A different kind of kitchen helper

sEver-increasing requirements in patient care pose new challenges. There is a great deal of strain on personnel in this sector, meaning that the existing employees must be optimally deployed in order to guarantee patient-focused and service-oriented care. The concept study of the “LBR iiwa Springer” as a kitchen assistant is being developed in collaboration with OrgaCard Siemantel & Alt GmbH. The sensitive helper independently and reliably executes tasks on the portioning conveyor which are non-ergonomic and detrimental to health in the long term. This serves to unburden the actual personnel. “The close collaboration between OrgaCard and KUKA makes it possible to combine vast experience in hospital catering and logistics, close customer proximity and service capabilities with expertise in industrial robotics and the high availability of systems engineering”, says Henning Borkeloh, department manager for Advanced Technology Solutions at KUKA Systems GmbH.

SAFE ROBOT APPLICATION

The solution using the sensitive lightweight robot solves problems of health and quality and, by unburdening the workers or employees, boosts the cost-effectiveness and value creation of manual work stations.
The LBR iiwa gives rise to new applications for robotics. Its weight, sensitivity and safe software and hardware allow the LBR iiwa to be used in safe robot applications. Based on these characteristics, the Advanced Technology Solutions department at KUKA Systems is developing a relocatable, modular robot concept – the “LBR iiwa Knight”. In direct cooperation with the worker, this robot carries out a wide range of tasks posing ergonomic or process-related challenges in industrial or hospital applications.