Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc. has added a new 3-D vision sensor to its line of order picking robots. The sensor uses a two-dimensional camera and LED lights in a way that enables a robotic arm to "see" parts in a picking bin in three dimensions. That allows the arm to manipulate in such a way that it can select a single product no matter how it is oriented in the bin.
The company considers the product an important breakthrough in vision technology for robotics. It sees a market among companies that need to pick small items from bins.
Mitsubishi, with U.S. headquarters in Vernon Hills, Ill., provides a range of automation control solutions for manufacturing and warehousing, including PLCs for sorters, AS/RS and conveyor controls, and robotics for case packing and order fulfillment.
