KUKA Robotics (industrial robots)

KUKA Robotics and its German parent company KUKA is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial robots and automation systems for a variety of industries - from automotive and fabricated metals to food and plastics. KUKA Industrial robots are used from: GM, Chrysler, Ford, Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Harley-Davidson or Boeing, Siemens, Wal-Mart and Coca-Cola and many others.

KUKA has regional locations and robotics integrators in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile and also serves customers throughout Europe and Asia.

KUKA was founded in 1898 in Augsburg, Germany as Keller und Knappich Augsburg. The company name comes from the initials of its founders, Keller and Knappich.

Robotics Product Highlights

In 1973 KUKA built its first industrial robot, known as FAMULUS. This was the first robot with six electromechanically driven axes. Today the company’s 4 and 6 axis robots range from 3kg to 570kg payloads, and 635mm to 3700mm reach, all controlled from a common PC based controller platform.

KUKA's robot products are most commonly used in factories, for welding, handling, palletizing or other automation tasks, but also in hospitals, for brain surgery and radiography.

In 2001 KUKA developed the Robocoaster, which is the world’s first passenger-carrying industrial robot. The robot provides a roller coaster-like motion sequence to its two passengers; the ride is programmable. The Robocoaster is currently being developed to travel along a track, to create flat rides, Roller coasters and other such themepark and amusement rides that move along a defined pathway

Trivia

• In the James Bond movie Die Another Day (2002), the laser-carrying robots starring alongside Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry are KUKA industrial robots.

References

• History of KUKA Industrial Robots. Web page accessed 15:33, 18 September 2005.
• Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent German-language wikipedia article.