DRIVEN by

Think
tank
___ The dawn of a new
industrial age. p.10

___ How to build an exoskeleton

for the Cybathlon. p. 30
 Contents

Focus __Smart factory 14

10
What’s behind the technical terms used in the industry?

Focus __Clear communication

Use of WLAN in industrial
applications.

16 24

Focus __The digital future at maxon

Automation is important, Innovation __YEP report
but not always required. Smart camera systems
deliver a new TV experience.

18

Illustrations: Anita Allemann Photos: Simon Tanner/NZZ (Cover); MirageC/Getty Images; Seervision AG;
Focus __Guest column
Thomas Ramge on why self-driving
cars aren’t reality yet.
28 IDX interview
What’s behind the new
maxon compact drive?

Legal & contact information

22
Stefan Schneller/ETH Zürich; Ian Langsdon/Keystone

Publisher: maxon Group

Editorial team: Stefan Roschi, Adrian Venetz
Realization: Infel AG
Project manager: Bärbel Jördens
Design: Angélique El Morabit
Proofreading: Franz Scherer
Focus __Pin lifters Print: Druckerei Odermatt AG
Processing wafers Publication frequency: Twice annually
Languages: German, English, Chinese Follow us
in a vacuum requires
Print run: 10,500 (Ger.), 7,500 (Eng.), 2,000 (Chin.)
extremely precise
systems. Copyright: © 2019 by maxon Group, Sachseln.
Reprint or reproduction only with express written
permission. Please see our blog for more exciting
news, stories, and technical reports:
driven online: magazine.maxongroup.com www.drive.tech

driven

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 Editorial

Special __Cybathlon
Eugen Elmiger,
Enabling paralyzed people CEO maxon Group
to walk again takes more than
a functional exoskeleton.

30 Paving the road

for the factory of
the future
When the fridge talks to the TV and the
mobile phone, then digitization has clearly
reached our private homes. However,

37
what about companies? How will Industry
4.0, the Internet of Things, and artificial
intelligence change the way we collabo-
rate with our customers? Which services
maxon inside __Ceramics will we be offering in the future? Will there
When all other materials fail. still be people working in the factories?
These exciting questions are being

33
addressed in the current issue of driven,
which you are holding in your hands.
Understand the technical terms used to
describe smart factories, and learn
Expertise
why some technologies are longer in
2nd part of the series: Brushless
motors with grooved windings. the coming than initially hoped for.

In this issue, you can also read how a

team prepares for the exoskeleton
Innovation __Firefighting robots
competition at the Cybathlon, and we
A firefighting robot stopped
introduce our ceramics department in
the worst from happening in the
cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris.
greater detail. Finally, there’s the second
part of the in-depth technical article
on inductance in iron-core DC motors.

Happy reading!

40 43
ontesitn
C and w
Join

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Moment

driven

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 Moment

The disassembled
runner-up
Here it lies helpless: Sweaty
Junior, the humanoid robot
built by Offenburg University
of Applied Sciences (GER).
When assembled however, it
will achieve great things: The
second place in the 2019 robot
soccer world cup in Sydney.
Sweaty is equipped with 15
maxon drives, some of which
have their own cooling to eke
out the maximum in perfor-
mance. They actually sweat,
which gives the robot its name.
Photo: Hochschule Offenburg

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 News

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
E
UPDAT

MARS TICKER
maxon and Mars are closely linked. More than 100 of our drives have been used on the
Red Planet so far, and their number is growing. Here’s a brief overview of the status quo
of the various ongoing and upcoming missions involving maxon.

Mars2020 The successor of the Curiosity rover has received a few updates, inclu-
ding better wheels and a drill head for taking soil samples. Inside the robot, a miniature robotic arm
(equipped with maxon flat motors) moves samples taken by the drill to an inspection and sealing unit.
The sealed samples will be dropped off in a location where they can be picked up and carried to Earth
on the one of the next missions. In late summer, NASA assembled the robot – which is still looking for a
name – and mounted the helicopter unit that is planned to perform the first ever flight on Mars. The
helicopter uses six DCX drives. The mission is scheduled for launch in July/August 2020. At the time of
this writing, everything is on track.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
driven

