Industrial robot

IoT makes robot maintenance predictive because condition data such as motor temperature flows continuously into one platform. With conventional solutions, assessing a robot's condition in real time was not possible. KUKA iiQoT bundles the data of the whole fleet, filters out, for example, robots with a certain motor temperature or an operating system that needs updating, and provides guidance parameters that make messages easier to interpret. Maintenance cases can be identified remotely.

With robots as a service, the user does not pay for the robot but for its use, for example per unit produced. This requires performance data and order data to come together. In the Wandelbots testbed with Infineon, SAP and Objective Partner in Dresden, a digital twin in the cloud controls and monitors the robot's work. It is built from sensor data and skills and provides the basis for precise billing. So far, the solution is an MVP.

It can be secured without connecting the plant network directly to the internet. For KUKA iiQoT, Device Insight developed its own cloud connector, which retrieves the data from the robot and transfers it to the cloud via OPC UA and MQTT. It uses Microsoft Azure functions such as automatic software updates and security certificates that are renewed daily. The platform also shows the security status of all robots.

Single pair ethernet transmits up to one gigabit per second over a single pair of wires and so makes it easier to retrofit older robots with sensors. In the project by B&R, Harting and SICK, compact sensors deliver values such as image information, temperature, humidity or vibration. OPC UA over TSN connects them to gateways and the cloud across manufacturers and in real time. For companies with several large plants, this is considerably cheaper than conventional Ethernet cabling.