▲Neuromeka's Collaborative Robot 'Indy'

In the field of industrial robots, Korea’s emblematic collaborative robot company Neuromeka Co., Ltd. (www.neuromeka.com) has been in the spotlight.

Founded in 2013, Neuromeka is a hardware and software integrated solution company that has set out to implement IoT-based robot services for smart robots and factories. The company’s product line includes △ the smart connected robot-based economy type Collaborative Robot Indy and HRI Interface △ Fieldbus-based, real-time embedded Linux based Robot Controller △ Open embedded gateway and sensor/ actuator system for IoT service △ Robot simulation and control software.

Neuromeka’s collaborative robot “Indy” is a low-cost, highly efficient industrial robot with smart features. Also called the Smart Connected Robot (SCR), this product boasts IoT connectedness and a safe and easy to use platform.

Collision avoidance detection and direct teaching are the core algorithm technologies involved in collaborative robot platform implementation. The smart connected robot leverages IoT and robot control technologies which are consolidated with HRI technology. With its roots in robot and human collaboration, the system is is expected to spur innovation in the manufacturing industry. The company’s flagship product, Indy, is based on innovative algorithms that assure the product’s safety. Through impedance control, this low-cost, high-efficiency collaborative robot is highly responsive to the the intended force of a human and has the ability to detect undesired potential collisions with only the technical skills contained in its algorithms, without the need for a sensor, for the prevention of accidents and injuries during operations.

Issues of safety are of particular concern when it comes to collaborative robots, and with this in mind the company holds core proprietary technology that makes use of only algorithms, without sensors, to avoid the impact of a collision between a person and the robot.

With an engineering doctorate under his belt, CEO of Neuromeka and a specialist in robot software and controller technology, Jonghoon Park, Ph.D., has paved a way to download the Smart Teaching Pendant App without the need for a separate hardware device. Such technological conveniences highlight the company’s forward thinking technological advances and economic considerations in their products.

▲Linux EtherCAT Master Contreollers STEP/PC2

Real-time embedded Linux-based robot controllers STEP/PC2 and STEP/iMX are real-time Linux EtherCAT master controllers designed for automation systems and robots that require real-time control. It is equipped with an intuitive
real-time EtherCAT master stack that can run real-time control programs based on CANopen-over-EtherCAT (CoE). For quick and easy development of embedded control programs, the product provides a development environment that runs on MS Windows. Both the TEP/PC2 and STEP/iMX, which run on the STEP platform, can include the NRMK Foundation Software Development Kit (SDK) to implement the embedded robot control algorithm.

▲Wireless Network Module & BeagleBone Air

The Internet Gateway of Things (IGoT) is a solution for Internet (IoT) gateway and wireless sensor network (WSN) modules. BeagleBone Air is a BeagleBone Black and Green compatible development board with integrated WiFi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee connectivity and embedded Linus based IoT gateway.

The Smart device-based HRI App “Conty” is a smart teaching pendant that supports both on-line and off-line robot programming based on real-time simulation and EtherCAT interface. By linking with the STEP controller, direct teaching is supported. The built-in simulation and control engine allows the user to directly move the robot link to make location instructions.

▲Indy-5

By focusing on these types of collaborative robots and their related robot software and control technology, neuromeka is positioning itself to be a leader in the collaborative robots market. CEO Jonghoon Park asserts "We would like to be first in the world in the low-priced collaborative robot market with robots in the range of $10,000. To date, no one has been able to step into this $10,000 market – not even Universal Robots (UR). We will open up the market to the $10,000 market and we plan on dominating it.”

Mr. Park’s confidence is well-placed, as the performance and competitiveness of his company’s controllers have already shown.

With the explosive growth in the collaborative robots market, neuromeka aims to sell 2,000 collaborative robots with a sales objective of 100 billion won by 2020. The first half of this year saw the start of a mass production of collaborative robots with carrying capacities of 5kg. The company is planning the release of a 7kg-carrying capacity robot in the latter part of this year and is looking to expand into medium-large models with carrying capacities of 13kg. With this kind of product line-up, the company is well on its way to becoming the leader in economy collaborative robots in the range of $10,000. Next year, the company has plans to open a large-scale production plant in Pohang, Korea.