On October 30th, the IAS team conducted a webinar in conjunction with Photonics Magazine on the topic of Man-Machine Collaboration and Safety Sensors. The Webinar content included a comprehensive overview of current machine safety technology as well as anticipated future product developments. The session concluded with an examination of the applications that will provide growth within the segment, followed by a question and answer period.

The concept of 3D bubble safety is an emerging industry demand and has evolved out of the need to have humans and machines working together in synchronous harmony. Automated systems will handle tasks that are repetitive or dangerous, allowing workers to focus on tasks that require dexterity and critical thinking.  Several of the questions were centered on this new development of man-machine collaboration.

One question that stood out in particular was from an engineer involved with a MAG welding application. Most welding is still done by hand and it is a critical step in metal fabrication. Current vision-based automation systems have difficulty with MAG welding because of the intensity of the welding arc. The arc is so bright that it overloads the CMOS sensor in the camera system which creates difficulties for the image processing and pattern recognition algorithms. The industry is actively seeking a solution since moving heavy metal parts into position must be performed by a robot, and the welding must be done by hand. A safety system that could better allow humans and robotics to work in conjunction would have wide market appeal. The concept of 3D bubble safety is explained and explored in detail in the webinar.

A full recording of the Man-Machine Collaboration and Safety Sensors webinar is available from the Photonics Website

 https://www.photonics.com/Webinar.aspx?WID=53