Developments

A robot’s role in a shared task could be continuously adjusted during the activity, thanks to a new adaptive robot control system developed by researchers at Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, that can sense whether a human operator wants to lead or follow. The innovation takes human–robot interactions to a new level of sophistication and opens a range of applications for robots that were previously too difficult to achieve. Humans are assisted by robots in everything from automotive manufacturing through to delicate surgical procedures and even search and rescue operations, but there remains much room for improvement and expansion of their roles. “Robots are still not as intelligent as we expect and this is particularly clear when it comes to human–robot interactions,” says Li Yanan from the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R). Though extremely useful for performing repetitive or high-precision tasks and for bearing heavy loads, in many applications robots can only be engaged when guided by a human operator to the start location or object. Once engaged, the robot often takes autonomous control of the task. However, as the role of a robot for any task is usually preset and difficult to change during operations, robots are difficult to manage in tasks where its function might switch frequently, such as in high-mix, low-volume applications like welding, polishing and painting. To extend the utility of robots to improve such nuanced human–robot collaborations, Li and colleagues from the I2R set out to develop a control code that sensed the intent of the human operator, based on the force they exerted on the robot, and adjusted the role of the robot automatically. “In the code, to estimate the human operator’s motion intention so that the robot control strategy could be changed, we used game theory, which provides useful […]

Two major power stations in South Korea have installed Technofast’s innovative hydraulic CamNut EziJac bolting system with outstanding results in both reducing production downtime and improving safety levels for their maintenance engineers. Park Jong Geun, General Manager of the Technical Solutions Team at Korea’s East-West Power (EWP) Company based in Seoul, said Technofast’s CamNut EziJac system had been successfully utilised on the steam turbine casings at both the company’s Dangjin and Donghae power stations with outstanding results. In a letter to Technofast, Mr Park explained that by installing the CamNut EziJac system, his maintenance team had been able to dramatically shorten the maintenance and upgrade times, reduce downtime, as well as increasing production at both locations. He went on to say that by changing from the previous out-dated heating method of loosening and tightening the bolting on the turbine casings they have also improved the safety of their maintenance engineers. With the old heating method the company couldn’t carry out simultaneous operations and needed many hours to heat up and cool down the bolts as well as measurement of the elongation. Mr Park explained that this method can also cause serious damage to the components due to their exposure to excessive heat. But by adopting the CamNut EziJac system, the maintenance engineers were able to loosen and tighten the nuts simultaneously and avoid thermal stress and heat deterioration of the bolts. He said that by installing the Technofast system, the power company has drastically reduced the number of downtime days lost, plus increased the reliability, production, safety and usability of the power plants. At the number one unit at the Dangjin steam turbine power station, Mr Park said the company was able to reduce downtime by two days, equating to 840 million Won (US$700,000 approx.) per year. On top of […]

TOKYO, Dec 15, 2015  – Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have reached an agreement to set up a new elevator plant in Korea. The plant, to be run by Mitsubishi Elevator Korea Co., Ltd. (KMEC), a Mitsubishi Electric subsidiary, will be located in the Incheon Free Economic Zone. KMEC will relocate its development and manufacturing base from the present Incheon factory to a new facility and will start manufacturing elevators for both the Korean and overseas markets, expanding its annual production capacity by 2.5 times to 4,000 units. MC’s elevator business in Korea dates back to 2001 when KMEC, its elevator distribution joint venture with Mitsubishi Electric, was established. KMEC has since been expanding its business steadily. The elevator and escalator market in Korea is expected to reach 24,000 units for newly constructed buildings in 2015, with demand in Korea remaining stable at about 25,000 units. KMEC began exporting high-quality, price-competitive high-speed elevators in 2008 and since then, it has served as Mitsubishi Electric’s global supply base for such models. The facility’s R&D center will absorb selected development functions currently based in Mitsubishi Electric Inazawa Works in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and this will enable KMEC to strengthen its development and supply functions as well as its business base for sales, engineering, development, manufacturing, installation and maintenance, thereby bolstering its business in Korea and its capacity to respond to global market needs. MC and Mitsubishi Electric will supply high-quality, price-competitive high-speed elevators utilizing KMEC’s advanced engineering capabilities and access to global markets, especially in the ASEAN and Middle Eastern regions. KMEC is also planning to construct a 80-meter high elevator test tower and a field training center for installation and maintenance in an effort to enhance the capacity of engineers, all with the aim of improving the quality and […]

Berlin –  The results of European Bioplastics’ annual market data update, presented today at the 10th European Bioplastics Conference in Berlin, confirm the positive growth trend of the global bioplastics industry. “The market is predicted to grow by more than 350 percent in the mid-term,” says François de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics. The data compiled in cooperation with the research institutes IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hannover, Germany) and nova-Institute (Hürth, Germany) shows that the global bioplastics production capacity is set to increase from around 1.7 million tonnes in 2014 to approximately 7.8 million tonnes in 2019. Biobased, non-biodegradable plastics, such as biobased PE and biobased PET, are the main drivers of this growth. More than 60 percent of the bioplastics production capacity worldwide in 2014 was biobased, durable plastics. This share will increase to over 80 percent in 2019. Production capacities of biodegradable plastics, such as PLA, PHA, and starch blends, are also growing steadily, nearly doubling from 0.7 million tonnes in 2014 to well over 1.2 million tonnes in 2019. PHA production will double by 2019 compared to 2014, due to a ramp-up of old and new capacities in Asia and the US. A. “It seems that compostable plastics are moving from niche to mainstream and many compostable plastics have found their true added value applications,” explains de Bie. Packaging remains the single largest field of application for bioplastics with almost 70 percent (1.2 million tonnes) of the total bioplastics market. Due to the excellent fit of bioplastics in the packaging market, this number is expected to increase to more than 80 percent (6.5 million tonnes) in 2019. “The data illustrates an important trend to make packaging more resource efficient, which is driven by a growing consumer demand for […]