In a move that promises to revolutionize the field of robotics and automation, ASTM International’s Committee on Robotics, Automation, and Autonomous Systems (F45) has called for collaboration in the creation of new standards for assessing the assembly capabilities of robotic systems. These proposed standards, identified as WK87213 and WK87214, are set to provide a consistent and reliable method for evaluating the assembly skills of robotic systems.
Kenny Kimble, an ASTM member and a mechanical engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has shed light on the utility of these proposed standards. He stated that these standards would include guidelines for documenting the test setup and configuration. This would enable users to generate and compare test results across the robotics community, thereby fostering a culture of innovation and problem-solving.
Kimble highlighted the significance of these standards for robotics research labs, both in academia and the industry. He said, “These labs are constantly engaged with manufacturing assembly operations. The proposed standards will serve as a benchmark to measure robot performance and facilitate comparison of results, thereby stimulating innovation and addressing manufacturing challenges.”
The task group is particularly interested in input from the manufacturing industry during the development of these standards. Kimble explained, “Manufacturers are at the forefront of dealing with the challenges involved in robot assembly. They are also among the primary users of the NIST assembly test boards mentioned in the proposed standards.”
ASTM International has always welcomed participation in its standard development endeavors. The year 2023 has been a busy one for Committee F45. At the start of the year, they announced their work on a standard to measure an end effector’s grasp strength. The WK83863 standard aims to accurately determine an end effector’s capabilities, such as payload size limits and resistance to push/pull forces during operation.
Furthering their efforts in advancing robotics, the committee launched a new subcommittee focusing on legged robotics. This subcommittee has already proposed a new test method for disturbance rejection testing of legged robotics, showing their commitment to developing comprehensive and effective standards.
Aaron Prather, director of ASTM’s robotics & autonomous systems programs, shared insights into the current state of robotic standards at ASTM, particularly with Committee F45, in The Robot Report Podcast in February 2023. Prather, who has extensive experience as a senior technical advisor for FedEx, discussed the challenges that emerging robotics companies face when trying to sell their solutions to large Fortune 500 companies.
The development of these standards is expected to have a significant impact on the electronics and computer industries, which heavily rely on robotics for manufacturing and assembly operations. With the increasing use of programming languages and coding in the development of robotic systems, these standards will ensure the reliability and efficiency of these technologies.
In conclusion, ASTM’s initiative to develop standards for testing robot assembly capabilities is a welcome move. It promises to provide a reliable framework for evaluating the performance of robotic systems, fostering innovation, and addressing manufacturing challenges in the electronics industry.