HelMo is the new generation of high-performance mobile robot systems that work fully autonomously, with the ability to navigate a diverse array of working environments, gather their own materials and then carry out the work. HelMo represents the next level of Man-Robot Collaboration, whereby robots mix with human beings and work together with them or handle monotonous tasks on their own.
«Stäubli mobile robots meet all mobility requirements and are the perfect link to a smarter production.»
Peter Pühringer | Division Manager Stäubli Robotics Bayreuth
Mobile robot solutions are always a big crowd puller at any trade fair. What did Stäubli showcase at Automatica?
Pühringer: We showed our mobile robotics system, HelMo, which premiered at Automatica 2016 as a pilot project and has now successfully graduated to become a standardized product ready for use. What’s so special about HelMo is that it can perform MRC (Man-Robot Collaboration) tasks either as a mobile assistant or – as a high-performance robot – be assigned to common industrial applications. It would be hard to imagine a greater level of flexibility.
Which aspects of HelMo visitors got to know at Automatica?
Pühringer: The specialists among them saw HelMo operating in a specific context within our Smart Production. The mobile robot system autonomously navigated its way around, linked robot cells, performed intralogistic tasks and demonstrated its capabilities in human-robot interaction. It was a spectacular application that illustrated the possibilities of mobile robotics in a really impressive way.
What are the particular technological challenges, and what were the jobs that HelMo did?
Pühringer: The HelMo mobile robot system is designed in such a way that it can take on individual location-specific tasks such as fetching and transporting parts, as well as delivering, inserting and removing machine components. The application options range from individual process stages to complex tasks. HelMo can be geared specifically to the customer’s own applications.
