AI_SCAPE has been designed to showcase a future society where humans and robots co-exist.

AI_SCAPE Website

2. YouComeLab: a space for research and development of robots

This facility makes available to both startups and research institutes the “Kaleido” humanoid robot, the “Nyokkey” autonomous service robot, and other cutting-edge robots – including those under development – for use in testing their software programs. Having such a facility next to Haneda Airport makes it a readily-accessible venue for those who wish to test their programs as many times as they like, which should contribute to advancing societal use of robots.

Overview of Future Lab HANEDA

iREX2022 (International Robot Exhibition )

iREX
2022 (International Robot Exhibition) was held at the Tokyo Big Sight from March 9 to 11 Kawasaki took part in the exhibition and showcased latest robot technologies with the themes of “Safe and Secure Remote Society” and “Near Future Mobility
Despite the COVID 19 many people visited our booth every day Thank you for your visit and interest in Kawasaki The following are partial photos of our exhibits.

You can see our exhibits at our special iREX2022 site.

Happy New Year!

Despite the continued corona pandemic, we received many purchase orders last year because of strong demand from the semiconductor industry and Chinese market. Due to the supply chain problem of semiconductor, electronics and plastic parts, we could not always satisfy customers’ requests. Although the situation is expected to continue this year, we will do utmost to cope with the problem. We would ask for your understanding and cooperation.

In December 2021, we established a joint venture company with Sony, “Remote Robotics, Inc.” and started a remote service platform using the Successor technology. Our Robot Business Division will start R&D of the dual-arm type self-travelling robot as a new platform, which combines autonomous technologies and remote operations. Demonstration experiments are already underway.

We will also develop a robot data platform in line with Kawasaki’s DX initiative so that we can change our business model. It will enable to provide SIers and users with continued services, and move forward to new fields of robotics in addition to the existing areas. As we are evolving to a fully integrated robot manufacturer, we would ask for your continued support.

January 1, 2022
Noboru Takagi
Executive Officer and GM, Robot Business Division
Precision Machinery・Robot Company
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Kawasaki Robostage marked 100,000 visitors

Our robot showroom, “Kawasaki Robostage” recorded 100,000 visitors. Mr. Yoshikawa and his family were welcomed by our friendly staff on December 18, 2021 (photo below).

Kawasaki Robostage was opened in Daiba, Tokyo in 2016 as a robot showroom. Since then, it was visited by many people of all ages, despite occasional closures due to COVID-19.

Come and enjoy at Kawasaki Robostage. It is entrance free and no reservation is required. 

click for more information: https://robotics.kawasaki.com/ja1/robostage/en.html