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...Which is the fairest one of all?

KUKA robots are the best of the best in the contest for the “red dot award”

7 July 2010

Essen/Augsburg, July 2010 – Once again, several KUKA robots have won the globally acclaimed “red dot award”. Three products of the Bavarian manufacturer of industrial robots are among this year’s winners of the award: the KR 5 arc HW and KR 700 PA robots were honored with the coveted red dot. The KR 5 arc was even distinguished with the “red dot: best of the best” for outstanding design quality.

At a formal gala of honor at the Aalto Theater in Essen on 5 July 2010, industrial designer Mario Selic and a KUKA development team were personally awarded the high distinction for the KR 5 arc robot. “Its reduced and clearly defined design creates a powerful and athletic impression,” was the verdict of the high-caliber panel of judges with regard to the KR 5 arc, which is used primarily for arc welding tasks. “Its fluid movements fascinate the observer.”

Internationally established design award

Since 1995, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen has been awarding its famous “red dot” to outstanding examples of international product design. The “red dot award” is presented by a panel of experts in recognition of products embodying significant design quality. The decisive criteria include the degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomic aspects and ecological compatibility. The red dot design museum in Essen is showcasing the award-winning KUKA robots along with the other winners in a special exhibition “A Day by Design” from 6 July to 1 August 2010.

Interplay between designer skills and the art oft engineering

The renewed distinction is the result of a close alliance between design know-how and the art of engineering. In the development of new KUKA products, industrial designer Mario Selic is consulted at a very early stage. The outcome of this collaboration is that the robots not only look good but are also the best of the best in terms of mechanical engineering. The design form gives the robots high stability and stiffness, for example, which are of decisive importance for KUKA’s customers. The Augsburg-based technological leader does not consider functionality and esthetic appearance to be mutually exclusive.

The KUKA robots stand out for their sleek, powerful line

At KUKA, esthetic design is taken seriously and given a high priority. A number of robot models have already won awards in previous years. Just last March, two KUKA robots were honored with the internationally renowned iF product design award.

About the KUKA robot group

KUKA Roboter GmbH, with its headquarters in Augsburg, is a KUKA Aktiengesellschaft company and ranks among the world’s leading suppliers of industrial robots. Core competencies are the development, production and sale of industrial robots, controllers, software and linear units. The company is the market leader in Germany and Europe, and the number three in the world. The KUKA Robot Group employs about 2000 people worldwide. Of these, some 1100 are employed in Germany. In 2009, sales totaled 330.5 million euro. 25 subsidiaries provide a presence in the major markets of Europe, America and Asia.