Back to the future: get a glimpse of Yumi, the collaborative robot from ABB, back in 2011

(English version below)

Je viens de tomber sur cette vidéo, qui est le concept de robot collaboratif FRIDA par ABB. Quelques pensées qui s’entrechoquent :

1. Yumi est sorti presque 4 ans plus tard, ce qui donne une idée du temps qu’il faut à un groupe ayant d’énormes ressources pour industrialiser un prototype. Le prototype avait l’air déjà fonctionnel du côté du hardware, et un design relativement abouti (on peut chercher les 7 différences…). On peut imaginer qu’en 4 ans, de grands progrès ont pu être accomplis au niveau du software, le point sensible de tous les robots.
2. Rethink Robotics, la première entreprise à parler dans les médias de robotique collaborative, a sorti Baxter en 2012, soit un an après. Rethink Robotics a été fondée en 2008, mais je ne connais pas la date du premier prototype fonctionnel.
3. Nous avons réellement la mémoire courte : en 2015, la robotique collaborative ou cobotique est une “grande tendance“, que l’on voit un peu partout dans les médias. Tous les grands constructeurs se mettent aux bras robotiques légers et bourrés de capteurs : Fanuc avec son CR35iA, Kuka et son iiwa, Kawasaki et son DuaRo, Kawada et Nextage, sans oublier la nouvelle spin-off du CEA, Sybot (toutes les informations sur ces robots ici). Nous oublions allègrement qu’en 2011, “tous les grands se mettaient à la robotique collaborative“, dont Motoman avec SDA10D, le Fraunhofer IPA avec le pi4 Workerbot (dont le look prête aujourd’hui à sourire), Kuka avec son DLR II qui était déjà en service chez Daimler depuis… 2009 ! 
4. Sourions : ABB est passé d’un nom acronyme (FRIDA = Friendly Robot for Industrial Dual-arm Assembly) à un nom plutôt poétique. “YuMi® is about “you” and “me” creating an automated future together” – on garde bien ici cette idée essentielle du robot “amical”, pierre angulaire du robot collaboratif, qui ne prend pas ton travail mais travaille avec toi.

Et vous, des idées à ajouter en revoyant cette archive ? Rendez-vous dans 4 ans pour la “grande tendance des robots sociaux” ?

I just stumbled upon this video, showcasing FRIDA, the new (in 2011) concept of collaborative robot by the swiss-swedish firm ABB. Some thoughts:

1. Yumi, the final version, was officially introduced to the market in 2015 – almost 4 years later. It gives us an idea on how much time is needed by a big group with enormous ressources to industrialize a prototype. FRIDA looked quite functional on the hardware side (the software is always a little bit tricky), with an almost unchanged design compared to Yumi. We can only imagine the progresses made on the software side in these 4 yeras!
2. Rethink Robotics was the first company to fast-track the term “collaborative robotics” into the mass-media. Rethink launched Baxter, their first collaborative robot, in 2012 – one year after this video. Rethink was founded in 2008 (as Heartland Robotics!), but I don’t know the year in which they built their first successful prototype.
3. We really have no long-term memory: this year, media did talk about this “new trend of collaborative robotics” (at Innorobo it was at least the most used word on the exhibition floor). We see every big robot manufacturer embracing this trend of lightweight arms filled with sensors and quite-autonomous intelligence: Fanuc with the CR35iA, Kuka with the iiwa, Kawasaki and the DuaRo (find our more about all these robots here). We quickly forget that in 2011, the same happened: “every big robot manufacturer was into collaborative robots”, including Motoman with the SDA10D, the Fraunhofer IPA & pi4 Workerbot (I see you smiling with this one), Kuka & DLR II already in use in Daimler’s factories since the year…. 2009! 
4. Let’s smile: You know there would be an acronym involved, right? ABB’s FRIDA stands for Friendly Robot for Industrial Dual-arm Assembly. They moved to a rather poetic name and explanation with Yumi: “YuMi® is about “you” and “me” creating an automated future together” – we keep this corner stone idea here that the robot is friendly, and will not replace you at work, but instead work for you, save you from injuries, and put a big smile on your head because you are creating such a bright future together…

Enough of me pouring my ideas on FRIDA and collaborative robots…. what are yours?

Edit – Joost Nijhoff wrote on Linkedin the following:

More than anything else this shows that multinationals may have the innovative power to develop disruptive technologies – but often have to difficulties getting them to the market at the right time. Startups do not have traditional products or marketshares to defend and can move much faster. ABB responded to the trend by buying GomTec and pushing Yumi to the market – and have 2 interesting CoBot products in 2015. Rethink may have branded the CoBot idea in the anglosaxon world, but it was Universal Robots A/S that actually created the market (launch of UR5 in 2009), showed that industry demand was existing – a mark that all the big companies now try to get their share of.

My reply:

I totally agree with the “Startups do not have traditional products or marketshares to defend and can move much faster.” part! This is why I love startups so MUCH.

I forgot the launch of the UR in 2009. If you look at google trends you see that Universal Robots A/S was trending before Rethink Robotics, but also that the Baxter made more media appearance than the UR line. UR gained media awareness thanks to OMRON as well. It’s funny, because the UR is market-oriented, while the Baxter serves as a research & education platform.