Announcement of Products and Technologies for Higher Performance in Robots
NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Toshihiro Uchiyama) today announced that it will exhibit at International Robot Exhibition 2015 to be held at Tokyo Big Sight (Koto-ku, Tokyo) from Wednesday, December 2 to Saturday, December 5 with the theme of Your Real Partner™.
This year will be the first year that NSK will have exhibits in both the Industrial Robot Zone and Service Robot Zone. In the Industrial Robot Zone, NSK will use dynamic and video displays to showcase its latest technology for smarter robotics such as sensors and other products for longer life, higher rigidity, faster speeds and greater compactness.
NSK is a participant in the Kanagawa Sagami Robot Industry Special Ward Robot Demonstration Support Business. The company will be exhibiting its products in the Kanagawa Pavilion's booth.
(1)Guide robot with indoor navigation and obstacle avoidance
Wheeled robot that guides users to the entered destination while recognizing, autonomously avoiding and stopping for obstacles. Designed for helping all patients around large hospitals, especially the elderly and visually-impaired. NSK will have a demonstration of this robot at its booth.
In addition to the conventional obstacle avoidance and navigation guidance features, NSK has made the following improvements leading up to practical application:
Height optimized for the elderly
Touch panel for entering destination
Music plays while in motion to increase awareness of those nearby
This product under development uses an array of infrared LED sensors to quickly detect the distance to and location of objects over a wide range. In addition, it employs a flexible printed circuit board to make it usable in a variety of shapes of robot arms and for easier assembly in production lines. It has a blind spot-free detection range from 0 to 300 mm, whereby making situational controls possible for adjusting robot speeds and stopping robot movement as necessary.
This product under development is designed with simpler and more compact actuator structures. In addition, through application of NSK Megatorque Motor™ technology, NSK has realized 2.62 million count/rotation high resolution. Combine with dual axis integration, this technology makes for simpler cable and wiring layout as well as higher performance of actuators and less maintenance thereof.
NSK integrated its newly developed dual axis integrated motor, ball screw and NSK Linear Guide™to create a compact actuator capable of independent lift and rotation positioning.
Exhibition Overview
Venue
Tokyo Big Sight (Koto-ku, Tokyo)
Dates
Wednesday December 2 to Saturday December 5, 2015
NSK Booth location
Industrial Robot Zone: IR 2-12, East 2 Hall
Service Robot Zone: SR-88, East 5 Hall
NSK has supported robotic technology over the years through its bearings, NSK Linear Guide™, ball screws, etc.
By leveraging its core technologies of tribology, materials, analysis and mechatronics, and through Motion and Control technologies, NSK is dedicated to contributing to the development of human-assistance technologies and a safer society.
NSK is also committed to uncovering the potential concerns and challenges in this field as early as possible to contribute to society through the development of robotic technology.
(2) About iREX 2015 (International Robot Exhibition)
The iREX expo is held for the purpose of advancing robotic technology (RT). The theme this year is "RT—Making a Future with Robots." It is organized by the Japan Robot Association (JARA) and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. The expo includes robotic technologies and robots from Japan and abroad and provides a lively forum for technical exchange and business discussions.