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 News

looYkofu may
to theor ward
Ma
DRiIsVsEue of rs
N 1/20

ExoMars The rover “Rosalind Franklin” was fully assembled in 2019. Afterwards,
ESA took it from Great Britain to France for final, comprehensive testing. Later on, it will be installed in
the landing module to wait for the launch, which is planned to take place in Kazakhstan in July 2020 –
provided the Europeans manage to solve the current issues with the landing parachute. The next time
window for a Mars mission won’t open before 2022. More than 50 maxon drives are installed in the
ExoMars rover, powering wheel drives, drills, measuring instruments, solar panels, and camera masts.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++

BIKEDRIVE Air

Electric
tailwind
It’s that one rise in the city, the little hill on the way
to work, or the last incline before reaching the
top of the pass, where cyclists wouldn’t mind a little
bit of a tailwind. Just this effect will soon be achievable
with a new e-bike drive system. maxon is currently
working on a lightweight mid-mounted motor which is
installed almost invisibly in the frame – ideal for racing
bikes or fixies.

For more information

please see:
maxonbikedrive.com

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 News

New maxon ambassador

Welcome,
Sébastien Buemi!
In early September, a fast guest visited the maxon headquarters:
Swiss formula E driver Sébastien Buemi, who is also a formula 1
test driver and has won the last two 24 Hours of Le Mans events.
Racer Sébastien Buemi (second from the left) knows what preci-
sion and efficiency are. After all, he has already won 13 Formula
E races and was the world champion in 2016. Now he also
is a maxon ambassador. When the Formula E starts into its next
season this winter, Buemi will be wearing the maxon logo on his
racing suit. He says: “I’m proud of working with a Swiss high-
maxon motor becomes maxon
tech company and being part of the maxon family.” Of course,
maxon under the joy is mutual. maxon Group CEO Eugen Elmiger says:
a new banner “Sébastien and the Formula E in general are a great match for
us. After all, we are increasingly becoming a systems provider,
Last summer, maxon motor dropped the word “motor” from and the e-mobility market is particularly interesting in this regard.”
its name. The company now presents itself as “maxon.”
This has several reasons. On one hand, the company is in a
process of transformation from a manufacturer of motors
and components into a specialist for precision drive systems
with a focus on five core markets (medical technology,
aerospace, industrial automation, transportation, as well as
e-mobility and robotics). On the other hand, maxon is chang-
ing its corporate structure to position itself as a powerful
group, with a worldwide presence and the ability to respond
to specific local demands. The new name and the visual
rebranding reflect this transformation.

+++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

InSight As planned, the

stationary NASA robot landed on Mars in
November 2018 and successfully unfolded its
solar panels with the aid of maxon motors.
Things didn’t go quite as smoothly for the heat
sensor, which was planned to burrow five meters
deep into the ground. Hammering began in late
February 2019, but the process needed to be
stopped only a few days later. Since then, the
mission managers have been trying to solve the
problem. One thing is certain: The burrowing unit
(called “mole”) is working flawlessly, powered
by a maxon DCX motor. However, the friction of
Photos: Airbus/M. Alexander, NASA

Mars’ soil is not as strong as initially thought, in

part due to the planet’s lower gravity. That’s why
the mole stopped making progress after only
35 centimeters. In late summer 2019, NASA
decided to support the mole with the robotic
arm. With success: Shortly before the editorial
deadline, the mole started digging again.

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 Products

New
products

IDX industrial drive

All included
in the package
In a short time, maxon developed a new line of compact drives
designed especially for applications in industrial automation
and automated logistics. These IDX drives consist of a powerful
brushless EC-i motor combined with an EPOS4 positioning control-
ler. A planetary gear can be added if necessary. The drives stand
IDX 56 L out for their high efficiency, maintenance-free components, and
up to 2 Nm a high-quality industrial housing with IP65 protection. IDX drives also
of torque have configurable digital and analog inputs and outputs to enable
a wide variety of functions and operating modes. Their intuitive
software enables easy commissioning and integration into any kind
of master system.

EPOS4 Micro 24/5 CAN

When space
is at a premium
Our EPOS4 positioning controllers are now also available in a Micro
version. As the name suggests, the benefits of these motion control-
lers are their small size and attractive pricing. Their functionality is
virtually identical to that of other platform products. This makes the
EPOS4 Micro 24/5 particularly interesting for robotics applications
EPOS4 where space is at a premium, as well as cost-sensitive multi-axis
Micro 24/5 CAN applications. The controller is initially available in a CANopen ver-
sion, with the EtherCAT version scheduled to follow in the spring of
2020. As with the entire EPOS product line, users benefit from free
additional options for easy commissioning, such as the EPOS Studio
user interface, comprehensive documentation, as well as practical
examples.

