As the ‘new kid on the block’ in the automation world, cobots have become a hot talking point for industry as it looks to increase flexibility and efficiency in manufacturing plants.

A study by researchers at Texas A&M University explores human-robot collaboration in the manufacturing sector, and examines the possibility of combating fatigue through autonomy.

With electric cylinders being in such high demand due to its flexibility and ease of use and precision, SMC is answering the call for electric solutions with its latest series of AC servo motor drivers.

Melbourne-based automation system builder ADDE has partnered with OTTO Motors to bring the OTTO range of autonomous mobile robots to the Australian market.

Adopting automation can reduce labour costs, improve worker safety, and increase productivity, and the benefits apply to small operations too, says EU Automation's John Young.

FMCG, pharma and logistics operations are set to benefit from the release of Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Automation Expert version 21.1, its software-centric universal automation system.

As demand for local manufacturing and increased productivity continues to surge, some manufacturers are grappling with an ongoing issue: a shortage of skilled labour. Cobots can step into the breach.

To cater for the growing demand for its expertise, specialist in automation solutions, ASC, has brought in an expert engineer from offshore to help expand on its knowledge and services across Australia.

Kuka has joined Open IIoT, an initiative founded with the mission of delivering valuable, efficient and easy-to-understand information on Industry 4.0 and IIoT to the broader manufacturing industry.

ABB launches its faster and stronger IRB 390 FlexPacker, which supports customised/vertical packing, high-speed/high-variation sorting, and on-demand order picking in logistics and e-commerce centres.

Universal Robots’ best selling cobot, the UR10e, has been enhanced and is launching with a 25% increased payload, enabling it to serve even more applications and handle heavier items.

While cobots have been enabling manufacturers to run agile operations and increase performance for more than a decade, today’s cobots are built to do even more - Universal Robots breaks down what users can do to unlock more value from them.

Omron has introduced its new iX3 and iX4 parallel robots, which the company says delivers higher payloads and speeds for faster and more flexible picking and packaging applications.

James McKew, regional director for Universal Robots APAC, says border closures, a lack of human labour, the cost of human labour, and reduced mobility has boosted cobot deployment.

Universal Robots says competition in home entertainment, white goods and other personal electronics is tight and leaves no margin for error, and quality is what will differentiate companies from the pack.

As Foodtech Packtech 2021 gets underway, SMC has created a range of lightweight, compact and energy efficient products, which it will showcase at the food and packaging technology exhibition in Auckland.