Having different software languages can create a communication barrier between robots and the CNC machines they assist. Digital factories can be transformed once the two are synced, and technology is bridging the gap to make it happen.
As Industry 4.0 revolutionizes the manufacturing world, robots can be increasingly seen working alongside CNC machines - but only so well. The controllers used by robotics manufacturers rarely coincide with the software that makes CNC machines run, so a fully synchronized operation can be very difficult to achieve. The result is untapped potential in automated manufacturing, as robot-CNC machine interfaces work with less productivity than they could otherwise obtain.
Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and natural language processing (NLP) have led the way to software robots that reduce the manual, time-consuming, and repetitive actions performed on digital platforms. The concept of automating tasks on digital platforms is called robotic process automation (RPA). RPA is a software robot that interacts with computer-centric processes and aims to introduce a digital workforce that performs repetitive tasks previously completed by humans. This Refcard introduces RPA technology, how it works, key components, and how to set up your environment.
Misty Robotics
To successfully bring your code off the screen and into a 3D space, Misty must be able to communicate with her environment in many ways. While Misty is already packed with sophisticated technology — including 25 sensors — your use cases may call for additional sensors. Today, we’re covering several ways you can add to Misty’s native capabilities by using additional sensors and we’re sharing some skill inspiration to get you started.
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Exercising Misty’s Extensibility
Adding a Sensor to Misty
There are several ways to expand Misty’s physical form by adding sensors and other accessories, including 3D-printed accessories. Misty’s official mounting points — that is, those points with embedded magnets — include the antenna mount, the backpack, and the trailer hitch. CP, Misty Robotics’ Prototype Engineer, has also mounted sensors on the top of Misty’s head, her arms, base side, and front grill using mounts he has developed and open-sourced here. Please note that while third-party hardware can be physically mounted to each of these parts of Misty, no electrical connections are made at any of these points.
New industrial, personal, enterprise, and toy robots are being announced pretty much daily. If you’re a developer looking to start coding for our shiny friends, it’s a lot to take in. You may find yourself plowing through links to entirely unfamiliar software stacks and wondering where to start.
There are no simple answers, but a quick overview may help. We can break down the complexity of developing for robots as a platform in a few ways:
