New robot overshadows the world's Strongest one

Washington, October 16 : Michigan-based Fanuc Robotics claims to have developed a robot stronger than the KUKA Titan, which has been regarded as the world's strongest to date.

The firm has named the new robot M-2000iA/1,200.

Both the Titan and the M-2000iA posses artificial intelligence systems and sensors that enable them to make independent decisions.

The two robots were originally designed to lift and position machinery for spot welding, assembly, and other industrial functions.

Both of them have six axes: three move the robot arm, and three manipulate whatever object the "hand" is holding.

Their creators describe their six axes as equivalent to a human waist, shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers.

The Titan obtains its strength from the nine motors that enable it to lift nearly a ton of metal more than 13 feet into the air.

However, the new M-2000iA robot can raise 2,645 pounds 20 feet into the air. Its makers have also equipped it with video cameras and touch-sensitive "fingers".

"We could roll a pipe across a table top, and the robot could track it, pick it up, and move it to a new location. The artificial intelligence gives the robot the ability to adapt to new environments and new situations," Discovery News quoted Richard Johnson of Fanuc Robotics as saying.

Though he did not provide specific pricing details, he said that a smaller version called the R-2000cB would cost about 85,000 dollars, and estimated that the M-2000iA would cost several times that.

He, however, insisted that the new robot could be helpful in reducing costs and increasing productivity at factories.

According to him, just in case customers' preference suddenly shifts from one car model to another, the factory can simply install new software in a robot designed for flexibility rather than replacing the specific hardware needed for each model.

Johnson said that worries about people losing their jobs to robots should not be allowed to prevail.

"The robots still need technicians to monitor and repair them when they break," he said.

Mike Beaupre of Germany-based KUKA said that the company had no plans to develop a robot stronger than the M-2000iA.

"The title isn't everything. We have a robot to sell as well," he said.

ANI