‘Cobots’ by Universal Robots to catch on in Sri Lanka
Sugath Jayatileke - MD Techfield (left) with Pradeep David - General Manager Universal Robots India and Sri Lanka.
The virtual reality that we only seein the big screen is now real. Remember all the sci-fi thrillers Short Circuit, The Iron Giant, Bicentennial Man, Terminator, I, Robot, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Real Steel, RoboCop, and Transformers? Remember dismissing them as science fiction? Remember wishing that all-purpose live-in robot maid Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons who has an AI program that allows for independent thought and action was real?
Well stop wishing on both accounts because ‘cobots’ amongst other AI forms have cleared the way for sci-fi being reality.
Cobots are what are called collaborative robots that work side by side with say staff at a factory, assembling products, loading machinery and perform loading or other repetitive tasks.
Current industrial robots are way too pricey and non idiot-proof but that was totally fine until a few years ago when some new companies such as Universal Robots that was co-founded in 2005 by the company’s CTO, Esben Østergaard started to launch what is called a “cobot”.
Mr. Østergaard wanted to make robot technology accessible to all by developing small, user-friendly, reasonably priced, flexible industrial robots that are safe to work with. The primary goal of Universal Robots is to empower workers by enabling them with smart manufacturing solutions which involves the utilisation of collaborative robots technology and automation, Pradeep David, General Manager for the company in Sri Lanka said.
On the sidelines of a company media conference, he told the Business Times that Cobots are starting to change a lot of things including the rules of the game for manufacturers. Imagine workers standing at long assembly lines repeating the same task over and over against a fleet of low-lying robotic trucks scoot around the shop floor, restocking restyled workstations.
A robotic arm helps workers load machines or pick components out of bins and the workers don’t have to lift up the heavy parts. Already local firms are cottoning on to cobots. “It’s because these collaborative machines are easy to use and work side-by-side with people in small series production and they do that in complete safety, according to Mr. David. “The country’s leading biscuit and garment manufacturers have deployed our cobots and we are expecting to sell over 100 cobots in Sri Lanka in the next 3- years.”
He says that Universal Robots, after the successful launch of the Sri Lanka operations in 2016, deployed collaborative robots mostly in the market sectors of FMCG and textiles in segments like apparel, rubber gloves, biscuits, etc. Mr. David said that with growing demand of these cobots in the country, the company is also looking at expanding its customer base in various other sectors.
Answer for labour issues
For the past few years, the industries in Sri Lanka have been plagued with labour shortage issues. According to the findings of a survey there were 58 per cent vacancies in the apparel sector, 20 per cent in food, and 33 per cent in other manufacturing sectors. This has created the need for a business environment that fosters breakthrough innovation, rapid commercialisation, thus encouraging manufacturers to invest more in terms of automation and the latest equipment and technologies.
Manufacturers want to increase productivity by using the resources available optimally, which is one of the reasons manufacturers are eager to adopt collaborative robots technology, Mr. David said noting that cobots can be placed alongside humans in small-spaced areas, they are affordable, highly adaptable, almost plug-and-play, and are flexible to handle short runs, repetitive and boring jobs, ergonomically challenging tasks and they work as a ‘helping hand’ or ‘portable tool’ to increase productivity and efficiency.
“Handling of our cobots doesn’t require any prior qualifications and certificates. Some of our Indian customers like Bajaj Auto and Aurolabs have hired 80 per cent of women employees, who are conveniently working with cobots, where physically challenging parts of the jobs are taken care of by cobots. We are hoping to replicate the same in Sri Lanka by creating interesting occupations categories such as machine operator, supervisors, etc that would surely increase the willingness of women here to take up those jobs”. Since the first robot was launched in 2008, the company has experienced considerable growth with the user-friendly robots now sold in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Sugath Jayatilake, Managing Director, Techfield (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka who are the distributors said that for a developing country like Sri Lanka, which is looking at a fast pace of development and at the same time would like to adopt cost effective, yet efficient technology, cobots would be the right way to go, especially for the small and medium-sized enterprises. “The strong distribution network, good reach to end customers, strong technical skills of Techfield and the unique product lines of Universal Robots, together see a large potential for cobots in the Sri Lankan market.”
But what about small companies, schools, universities, and people’s home, some of us want to know? It’s a matter of time, says both men before these are introduced. So robot maid Rosie will come to our homes, eventually.