YuMi, formerly named "Frida", is a dual-armed, small parts assembly robot designed to assist in the manufacturing of consumer electronics. It is being developed by ABB Robotics and is scheduled to hit the market on April 13, 2015 at Hannover Messe Germany, the largest industrial technology fair in the world.
YuMi is dexterous enough to thread a needle, and can handle with ease the delicate parts of a mechanical wristwatch or the components used in mobile phones, tablets and desktop PCs.
But what sets YuMi apart is that it features a never-before-seen level of collaboration between robot and human workers. This is reflected in the name of the bot, which is short for “You and Me”. YuMi is safe enough to work cage-free, hand in hand with human co-workers in the same task. This will revolutionize the way businesses approach manufacturing.
Without knowing YuMi’s specifications, it could sound dangerous to have humans and robots working side by side. But this is not the robot of sharp metal corners that you may be imagining. The arms of YuMi are covered in soft padding and installed with innovative force sensing technology that ensures the complete safety of human co-workers.
ABB Robotics
