Walking Next to You

Strolling along partially-built airplanes next to engineers and technicians, a collaborative robot applies anti-corrosion sealant, and assesses quality. This is the not-so-distant future envisioned by VALERI (EU's Validation of Advanced, Collaborative Robotics for Industrial Applications). José Saenz, general coordinator of VALERI explains that the large size of airplane components is incompatible with conventional, fixed robots, "So, it has to be the other way around. The robot drives to the desired location in the airplane." Prototypes should be on the factory floor in 2015.

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