Germany’s biggest industrial robotics company working on consumer robotsJune 22, 2017 - 19:01 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - You might not have heard of Kuka, but you’ll almost certainly know its products. The German firm is one of the world’s top manufacturers of industrial robots, and its robot arms are instantly recognizable thanks to their signature orange livery. But in the future, Kuka’s robots might become an even more familiar sight, with the company saying it’s now exploring the world of consumer robotics, The Verge reports. In an interview with the Financial Times, CEO Till Reuter said the change was being pushed by Kuka’s new parent company, Chinese home appliance maker Midea. “Midea is not doing any robotics or automation, so Kuka is automation for Midea,” Reuter told the FT. “And they are very well connected to the consumer industry. So together we want to do consumer robotics.” Midea bought Kuka last year for €4.5 billion. The Chinese firm makes a wide range of products for the home, including air con systems, washing machines, ovens, fridges, and more. It’s not clear what sort of product Midea is aiming to produce, but Kuka’s expertise in automating heavy-duty physical tasks suggests the companies would be looking beyond simple “home-hub” robots. Instead, they might set their sights on more complex robot assistants, able to help with tasks like looking after the elderly. Robots like these are under development in a number of countries, including Japan, which faces the challenge of looking after an aging population. Building a robot designed to work closely with humans would fit Kuka’s evolving interests, which have moved from just static industrial robots, to smaller bots that work side by side with people. These include its iiwa range of bots (the name stands for “intelligent industrial work assistant”) which are designed to give factory workers “a third hand.” Kuka told the FT: “We come from this direction to the consumer market; Midea comes from the other direction and we meet in the middle.” Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |