EUnited Robotics Expands into Service Robotics
EUnited Robotics, the European Robotics Association based in Brussels, took decisive steps to expand its services and membership into service robotics. During its Members´ Assembly in Brussels on 18 June 2007 the producers and integrators of industrial robots stressed the importance of service robotics as a fast developing market and invited the service robotics community to join EUnited Robotics. “We are looking forward to serve also companies being active in the field of service robotics” said Stefan Mueller, KUKA Robotics in Augsburg, who has just been re-elected as EUnited Robotics Chairman. “Looking at enabling technology in robotics research & development industrial and service robotics have a lot in common. But of course the conquest of markets poses different challenges for both communities”. Since its foundation in 2004 EUnited Robotics has already gained experiences with services for the industrial robot community. Mueller is convinced that these experiences are very useful to integrate service robot producers into the association.
Many service robot suppliers followed EUnited Robotics´ invitation to the special event “European Service Robotics – Teaming up for a Growth Market” held on 19 June 2007 in Brussels. Gudrun Litzenberger, Director of the IFR Statistical Department in Frankfurt, presented a market overview and completed her speech stating “There is a huge market potential for professional service robots – so grab your share!”. Service robotics expert Martin Haegele, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart, sees “a unique opportunity to develop and launch new products for established and especially for new markets”.
Indeed there is still a lot of work to do to bring service robotics from the labs to huge scale production. “Service robotics sets challenging targets for R&D; most notably the development of design capabilities for integrated intelligent systems” says Dr. Colette Maloney, Head of Unit “Cognitive Systems and Robotics” within the European Commission in Luxembourg.
All participants believe in the high competitiveness of European Service Robotics on a worldwide level and point out that it is very important to secure and expand this advance. EUnited Robotics wants to help European service robotics producers to increase their business and invited three speakers from industry who are successfully active on the market. Dr. Nicola Tomatis, BlueBotics SA in Lausanne, presented his success story and pointed out that “today´s service robotics needs both, business models and technologies”.
According to Dr. Florian Simons, Schunk in Lauffen, “successful service robotics needs to minimize complexity and go for real service robot products – out of the laboratory into reality.” Vincent Dupourqué, Robosoft SA in Bidart, almost 25 years successful in the service robot business, encourages the participants to “share and endorse a common vision to help Europe becoming a major actor in the business of service robotics”.
EUnited Robotics welcomes European robotics platforms and actively supports the European Technology Platform EUROP (European Robotics Platform) and the Coordination action CARE (Coordination Action for Robotics in Europe) – both ambitious initiatives by the European Commission for the Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7). The association has also a friendly relationship to the academic network EURON (European Robotics Research Network). EUnited Robotics Chairman Stefan Mueller feels the need to join forces of all robotics stakeholders in Europe in order to achieve the maximum efficiency on the robotics markets worldwide. He is convinced that EUnited Robotics can and will play an important role giving robotics the attention it deserves in the media and in everyone´s perception.
About
EUnited Robotics, European Robotics Association, was founded in 2004 by major European Robot Producers and is based in Brussels. EUnited Robotics is the voice of robot manufacturers and system integrators in Europe creating a network of the industry leaders. The association is the cooperation platform betweeen all stakeholders – from research institutes to national associations and customers. Furthermore EUnited Robotics has already established important contacts to the European Commisssion, representing the robot manufacturers’ and system integrators’ view on industry issues and R&D policy.
Members: ABB (Sweden), COMAU (Italy), FANUC Europe (Luxembourg), Güdel (Switzerland), ISRA Vision Systems (Germany), KUKA Roboter (Germany), Reis Robotics (Germany), Schunk (Germany) and VITRONIC (Germany)
Cooperation partners: Fraunhofer IPA (Germany) and German Aerospace Center, DLR.
W: http://www.eu-nited-robotics.net