The maxon online shop has

more than 5,000 products,
selection aids, combination
tools, and comprehensive
product information:
shop.maxongroup.com

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 Focus __Smart factory

“It is not the

strongest
of the species
that survives,
nor the most
intelligent
that survives.
It is the one
that is the
most adaptable
to change.”
Charles Darwin | English Naturalist and Geologist

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 Focus __Smart factory
industrial
revolution

Toward the end of the 16th century,

mechanical machines using water
or steam power start to replace
muscle power.

The think
Illustrations Anita Allemann

industrial
revolution

The railway, the telegraph, and

especially electricity enable the
introduction of modern mass
production at the end of the 19th
tank
century. Will the smart factory – intelligent and digital – fully
abolish the need for people in production? Or
is this just a vision that lags far behind the actual
industrial
revolution
reality?
Powerful computers, large data sets, and
miniaturization have already caused a rapid
change in industry. These days, products are being
developed and tested digitally. Machines continu-
ously supply data about their status to cloud-based
In the 1970s, analog devices
begin to be replaced by digital systems, which optimize their energy consumption
computers. This enables the
further automation of production. and enable the prediction of failures.
At the same time, many industrial production
systems still have a long way to go before they
industrial could be considered automated. It takes more than
revolution
a few robots to make a smart factory. It requires
the interplay of many key technologies, as well as
standardized processes.
One thing is certain: The fourth industrial
revolution is here to stay, and it will change the
In 2010, the fourth industrial
revolution begins, characterized
way how we develop, make, and service products.
by the increased interconnection Those who don’t get on board will lose out, sooner
of machines, robots, and sensors
via the Internet. or later.

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 Focus __Smart factory

Smart factory
The smart factory is a concrete application example of Industry 4.0 and IoT. In the intelligent factory of the future, products, tools, and machinery are
connected and communicate in real time. Because manufacturing processes are coordinated automatically, human intervention is rarely needed.
For example, when a customer orders a custom product over the Internet, the order is forwarded directly to the factory and executed. Machines equip
themselves with the necessary tools and materials, continuously monitoring the production process and adjusting it where necessary. The machines
coordinate the sequence of orders and send updates to customers continuously. They also detect early on when the next maintenance or repair is due.

B IoT sensors D Predictive

maintenance

C AR for
machine
operation

A Machine Learning

Modular tools

Cobots
Blockchain technology for
supply chain optimization

Visual
checks

Self-driving delivery trucks

Autonomous
logistic centers

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 Focus __Smart factory

Industry 4.0 A Artificial

intelligence
The term “Industry 4.0” represents Systems capable of learning are referred to as artificial
intelligence (AI). A good example would be a robot that repeats
the digitization of industrial pro- a motion sequence based on a simple program until it has
found the perfect solution. This kind of learning from experience
duction and encompasses the is especially interesting for companies that primarily produce
customer-specific unique parts. AI also enables production
entire value-added chain. Compo- systems to optimize themselves continuously, without outside
intervention. This is referred to as machine learning.
nents are being integrated into
intelligent networks in order to make
the economy more flexible and
efficient, thereby starting the fourth
industrial revolution. “Industry 4.0”
B Internet
is a marketing term that has its of Things
origins in an initiative by the The Internet of Things (IoT) is the main prerequisite for Indus-
try 4.0. IoT refers to the networking of products, machines,
German government. The term platforms, and people over the Internet or local networks. The
term is commonly used when talking about wearables like
was first introduced at the 2011 fitness trackers or smart watches. That’s only a small part of it
though, because the number of products and applications
Hannover Messe and is now being connected to the Internet is rapidly increasing. This opens up
new possibilities, including possibilities for industrial applica-
used worldwide. In the US how­ tions: Products supply information about their status or their
environment to the network. This information is aggregated
ever, the term Industrial Internet into a digital representation of the entire production chain,
enabling machines to provide the right tools and components
is more common. automatically.

C D 5G network
5G is a mobile communication
AR Predictive
and mainte- standard (fifth generation)
VR nance that enables faster data trans-
In augmented reality (AR), users The collection and evaluation mission. 5G has shorter latency,
observe the real world through
their smartphones or special
of data enables better and better
prediction of faults and failures. enabling it to respond in real
goggles. The device shows users
additional information (text,
Components can be replaced
before they fail, resulting in
time, which makes the tech-
graphics, visualization, etc.). The
technology is already being used
significant cost savings. However,
this requires that the components
nology interesting for the
for games, navigation apps, or
interior design planning software.
send information continuously.
This information is compared with
Internet of Things, where
In virtual reality (VR) on the
other hand, users fully immerse
values collected from experience
as well as quality data, which
machines and products com-
themselves into a virtual world, allows predictions to be made municate with each other.
usually with the aid of VR about the service life.
goggles.

