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There are a ton of industrial robot arms available in China in the last few years. Examples: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=572669195615 https://item.taoba

There are a ton of industrial robot arms available in China in the last few years. Examples: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=572669195615 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=572669195615 @ USD$3550, https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=588690121022 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=588690121022 @ USD$3850, https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=572700770567 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=572700770567 @ USD$4100, https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=589952267004 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=589952267004 @ USD$4251, https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=582638257935 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=582638257935 @ USD$10000, etc. Some advertise using imported SMC (Japanese) pneumatic/hydraulic mechanisms. This may not be unrelated to the fact that you can buy a fully detailed product model like https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?526498275889 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?526498275889 or https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=571064427455 https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=571064427455 for USD$0.30+.

amelius 8y ago
There is one important difference: article's robot is human-safe.
- contingencies 8y ago
  Sure but simple presence / proximity type sensors are cheap. As are cameras. Human-safe is then basically a software feature. IMHO the whole 'cobot' media fad and deployments with humans are needlessly complex versus just handing over between dedicated human-only and robot-only motion envelopes. In industrial or small-scale automation settings, useful for a subset of tasks at best. For these special cobot cases, why not use a retrofit kit for third party arms? It makes more sense as would be more loosely coupled with inevitable hardware evolution and provenance. Hell, it'd even work with arbitrary industrial gear. Talk about a large retrofit market. Software people: that's a valid (and high fad-factor!) startup idea. Get some VC and go get 'em.
pauljurczak 8y ago
It may work for Chinese buyers, but it's a tough sell outside of China. What about manuals, software, tech support?
- contingencies 8y ago
  I'd assume they probably clone an established interface allowing third party PLCs / software to be used.

amelius 8y ago

There is one important difference: article's robot is human-safe.

contingencies 8y ago
Sure but simple presence / proximity type sensors are cheap. As are cameras. Human-safe is then basically a software feature. IMHO the whole 'cobot' media fad and deployments with humans are needlessly complex versus just handing over between dedicated human-only and robot-only motion envelopes. In industrial or small-scale automation settings, useful for a subset of tasks at best. For these special cobot cases, why not use a retrofit kit for third party arms? It makes more sense as would be more loosely coupled with inevitable hardware evolution and provenance. Hell, it'd even work with arbitrary industrial gear. Talk about a large retrofit market. Software people: that's a valid (and high fad-factor!) startup idea. Get some VC and go get 'em.

pauljurczak 8y ago

It may work for Chinese buyers, but it's a tough sell outside of China. What about manuals, software, tech support?

contingencies 8y ago
I'd assume they probably clone an established interface allowing third party PLCs / software to be used.