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Automate 2017: Tend 'in.control' demo wows

Emmet Cole
by Emmet Cole. Last updated on Apr 03, 2017 6:41 PM
Posted on Apr 03, 2017 6:05 PM. 3 min read time

 

We get up close and personal with Tend's ingenious, low-cost robot control system at Automate 2017.  

Imagine being able to monitor and control multiple cobots via a simple app on your iPad, smartphone or browser from remote locations. On top of that, imagine being able to train your cobots in minutes without the need for complicated coding. 

Now you can do all these things, thanks to 'in.control' --a robot control system developed by Boston-based Tend

'In.control' allows you to monitor and control
multiple machine-tending robots from any location via a simple control app that you can run on your tablet/smartphone or in your browser. 

The system can handle a wide range of tasks from pressing buttons... 

Image uploaded from iOS (8).jpg

 ... to reading and acting on information displayed on standard screens ... 

Image uploaded from iOS (9).jpg 

.. and it's all controlled via a simple and intuitive application. 

Image uploaded from iOS (10).jpg

In.control does not require any modifications (or additional networking) to your existing cobots, which makes it super easy to set up.

In a typical scenario, you simply attach a standard webcam to the side of your gripper. The system uses cloud-based image processing to perform optical character recognition (OCR). This enables 'in.control' to read displays --and, since most of the processing is done in the cloud, massively reduces the amount of onsite processing power required to make the system operable.  

We grabbed some video of the system today at the Tend booth (Booth #2802) and we were struck by the ingenious simplicity of its design. 
 

 

 

If you're interested in finding out more, make sure to check out the in.control datasheet (PDF) and these videos: 

 

 

 

 

 

Any questions for the team at Tend? 

Image uploaded from iOS (11).jpg

 

Coming up: There are (at least) two new cobots launching at Automate 2017. We'll have the details for you tomorrow! 

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Emmet Cole
Written by Emmet Cole
A freelance robotics writer since 2006, Emmet is an Economist contributor, and a regular contributor to Robotics Business Review and Robotics Trends. His writing on robots has also appeared in Wired, BBC Future, BBC Focus magazine, Space Quarterly, and numerous other outlets.
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