Robot Pecks Away at Angry Birds while Simulation Gives Hindsight in Advance

By Brian Huse, Director, Marketing & PR, Robotic Industries Association

Apps are creating cottage industries where a little game can turn into a hot T-shirt and even spawn toys and movies. Now application engineers with linear robots in Finland are probing this cultural shift with a Cartesian coordinate robot that plays Angry Birds. I wonder if their Finish brothers at Visual Components will simulate that one day?

Finland is well represented in the robotics market. RIA is happy to welcome Visual Components (based in Espo, Finland) as a new member. Bob Axtman is their representative in the U.S. and he tells me they have digital manufacturing (a.k.a. simulation) technology that is a game changer.

It may not be as cheap as Angry Birds, but capital expenditure for their simulation software is far less than what many are used to according to Bob. Ease-of-use is another attribute of Visual Components products, he says.

In robotics and automation, simulation is used to eliminate problems before they happen. That is where Visual Components comes in – they allow you to prove out new automation and processes before committing. They give you near 20/20 hindsight in advance and save you from headaches you never knew you would have.

Meanwhile, OptoFidelity is another Finish company with ties to the robotics industry. Their role is “testing and analyzing the quality of video image as well as different characteristics of displays.” They even have a “two-fingered robot” that “simulates” human gestures so of course they trained it to play Angry Birds.

See the YouTube video for more on the robot that plays Angry Birds.

See more about Visual Components on Robotics Online.

As more people come to realize the versatility and affordability of robotics they will find more applications for this technology. Affordable simulation is a tremendous advantage for anyone selling an idea for better manufacturing.

Welcome to RIA, Visual Components. . ! Keep up the good work, Finland!

See the Making of OptoFidelity “Man vs Robot”. . .

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