The robots were flowing the parts down the line," recalled George Schuster, functional safety expert for Rockwell Automation. "It was a jaw-dropper for me."
And Rockwell Automation built that robotic masterpiece, an idea borne by a customer seeking a large robotic system.
This large-scale automation not only is possible, but probable as robots and humans work ever closer together.
"The factory of the future, it's happening today," said Matt Dodds, product marketing manager of safety vision, controllers, edges and mats for Omron Automation and Safety.
Collaborative robots are changing the game in industry, creating new opportunities as the walls dividing man and machine are dismantled.
But as those barricades disappear, the protections need to become more nuanced. Safety becomes a pre-engineered solution rather than a physical barrier.