Yaskawa Electric puts robot on package-sorting duty
By Donald Melanson 
posted Jul 11th 2007 11:02AM
posted Jul 11th 2007 11:02AM
It looks like Japan's Yaskawa Electric has found yet another human job for its Motoman-DIA10 robot to take, with the company now teaming with Mitsui & Co. and Hokusho Co. to put the bot to work sorting packages. Apparently, the multipurpose bot will be paired with Hokusho's existing sorting system, letting the robot scan the barcodes on packages and route them appropriately, supposedly at a rate of 1,000 items per hour. As you can see above, the robot certainly seems to mean business, boasting seven-axis robotic arms that are no doubt capable of far more than simply sorting packages.
[Via Pink Tentacle]
[Via Pink Tentacle]
is it neccesary for it to have a face?
Is it necessary for it to have boobs?
The funny thing is the boobs are probably more necessary than the face. My guess is it needs to house some motors inside there.
Yes, for frustrated human co-workers to punch when stressed...
So... why does the portion of the robot where the arms mount A) simulate a humanoid form and B) have boobs?
I for one, welcome our new package sorting, freaky armed, robot overlords...
just what I was about to say, you will know when the are getting smart, they will join a union!
Which one is the robot in the picture? I though it was the "thing" in the background. I thought the machine in the foreground was a dentist machine of some sort with what looks like an emotionless stare and boobs (?!?!?)
robots are stealing out jobs!
they took our jerbs!!!
They took our jerbs!!!!
Great story. One of the many great uses for Robots to replace cheap menial labor :-). There was an interesting and realated article about more progress in this direction and what Rod Brooks at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) wants to do with robots in the future. No more jobs for you! Even the programmers will be replaced ... probably with more programmers.
Take a look here: http://www.xconomy.com/2007/07/05/reconfiguring-labor-markets-pondering-the-meaning-of-life/
Nice...Very Nice!!! How much?
Those boobs are about as real as most boobs on the tube or even on the beach these days, so I don't see what the issue is.
DEM DERE ROBOTS! DEY TOOK UR JRR! DRR TRR KRR JRR!!!
hmm.. notice the human in the background is sporting the same coloured uniform as the robot?!!
Those arms will come in handy when the robots are sorting human skulls and extracting the metal from the fillings to build more robots.
Domo Arigato, Booby Roboto....
At FedEx (and UPS, I'm told our standards are the same) we expect human sorters to sort 1450 pkgs/hr w/multiple destinations, and 1600pph if only sorting with 2 options. I thought robots were supposed to be faster than hu-mons.
-bZj
Yeah, but how many are missorts compared to what the robot would missort? The robot should have 100% accuracy and doesn't need to take breaks.
The head is not required. Its just for fun. Front facia is to cover motors. The form factor is to provide the most reach and flexibility in the smallest footprint.