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 Focus __Smart factory

Cloud-ready
communications
Bluetooth and WLAN in industrial automation? That was still
unthinkable only a few years ago. However, times have changed.

Devices need to communicate in order to

exchange data. The concept is familiar to us
from our everyday lives: Smartphones com-
municate with a pair of headphones via Blue-
tooth and connect to cell towers using radio tech-
nology; notebooks use WLAN to connect to a router,
and a fiberoptic cable leads from the router to the wall devices is fully instantaneous. That would be physically
box. Clear rules are required for these data connections impossible. Any exchange of data takes time, even if it’s
to work. These rules are defined in what is referred to only a microsecond. Instead of “real time”, “extremely
as network protocols. Like consumer electronics, in- low latency” would be a better description for the de-
dustrial automation also requires network protocols sign goals in industrial automation.
so that the various devices “understand” each other. In CANopen and EtherCAT networks, the data ex-
Here’s where things get a little different from everyday change happens via cables. Why not use wireless, like
data applications. WLAN or Bluetooth? “Way too unreliable and prone
When you access the maxon website from home, it to errors,” used to be the standard answer experts gave
doesn’t matter if the site loads one tenth of a second to this question until a few years ago. Today, this is no
faster or slower. In industrial automation and multi-ax- longer strictly true. The use of wireless technologies like
is synchronization however, every millisecond counts: WLAN and Bluetooth, both of which have made great
Even a small delay in the data transmission can throw progress in recent years, is becoming more common in
an entire system out of sync. That’s why industri- industrial automation. This is not least because, in an
al applications need data connections that are faster industrial setting, the storage and exchange of data isn’t
and more reliable. CANopen and EtherCAT are well- just local but extends into the Internet. “Cloud com-
known examples. They’re also used in maxon systems. puting” is the key word here. That’s also why everybody
People often talk about “real-time data exchange” in is talking about 5G technology these days. For an indi-
this context. The expression “real time” may lead to vidual smartphone user, the new mobile communica-
the misconception that the communication between tion standard offers few noticeable benefits. For many
other applications revolving around Industry 4.0 and
the Internet of Things (IoT), this modern transmission
technology is the way of the future.

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 Focus __Smart factory

One of many application examples of the digital twin technology

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Digital
twin
People talk about digital twins when machines, products, or entire processes are represented virtually, i.e. mirrored. This offers a chance to simulate
and validate the product as early as the development stage, before an initial prototype has been built, and to accelerate the market launch. Even entire
systems or factories can be virtually mirrored and simulated. Commissioning takes place digitally in advance, which allows potential malfunctions
to be identified and corrected early. To increase performance in the factories, the digital twin can be continuously supplied with sensor data from the
production system and the products in real time (see Internet of Things). The current state of the machine is represented digitally at all times. Through
incorporation of artificial intelligence, the smart factory is able to schedule maintenance and optimize processes independently.

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 Focus __Smart factory

Digitization
needs to pay off
Industry 4.0 has been a hot topic at maxon since the
drive specialist introduced configurable drives. Now we’re
continuing to drive digitization – but not at all costs.

CUSTOMER
Customer configures
the desired drive
on their computer

Order
production
complete

Real-time pricing, Specification data

2D and 3D data are generated

SALES/
LOGISTICS SUPPORT ERP SYSTEM

PRODUCTION Product information:

Order leaves Material characteristics,
production within inspection data, mass
11 working days
Illustration: Anita Akllemann

