The winner of the Robotics Award 2017, which is a joint prize by the organizers of Hannover Messe and the Konradin-Verlag publishing house – is Flexstructures GmbH, a company founded in 2011. Flexstructures CEO Oliver Hermanns received the prize in honor of its IPS Robot Optimazation software solution at Hannover Messe. Second place was taken by Mayser GmbH & Co. KG with eta|opt GmbH coming in at third place.
The award considers the top innovations from an array of advanced solutions for applications in robot-assisted industrial automation or mobile robots and autonomous systems. Each solution submitted must not yet have been presented to the public, or else they need to represent a significant enhancement over existing solutions. They must also be market-ready or already deployed in real-world industrial trials. The jury also judge based on economic and technological potential as well as industrial and social benefit.
According to Flexstructures, the IPS Robot Optimization software solution it submitted illustrates the vast potential of advanced simulation technology for industrial use. This solution is targeted primarily at helping automotive manufacturers to gain an edge by programming and commissioning their robot cells faster and more flexibly. By simulating millions of potential robot path combinations the software is able to coordinate movement paths and sequences across multiple robots so as to maximize efficiency and avoid collisions. The simulations also optimize movement paths to ensure maximum service life for the flexible hoses and lines attached to the robots.
Second place went to Mayser GmbH & Co. KG for its ultrasonic machine safety sensor system designed to safeguard personnel in collaborative human/robot environments. Third place went to eta|opt GmbH for its vacuum generator for industrial robotic handling applications.
