Think about a 2.4-ton robotic arm wielding a six-foot-seven (2-m) round sawblade with a 12-foot (3.7-m) attain, slung onto a truck-mounted hooklift system for simple transport. It is as terrifying as it’s awe-inspiring. That is Sensible Manufacturing’s newest creation, constructed on the again of Kuka’s KR Fortec 480 Extremely and referred to as the Catonator.
It is a 6-axis, 4,850-lb (2,200-kg) absolutely electrical, battery-powered reducing machine that may slice, cube, and julienne rock and concrete with 0.1-mm precision. It may additionally carry as much as a 660-lb (299-kg) payload, and its modular toolhead permits straightforward switching between sawing (with both a 1-m or 2-m noticed blade), drilling and bending instruments to sort out quite a lot of jobs from tunnelling to shipbuilding.
The Catonator has a complete suite of sensors that always feed again to the onboard computer systems. Machine studying algorithms optimize its high-torque electrical spindle to manage blade velocity and reducing paths, so as to effectively sort out every job whereas reducing put on on the blade for longer durations between replacements. All of this information is fed via the Sensible Manufacturing dashboard on a pc and even to a smartphone, the place operators can hold monitor of every thing.
Operators can management the machine by way of a wi-fi joystick distant, or the good saw-wielding robotic could be preprogrammed to run a activity routinely. Due to this, the forklift-sized scalpel can go from truck to reducing in a fraction of the time conventional strategies would take.
However what does it do?
The Catonator can substitute explosives on job websites – no permits wanted as a result of no kaboom, making it safer, sooner, and extra environment friendly.
In comparison with typical demo methods – jackhammers or blasting with det wire, PETN, TNT and the like – the Catonator can reportedly lower via rock, concrete, and even metal as much as 10 occasions sooner whereas being considerably quieter, with much less mess and fewer disruption. And since it is 100% electrical, it is clear sufficient to run in confined areas with out poisonous diesel fumes.
The Catonator is supplied with a 360-degree LiDAR that acts as a security bubble, stopping operation if an operator or different impediment will get too shut … to keep away from any messy “incidents.”
A revolutionary robotic resolution for the development business referred to as the “Catonator”
The Catonator is the brainchild of Cato Sørheim, seasoned demolition and concrete-cutting pro turned robotics pioneer. Because the founder and proprietor of Sørheim Riveservice AS, Sørheim has spent a couple of a long time on the frontline of business demolition, dealing with every thing from tunnel jobs to large-scale concrete removing gigs. And now with the Catonator, he is merged hands-on expertise with cutting-edge (no pun meant) robotics to create a cleaner, sooner, smarter various.
There are no off-the-shelf items on the market but and there is no point out of how a lot certainly one of these beasts prices, however I think about the insurance coverage premiums financial savings alone would make it properly well worth the funding.
Supply: Kuka