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 Focus __Smart factory

hin the company. Then it will be possible to implement

a variety of digitization projects. As he sees it, there
are many ways in which maxon and its customers will
benefit from new technologies. Why not use artificial
intelligence (AI) to optimize the supply chain and ma-
terial flow through integration of a variety of data like
tariffs, laws, framework agreements, and more? “That
A utomation and digitization are important would be an interesting application. However, for AI to
topics in the maxon Group. One example is really yield results, we need a lot of data in high quality,
the online configurator introduced in 2013, which as well as a way of aggregating it for processing.”
enables customers to compile a specific drive on their It’s conceivable that the Internet of Things will genera-
computer and send the order directly to production, te additional services. If maxon drives and controllers
very much in the spirit of Industry 4.0. Accordingly, are connected to the network and supply information,
maxon Group CEO Eugen Elmiger says: “A batch size parameter changes allow conclusions to be drawn ab-
of one is standard for us.” out the condition of the drive. A motor can be replaced
When someone configures a drive online, consisting before wear results in machine failure. Maybe custo-
of motor, gearhead, and encoder, they see the price in mers won’t purchase motors in the future but instead
real time. As soon as the configuration is complete, the pay per operating cycle. However, implementing such
customer gets access to the 2D and 3D construction technologies requires high-performance networks and
data. This digital model can immediately be integrated reliable cloud systems. According to Sascha Buchscha-
into the customer’s application. At the same time, the cher, these aren’t yet available. One thing is certain: Di-
properties of the order are entered into the maxon ERP gitization will change engineering, production, and the
system, which generates production data and sends entire way in which we work – but not overnight.
them to production, where many work steps are auto-
mated. Machines equip themselves with the necessary
tools and materials. The order leaves the factory no
more than eleven working days later.
For now, each production step is reviewed by an em-
ployee – for quality reasons. However, the machines
could soon be able to perform the tests themselves.
Possibly, the entire portfolio of maxon drives may be-
come available for online ordering in the future. May-
be customers will put on VR goggles to meet online
with maxon engineers to compile a drive system and
digitally integrate it into the application, long before
the first prototype is created.

Efficient material flow due to AI

Sascha Buchschacher and his Configure To Order team
are thinking about which technologies are interesting
for maxon and which direction the drive specialist will
be taking in the years to come. He is fascinated by the
possibilities offered by digitization. However, he re-
mains pragmatic: “In theory, you can automate nearly
anything – but it needs to make sense business-wise.”
After all, the investment in each case is substantial.
Sascha Buchschacher does not expect industrial work- maxon employees in the DCX
flows to change overnight. “However, we need to lay production line, where drives that
have been configured online are
the foundations for the factory of the future – today.” manufactured in a semi-automatic
This means establishing stable, unified processes process.
worldwide, installing a workable system architecture,
and, most importantly, building a suitable culture wit-

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 Focus __Smart factory_guest column

Human in
the loop
Autonomous vehicles are the most important application case for the
Internet of Things. However, the technological development
is much slower than it was hoped for. The reason: human behavior.

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 Focus __Smart factory_guest column

decision-making routines in familiar situations. How-

ever, intelligent driving machines have a much harder
time predicting human behavior than initially thought:
While this behavior is mostly rational and in accor-
Text Thomas Ramge dance with the rules, it sometimes isn’t.
Pedestrians cross a red light, cyclists take the wrong
direction in a one-way street, and drivers make turns
T hree or four years ago, the road map for the at corners where they aren’t allowed to. Of course, au-
introduction of robotic cars seemed clear. The tonomous vehicles can hit the brakes in such cases.
main innovators of autonomous mobility just However, people will begin to behave in rationally irra-
oozed confidence: Waymo, Uber, and Ford announced tional ways toward autonomous vehicles in the future.
that large fleets of robotic taxis would soon be roam- They will cut in right in front of the robot, because they
ing American cities. Urban mobility was to become know it will just quietly brake instead of swearing and
cheaper and safer, as well as greener, due shared use of honking the horn at them. There is no technological
electric vehicles. solution to this problem yet.
Since then, the data-rich and financially powerful US
companies have managed to put only a few trial proj- Robots lack human intuition
ects on the road, usually in sunny regions and for cus- We people are pretty good at reading human signals.
tomers who don’t have to pay. Usually there is still a When we see the gestures, facial expressions, or pos-
human in the driver seat to monitor the system. If that ture of a person, we usually know whether that per-
person is watching a TV show on their phone while a son is about to cross the street. Yet even the best image
woman pushes her bicycle across the road, fatal acci- recognition software is unable to interpret these subtle
dents are a possibility. This is what happened in March signals, even more so in dim light. It’s unclear whether
last year in Tempe, Arizona. – and if yes – when computers will be able to do so at
the same level as a human. If the vehicle in front of us
Autonomous vehicles only on highways? suddenly slows down, we understand that the driver
Today, the only remaining optimist is Tesla founder may be looking for a parking space, even if he does not
Elon Musk. He still promises that in 2020, the next set the turn signal. We know that we should keep dis-
version of the Tesla autopilot will turn Tesla drivers tance. There are far more of these special situations –
into Tesla passengers. However, Elon Musk is Elon developers of autonomous driving systems refer to
Musk. His announcements are frequently driven by them as “micro maneuvers” – than one would think.
the logic of capital markets, rather than technological They increase complexity to a point where current
development cycles. All of the other potential vendors computers are unable to keep up. The state of the art
of self-driving cars have been toning down their rhet- is: Waymo, Uber, etc. could build vehicles that are safe
oric: Everything will take longer than expected, proba- because they always brake – but that would be imprac-
bly much longer. The doubters in the industry already tical. Once designers abandon this policy of excessive
suspect that we will see only a very limited version of caution however, their autonomous vehicles suddenly
autonomous mobility, such as buses that cover defined become much less safe than cars driven by people.
routes at slow speed, or automated driving on high-
ways in fair weather. The cause of these setbacks is not
so much technological but rooted in human nature:
irrational behavior.
Autonomous mobility systems have made great prog-
ress in recent years. Due to improved sensors and
LIDARs (a kind of laser-based radar), fast chips,
and image recognition processes based on machine
learning, the systems have become much better at as-
sessing the traffic situation and selecting the correct

