Inside world’s first ‘cobot hub’

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Category: Technology/Innovations

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. capitalize on (something) / ˈkæp ɪ tlˌaɪz ɒn / (phrasal v.) – to use a situation or event for one’s benefit
    Example:

    The company aims to capitalize on the growing demand for eco-friendly products in the market.


  2. logistics / loʊˈdʒɪs tɪks / (n.) – the business of transporting things, such as goods or resources, to places where they are needed
    Example:

    Good logistics planning is essential for online retailers to offer fast and reliable shipping services to their customers.


  3. collaborative / kəˈlæb ər ə tɪv / (adj.) – involving two or more people, companies, etc., working together to accomplish a goal
    Example:

    The collaborative efforts of the two teams made the presentation successful.


  4. find (one’s) place / faɪnd pleɪs / (idiom) – to find one’s purpose in an environment, setting, etc.
    Example:

    He used to be a nurse, but he found his place in the tech industry.


  5. automation / ˌɔ təˈmeɪ ʃən / (n.) – the practice of performing tasks by robots or computers rather than by people
    Example:

    The automation of the different processes helped increase production in the factory.


Article

Read the text below.

The world’s first “cobot hub” has opened in Denmark’s third-largest city, Odense.


The new $45 million headquarters for Teradyne-owned Universal Robots and MiR (Mobile Industrial Robots) is hoping to capitalize on a growing demand for collaborative robots in industries, such as logistics, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, and more.


The new 20,000-square-meter facility is intended to foster innovation between the two companies.


Both Universal Robots and MiR build “cobots,” collaborative robots designed to work safely alongside humans.


Universal Robots president Kim Povlsen says cobots first found their place in the automotive industry, but now they’re popping up everywhere—from logistics and pharmaceutical to food, beverage, and more.


“We’re seeing the need for automation in pretty much every industry out there,” he says.


Now, artificial intelligence is entering the scene, a “breakthrough within robotics,” says Universal Robots’ vice president of strategy and innovation, Anders Billesoe Beck. “What we’ve seen in so many other industries is AI is the tool to bring the human reasoning into something that’s more automated, and that’s really some of the barriers for robotics today,” he says.


“AI is really becoming a superpower, both to make the robot easier to program, but also to give them that sort of problem-solving capabilities and flexibilities that is sort of associated with human intelligence.”


Universal Robots is collaborating with industry giants Siemens and Nvidia to bring AI into its cobots, such as this AI-generated quality inspection robot.


“The robot moves around to a number of electronics components, quality-assuring that all the components are there. But all the motions in between is fully generated by AI,” explains Billesoe Beck. “It calculates where to go. It calculates to avoid any obstacles in the workspace. So, everything is run fully automatically.”


Odense is now considered one of Europe’s main robotics hubs, with more than 160 companies. Soeren Elmer Kristensen, CEO of Odense Robotics, Denmark’s national robot cluster, says the new cobot hub shows they are capable of keeping “big industries within the country.”


“It’s a big milestone, I would say, for cobots, in general. A big milestone for Danish robotics,” he says.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • “Cobots” or collaborative robots are designed to work safely alongside humans. Would you be willing to work with cobots? In which tasks or activities do you think cobots can help you effectively? Discuss.
  • How do you think people’s behavior and attitude toward their work would change as a result of working with robots? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • What city in your country do you think has the potential to be a cobot hub? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • In which industry do you think cobots would have difficulty finding their place (ex. in the hospitality industry, in the creative industry)? Why do you say so? Discuss.