Omron and Neura Robotics Usher in New Era of Robotic Cognition

Robotics and automation expert Omron Robotics and Safety Technologies, Inc. (Omron), is partnering with Neura Robotics (Neura) to introduce cognitive robotics to the industrial automation space. Neura is a German company specializing in the manufacture of advanced cognitive robots. The company is innovating its robotics technologies with the culmination of new advances in environmental perception, control theory, drive technology, artificial intelligence (AI), structural design, and more.

Neura and Omron combine knowledge and expertise to promote cognitive robotic technology within industrial automation. Olivier Welker, President and CEO of Omron Robotics and Safety Technologies Inc. (left) David Reger, CEO and Founder of NEURA Robotics GmbH (right). Image used courtesy of Neura

Omron and Neura

The partnership between Neura and Omron represents a huge step forward in industrial automation, integrating Neura's cognitive tech with Omron’s global influence to provide customers with increased safety, output, and flexibility. This strategic cooperation seeks to transform the robotics market by combining sensor and AI knowledge into a single platform, establishing new industry standards, and establishing the future of industrial manufacturing.

Industrial Robots from Neura

Neura’s cognitive robot is MAiRA XL. With payloads of up to 35 kg and reach of up to 1800 mm, this robot series is designed to automate laborious tasks involving heavy/large loads, making it well-suited for palletizing, picking, and other intralogistics applications.

One interesting feature of MAiRA is the incorporation of an AI-powered 360° microphone array for human-like voice recognition, allowing the bot to take instruction from any angle. This, along with an integrated 3D vision system that also makes use of AI algorithms, defines the ‘cognitive’ factor applied to Neura’s product lines.

MAiRA’s head has an in-built Smart Skin for more accurate hand guidance. Image used courtesy of Neura

MAiRA comes with an intelligent head on its shoulders with customizable human-machine interface buttons, six degrees of freedom (6-DOF) Smart Skin for precision hand guidance, a 6-DOF force torque sensor, and a 3D vision sensor. MAiRA’s connector flange accommodates IO-Link, EtherCAT, Modbus, CAN bus, GPIO, and 3x compressed air fittings to handle various tasks. This innovative robot also comes with an ingress protection rating of IP65, protecting it against the ingress of water and dust.

Little to no programming is required with a teach pendant and a drag-and-drop user configuration allowing for speedier program setup and initiation.

MAiRA XL is the parent bot to MAiRA jr, a 6-8 kg payload bot with a 900 mm reach that is suitable for space-limited workspaces. MAiRA comes in several iterations (MAiRA S, M, L, XL), each with its own specific weight and reach.

Neura Mobile Robots

MAV 500 is another notable cognitive bot from Neura with the ability to handle payloads of up to 1.5 tons, making it an attractive solution in industries requiring the pickup and transportation of heavy goods. The bot has a run time of up to 5 hours, a charging time of just 1 hour, an IP44 rating, a safety scanner, and touchless human detection.

When combined with MAiRA or LARA cobots, customers can utilize a complete solution for full process automation.

Omron and Neura Robotics

The company partnership is set to open up new application opportunities, such as comprehensive quality inspections, complex assembly tasks, and dynamic material handling operations.