Service?robot?system?design

These robots can be considered as our helping hands in our everyday tasks. Service robots can be found in our immediate surroundings such as our homes and gardens (e.g. robotic vacuum cleaners or lawnmowers), and in professional environments as well, taking over routine tasks to increase our effectiveness. Despite the ease-of-use of the end products, these devices have highly complex hardware to enable smooth and user-friendly operation. Several motors are required to move the machine and enable it to carry out tasks accurately. Advanced functionalities like collision avoidance or room mapping require built-in radars and sensors. Advanced models will offer intelligent routing with learning algorithms as well. Users can benefit in several ways from these features- for example, reduced time to finalize a task.

A subtype of service robots are humanoid robots that are designed to look like humans. Joint positions and movements are inspired by the human locomotor system. This is also clear by the fact that humanoid robots usually move on two legs in an upright position. The main motive for research and development in the field of humanoid robots is artificial intelligence (AI). These can be found in many different locations and forms. Tasks like welcoming guests at the hotel reception, providing indications in the tax office, guiding in museums, or teaching at schools could become very popular soon. The time when this type of robot with a certain humanoid resemblance will invade our homes depends upon the technical advantages of such a system versus existing solutions, but probably more on the social acceptance of an autonomous intelligent entity. 

Industrial robots are programmable machines that are used to handle, assemble or process workpieces in the industrial environment. Most of these robots consist of a robot arm, a gripper, various sensors, and a control unit. They can also carry out actions autonomously depending on how they are programmed.

In contrast to industrial robots that work standalone or together with other machines, collaborative robots - cobots - are designed to collaborate with human beings. A good example of collaborative robots are the small robotic arms. These are designed to work together with humans to achieve together a certain task with a higher level of efficiency and productivity. These robots include functions to safely help workers with small actions such as screwing or moving small items. Small robotic arms with reduced costs are predicted to spread into smaller businesses as well as in the more robotized classic automotive assembly industry.

Emerging technology trends have trickled down to shape and fuel service robotics applications. These include artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), smart environments, connectivity, human-machine interface (HMI) and wireless power, all of which fundamentally affect today’s and tomorrow’s service robot designs.

Above all, energy efficiency and long battery life are key to user-friendly designs. For connected service robots, security aspects like authentication and authorization top consumers’ priorities. Working together with humans, these robots must be safe and reliable enough to become an integral part of a user’s home and work life. Consumers and professionals need to know they can depend on a machine to perform.

In contrast to automated guided vehicles (AGVs), which work autonomously in factories and warehouses, service robots directly interact with humans, simplifying everyday life in professional and private spheres. Embedding advanced sensing capabilities, such as voice recognition, gesture control, collision avoidance, distance and speed measurement, and many more, makes it possible to enhance both the user experience and user comfort. In addition to considering these aspects, it’s crucial to find a partner that understands what is required to stay competitive: a small form factor, quick product to market and a low BOM.

Above all, we at Infineon are enthusiastic about the rapid advances taking place in the field of service robotics. At each trade show and with each new project, we look forward to discovering and contributing to the latest robotics innovations that strive to make a difference in people’s lives. No one knows exactly what the future will hold, which is why we are ready today to flexibly adapt to tomorrow’s trends as they evolve and develop. This fact, along with our steadily-expanding, comprehensive portfolio of high-quality components and solutions for service robots, makes us the best choice for all your robotics projects.

By providing everything from reliable chargers and efficient power plus battery management to compact motor control and indispensable sensors, to unrivaled hardware-based security solutions, our product range covers everything you need for a market-ready design. For those looking to fast track their time to market, we also offer a vast range of demo boards and evaluation kits.

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Service robots increase our effectiveness, but require sophisticated hardware to enable safe operation. Stay tuned to see what Infineon offers!

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