Robotics Business Review

  • Home
  • Analysis / Opinion
    • RBR Analysis
    • RBR Opinion
    • RBR Interviews
  • Business
    • Management
    • Workforce
    • Start-Ups
      • RBR Start-Up Profiles
      • RBR Start-Up Insights
    • Social Good
    • Investment
    • Transaction Database
  • Markets / Industries
    • Agriculture
    • Construction / Demolition
    • Consumer
    • Defense / Security
    • Energy / Mining
    • Health / Medical
    • Logistics / Supply Chain
    • Manufacturing
    • Public Safety
    • Retail
    • Robotics Development
    • Utilities
  • Resources
    • Websites
      • The Robot Report
      • Mobile Robot Guide
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Case Studies
    • Company Directory
    • Podcasts
    • Research
  • Events
    • Robotics Summit
    • RoboBusiness
    • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
    • Robotics Weeks
    • RoboBusiness Direct
    • R&D 100
  • RBR50
    • RBR50 2022
      • RBR50 2022 Honorees
    • RBR50 2021
      • RBR50 2021 Honorees
      • RBR50 2021 Digital Edition
    • RBR50 2020
      • RBR50 2020 Honorees
      • RBR50 2020 Digital Edition

ABB Robotics+Bon Jovi=RoboScreen

Showcasing and commercial entres in multi-billion dollar industries await the ABB/Flessas collaboration

By RBR Staff | February 14, 2013

robojovi

While many industrial robots work long days in auto plants or in dangerous forges, five of ABB?s IRB 7600s tour with Jon Bon Jovi and rock all night with thousands of fans.

However, these robots are more than just a Bon Jovi theatrical element, they are the start of a new business collaboration between ABB Robotics and Andy Flessas (a/k/a andyRobot) to bring RoboScreens into ever more commercial and entertainment venues.

MarketWatch.com: While robotics technology is historically driven by the automotive and manufacturing industry, 2012 saw increased demand from the food industry, with the development of robotic units with the dexterity to handle food, and from the entertainment and tourism industries. This latter use is behind today’s announcement of RoboScreen packs.

RoboScreen, for which Flessas holds numerous patents, is a graphical screen mounted to the arm of an ABB articulated arm robot, which creates a unique viewer experience by bringing virtually unlimited, 6-axis movement to the video media. Large model RoboScreens travelled the globe as main stage props for the Bon Jovi Circle Tour.

On the tour, the RoboScreens moved to the beat of the music, displayed real time video and pre-produced animations, and assembled into various formations such as individual stairs and an elevated performance platform.

High-tech mashup: Joining flat screens and robots together

roboscreen prep“

andyRobot is clearly the master visionary in the application of industrial robots for entertainment and commercial sectors,” said Bertil Thorvaldsson, global software products manager for ABB Robotics. “We were delighted to collaborate with him on the development of the new PowerPac software products and are excited about the further innovation they will allow in cultivating these emerging applications.”

With the various robot and screen size options, the two dedicated software plug-ins and the mixing board option, a RoboScreen function package can be assembled to serve a virtually unlimited range of entertainment and commercial applications.

The intelligence that allows the robots to be precisely choreographed with the music and the onstage production is Robot Animator?, a software program extension that enables 3D computer animation.

The proprietary software developed by Flessas provides a separate interface to animate the movement of the ABB robots as if they were on-screen characters. Once the desired movement is established Robot Animator channels the code directly into ABB?s robot controller and the robots replicate the movement on stage.

Totally new thought pattern

?We were able to take the ABB robots out of the factory and turn them into rock stars mainly through the power of the ABB IRC5 controller and its ability to accept the precise movement established in Robot Animator,? said Flessas.

?The programming we are doing for The Circle Tour could bring a totally new thought pattern to be used in advanced manufacturing applications in the future. This entertainment application may allow it to break through.?

Showcasing and commercial entres in multi-billion dollar industries await the ABB/Flessas collaboration. Here is a sampling of emerging applications:

Live Events and Entertainment: RoboScreens positioned outside performance venues for pre-event entertainment or marketing, or positioned inside to provide replays and other event enhancements. Or as on the Bon Jovi tour or in a theatrical performance, the RoboScreens can also be an integral part of the production itself, providing an inimitable blend of 6-axis motion and video display for stage props, structural elements and visual intrigue.

Retail Robotics: Strategically placed RoboScreens for interactive point-of-purchase advertising and in-store information to shoppers, providing advice for specific products and possibly allowing manufacturers to interact in real time with customers considering their product.

Kinetic Architecture: RoboScreens as a moveable wall or floor, where the ambiance of a room can be altered by the motion of the screens and the video being played therein.

Nightclubs and Sports Bars: RoboScreens that capture components of simulation technology with motion coordinated in real time to action occurring on screen during a performance, sporting event or video game.

Related Articles Read More >

Edge ML
Edge ML and Robotics Critical for Digitalization and Industrial Automation Initiatives
Robot Report Podcast
Blue River Technology’s Willy Pell on John Deere & Autonomous Tractors. Plus Cruise’s Robot Taxis
RGo Robotics – Start-Up Profile – Vision Based Perception Solution for Mobile Robots and More
RBR50
Robotics Business Review Announces 2022 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award Honorees
The Robot Report Listing Database

Robot Report Podcast

May 18, 2022
Robotics Summit 2022 recap
See More >
Robotics Business Review
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Collaborative Robotics Trends
  • The Robot Report
  • Mobile Robot Guide
  • RoboBusiness Conference & Expo
  • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
  • Robotics Summit Conference & Expo

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Robotics Business Review

  • Home
  • Analysis / Opinion
    • RBR Analysis
    • RBR Opinion
    • RBR Interviews
  • Business
    • Management
    • Workforce
    • Start-Ups
      • RBR Start-Up Profiles
      • RBR Start-Up Insights
    • Social Good
    • Investment
    • Transaction Database
  • Markets / Industries
    • Agriculture
    • Construction / Demolition
    • Consumer
    • Defense / Security
    • Energy / Mining
    • Health / Medical
    • Logistics / Supply Chain
    • Manufacturing
    • Public Safety
    • Retail
    • Robotics Development
    • Utilities
  • Resources
    • Websites
      • The Robot Report
      • Mobile Robot Guide
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Case Studies
    • Company Directory
    • Podcasts
    • Research
  • Events
    • Robotics Summit
    • RoboBusiness
    • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
    • Robotics Weeks
    • RoboBusiness Direct
    • R&D 100
  • RBR50
    • RBR50 2022
      • RBR50 2022 Honorees
    • RBR50 2021
      • RBR50 2021 Honorees
      • RBR50 2021 Digital Edition
    • RBR50 2020
      • RBR50 2020 Honorees
      • RBR50 2020 Digital Edition