KUKA Media Library

The digitalization of business and society is changing the environments of production and work. Industrie 4.0 connects production to the digital world. Robotics is a key element of Industrie 4.0. In addition to the existing core competencies in the field of mechatronics and automation, KUKA has the required technological expertise to implement the intelligent production solutions of the future.

Manufacturing companies have to react ever more quickly to changing customer requirements. Fully digitalized production sequences create transparency: the intelligent factory enables customers to achieve scalable, fully automatic and flexibly adaptable production capacities as well as production in batch sizes of 1.

Demographic change requires rethinking the workplace. Humans and machines will work more closely together. A robot can complement human strengths. Robots promote this collaboration with their strengths such as high repeatability, speed and quality as well as significant advantages with regard to ergonomics, strength and directions of motion.

In human-robot collaboration, humans and robots work together. The strengths of robots complement the skills of humans. In the factory of the future, a separation between automated and manual workstations is no longer strictly necessary. Human-robot collaboration is revolutionizing industrial production through maximum flexibility, high productivity and a reduction of the workload on employees.

HRC is a building block that enables easy operator control of robots. Easy2Use (in other words, simple robot operation) lays the groundwork that will allow robotic systems to be used in everyday life over the long term: easy to learn, simple to understand and immediately deployable. And this, in turn, underlines how humans are a key factor.

Sustainability is anchored in KUKA’s corporate culture. For us, this means responsible business practices aimed at protecting the environment and resources. Automation and digitalization contribute to sustainable production.

Predefined paths and inflexible processes: in the factories of the future, those days will be long gone. Mobile units are moving into production halls – mobile robot systems no longer simply transport workpieces, but also process them. After all, production must respond quickly to demand for individual products. Mobility makes production extremely versatile.

The future design of warehouses and distribution centers requires maximum flexibility, comprehensive automation and the intelligent evaluation of data. Intralogistics is transforming from rigid systems to modular and data-based solutions. Swisslog meets these requirements with the Vectura and ItemPiQ products.

The aging population is really putting healthcare to the test. With Swisslog automation solutions in the nursing sector, quality is maintained since employees are able to concentrate fully on patients. Support can primarily be expected in the areas of material transport and medication management. That saves time and prevents errors in the distribution of medication.

Robots in the medical industry

The sensitive LBR Med robot has been adapted to meet specific medical requirements and is perfectly suited for a wide range of assistance systems in medical technology on account of its human-robot collaboration capability. Moreover, the robotic component makes it much easier and quicker for manufacturers of medical devices to develop products and also to get them approved, because the LBR Med is certified in accordance with the internationally recognized CB Scheme.

The robot in the medium payload category can be used for a wide variety of applications. The KR IONTEC can be installed in a flexible manner – on the floor, on the wall or inclined. Thanks to its small footprint, the available space is optimally utilized.

The KR QUANTEC – a versatile all-round talent – stands out for maximum flexibility and production efficiency. The robot can be adapted to various production processes at the press of a button.

iiQKA is a combination of the new robot operating system and ecosystem from KUKA. It will start with KUKA’s new cobot LBR iisy in the iiQKA Pre-Launch Package. Based on KUKA’s next generation operating system, iiQKA.OS, the LBR iisy cobot experience is user-friendly, well-thought-out and straightforward for a wide range of industries with applications that require precise, fast and sensitive activities.

LBR stands for “Leichtbauroboter” (German for lightweight robot), iiwa for “intelligent industrial work assistant”. The LBR iiwa redefines the possibilities for industrial robotics. Humans and robots can work together on highly sensitive tasks in close cooperation. Safety fences are dispensed with, new applications are opened up and the way is paved for greater cost-effectiveness and utmost efficiency.

KMP stands for “KUKA Mobile Platform”. It is an omnidirectional, mobile platform that navigates autonomously and flexibly. Predefined routes and rigid processes are a thing of the past. Intelligent, autonomous vehicles supply materials to robots and machines with perfect timing.

The KMR iiwa is the mobile version of the LBR iiwa. KMR stands for “KUKA Mobile Robotics”. The KMR iiwa unites the sensitive properties of the robot with the benefits of an autonomous mobile platform. The family of mobile robots also includes the KUKA flexFELLOW and the KMR QUANTEC. Thanks to their simple and fast versatility when it comes to tasks and workflows, they are ideally suited for Industrie 4.0 solutions.

The KR AGILUS is the compact six-axis robot from KUKA designed for particularly high working speeds. Different versions, installation positions, reaches and payloads transform the small robot into a precision artist. With a wide range of variants for operation in cleanrooms or potentially explosive environments, or with a particularly hygienic or splash-proof design: every version of the KR AGILUS is precise and fast.

For more than 120 years, the company has been firmly rooted in its home base in Augsburg, Bavaria. This is where the company's success story began in 1898, and this is where tradition meets innovation at KUKA. The pictures show the Technology and Development Center in Augsburg, KUKA's headquarters, inaugurated in 2016.

KUKA and Timo Boll have formed a perfect team for six years. The most successful German table tennis player stands for top performance and fair play. In the marketing video “The Duel”, which has received millions of clicks, Timo Boll and a KUKA KR AGILUS robot square off against each other. In a documentary series, KUKA is accompanying the European champion on his path to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Robots used in architecture are an innovation: this also applies to a KUKA robot that fabricated components for a pavilion at the 2019 Bundesgartenschau. The robotic fabrication process was developed by an institute at the University of Stuttgart. It highlights the advantages of the construction robots.

With the BierPaulii event app, KUKA demonstrates what a perfectly poured wheat beer looks like. The sensitive KUKA LBR iiwa lightweight robot grips the glass without breaking it. It detects whether the glass is full or empty, rinses it and prepares it for the beer. It then opens the wheat beer bottle, pours the beer and transfers the residual yeast into the glass with a skillful swivel. Thirsty event visitors can then pick up their perfectly poured wheat beer directly from the robot.

Precise, fast, reliable – in the ‘TONI’ fully automatic bar system from the Italian company Makr Shakr, a KR AGILUS provides a taste of the ‘dolce vita’. With the robot bartender, visitors can order their drinks via app – and then enjoy their freshly mixed beverages a short time later.

At the East Bavarian Technical University in Regensburg, Germany, students have taught the KR AGILUS the board game Settlers of Catan.

Four KUKA robots optimally interacting with each other on stage: these are the “K-Jays”. They put their musical talent on display in the club_KUKA Show Cell. As with their colleagues in industrial environments, these robots are characterized by their precision, speed and sensitive touch.