NEW TECH FOODS

SICK has launched a new safety solution – the End of Arm Safeguard (EOAS) – designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of collaborative robots (cobots).

Developed in partnership with Universal Robots, a Danish manufacturer of cobots, the EOAS enables closer collaboration between humans and machines.

The EOAS, which is described as a first-of-its-kind device, is mounted directly onto the robot’s arm and moves with it. By mounting the sensor directly on the robot arm, unnecessary stops are minimised, enhancing productivity while maintaining safety during tasks such as pick and place, machine tending and assembly.

The device uses a category two laser to create a protective field around the robot's tool at the end of its arm. This allows the EOAS to move with the robot, enabling safe operation in smaller, more defined spaces with a hazard range of up to 400mm. If a human enters this protective field, the system triggers an immediate stop, halting the robot’s movement and ensuring the safety of nearby workers.

The new safety solution is designed for easy installation and operation. With a plug-and-play set-up, it can be installed in as little as 15 minutes. The system is compatible with robots from Universal Robots and is automatically recognised as an accessory. It integrates with existing operations through EOAS URCap software, which also provides continuous software updates.

The EOAS is suitable for a wide range of industries, including food and beverage, packaging, plastics, metal, pharmaceuticals and more.

Matthew van den Braak, product manager of robotic and mobile platforms at SICK UK, said: “The EOAS ensures worker safety by helping to minimise risk in collaborative robot applications. We are immensely proud of the new EOAS, and it is so easy to install and configure. Our partnership with Universal Robots has seen the EOAS jointly developed and robustly tested in the field. As the first device of its kind on the market, the EOAS helps remove physical and psychological barriers in human/robot collaboration across a wide range of applications."

David Lievesley, UK&I technical support engineer at Universal Robots, added: “One of the great things about the EOAS is it’s fully patented plug and play technology developed in partnership with SICK. It sits inside our safety system, operating as one device. When you alter the parameters on the sensor, it alters it on the robot, enabling full human-robot collaboration. The EOAS is ideal for small environments, adding an extra element of safety to what is on the end of the robot and enabling the tool to work in a fully collaborative way.”