There’s little similarity between industrial robots and the futuristic machines seen in movies and on TV. But the links are getting closer, as the ruggedized versions adopt some of the latest consumer technologies to enable access: smart phones, cloud computing and tablet computers. Though robots operate in extreme applications like welding, painting and in ultra-fast packaging applications, there’s little question that these new consumer trends are tough enough to operate in factories, giving industrial managers access to data no matter where they are.

“It’s easy to get status information using a smart phone app and cloud computing,” says Greg Garmann, software and controls technology leader at Yaskawa America’s Motoman Robotics Division (www.motoman.com) in Miamisburg, Ohio. “You can view the number of parts being produced from a Website.” 

The history of Ethernet, the enabler for the rapid adoption of these new technologies, highlights the dynamic changes that have occurred in industrial applications. Ethernet was initially derided as a weak technology that couldn’t perform in harsh environments. But its reach now includes a majority of many peripherals including as robots.  

“EtherNet/IP is a strong market leader for us now. DeviceNet was our leader in the past,” Garmann says. The company also supports a number of other Ethernet variants as well, he adds.  

While Ethernet’s adoption took several years, many related technologies are seeing quick adoption. Now that Ethernet is making TCP/IP a common communications protocol for industrial networking, for example, a growing number of programmers are extending networks to include the World Wide Web. Many companies now put many of their files on Internet servers, which allows them take advantage of new commercial technologies. These servers are part of the cloud computing that’s getting all sorts of attention, and this cloud can be accessed by Internet-enabled cell phone applications.  

“The availability and use of smart phone apps greatly extends the network to anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi connection, and thus greatly broadens the front office’s access to the factory floor,” says Selam Shimelash, application engineer at automation and controls supplier Opto 22 (www.opto22.com), based in Temecula, Calif.

Phone to the future

The quick adoption of these new technologies meshes well with ongoing trends like globalization and consolidation, which put more facilities under the control of fewer managers who can’t get to each site. When their needs are combined with Lean manufacturing, just in time deliveries and the push for custom and specialized products, managers at all levels often need to get up-to-date information whenever they have time to access it.

“The surge in mobile devices, such as Apple’s iPad and Google’s Android systems, has opened up the market to plenty of options in remote monitoring and supervisory control,” says Henry Loos, controls and application engineer at Applied Robotics Inc. (www.arobotics.com) of Glenville, N.Y. “Monitoring and control applications for mobile devices are emerging quickly. They allow plant engineers and managers to respond almost instantly to process concerns and downtime events.”

For smart phones and tablets to become useful, plant managers have to take advantage of another technology that is rapidly becoming commonplace on factory floors. Wireless technology is critical for tying these devices to the industrial Ethernet architecture.

Wi-Fi is beginning to gain a solid foothold in facilities that employ wireless networking. This standard, which is part of the IEEE 802.xx series of specifications that includes Ethernet, has been displacing proprietary industrial networks. Together, wireless and lightweight handheld devices are generating a lot of excitement with users and development engineers. “Speaking more generally, Wi-Fi networks used with smart phone apps are one of newest and best ways to improve efficiency on the factory floor,” Shimelash says. “They combine to provide a great way to improve efficiency in maintaining systems, commissioning and installing.”

Laptops seem bulky compared with these smaller devices. The portability of cell phones and tablets makes it much easier for managers and maintenance personnel to walk about the plant and check performance parameters while looking directly at the equipment. That’s much more efficient than making notes and going back to a fixed workstation.

“People want to be untethered,” says Steve McPherson, Rockwell Automation ’s director of market development, visualization & information software, based in Mayfield Heights, Ohio (www.rockwellautomation.com). “When you’ve got larger devices like a tablet with a browser, you can render the same operator screen anywhere. That lets people walk around and make changes when they come up to a machine instead of going back to an HMI screen.”

Wi-fi and GPS

Wi-Fi isn’t ...