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 Focus __Smart factory_guest column

Other technologies also don’t deliver

on their promises
New technologies usually enter the world with a swag-
ger. At first, they’re always long on promise and short
on delivery. Then everybody is disappointed, and the
technology needs to recover lost trust in the long term.
This hype cycle can be observed time and time again
in the IT industry. Some technologies take much less
time than others to overcome initial difficulties and be-
come reliable and productive. The Internet itself may
be the most disruptive example for this in recent his-
tory. 3D printing on the other hand is still a long way
from achieving the vision of decentralized production
in batch sizes of one. In the 1950s, nuclear physicists
believed that fusion technology would be supplying
the world with cheap energy no later than in the 1970s.
These days, barely any serious researcher dares to
prognosticate when the first commercial fusion reactor
might come online.
In autonomous mobility, the current situation is that
Thomas Ramge is a non-fiction writer and lecturer. His work
has won multiple awards, including the Axiom Business Book
about 80 percent of the technological problems have
Award 2019 (Gold Medal, Economics), the getAbstract been solved. However, the remaining 20 percent might
International Book Award 2018, and the German Economics be the hardest. Self-driving cars remain the biggest
Book Award. hope in the Internet of Things. When traffic and data
flows converge perfectly, the world becomes a better
and safer place for everybody. More than a million road
fatalities worldwide are a moral imperative to drive the
development of self-driving cars with the best research
we can muster. Due to our own irrationality and lack
of discipline, we humans remain the greatest obstacle.
Machines need to learn how to deal with this.

Thomas Ramge’s two latest

books (in German) are
“Mensch und Maschine –
Wie Künstliche Intelligenz
und Roboter unser Leben verändern”
(Reclam) and (with Viktor Mayer-
Schönberger) “Das Digital – Markt,
Wertschöpfung und Gerechtigkeit
im Datenkapitalismus” (Econ).
In these, he explores how artificial
intelligence and robotics change our
lives and looks at data capitalism
and how it affects the market, value
creation, and social justice.

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“When digital
transformation
is done right,
it’s like a
caterpillar
turning into a
butterfly, but
when done
wrong, all you
have is a
really fast
caterpillar.”
George Westerman | Principal Research Scientist with the MIT Sloan Initiative on the Digital Economy

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 Focus __Smart factory

More articles
about industrial
automation on
our blog:
www.drive.tech

vacuum In the

workshop

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 Focus __Smart factory

In the semiconductor industry, cleanliness and precision are

absolutely critical. Swiss vacuum specialist VAT therefore partnered
up with maxon to develop a drive system for wafer processing.

T he term “vacuum valve” typically doesn’t

generate a lot of excitement, even among tech-
nology aficionados. What could there possibly
be that’s of any interest? However, things do get inter-
esting when you visit VAT, a globally active company
Three of these
with headquarters in Haag, eastern Switzerland. VAT
pinlifters move is a global leader in industrial vacuum technology. chambers are exposed to enormous forces. A normal
a wafer in the Simply put, a vacuum valve is a valve that opens or valve wouldn’t stand a chance against such pressure.
vacuum chamber. closes access to a vacuum system. If the word “vacu- VAT valves, however, are up to the challenge.
um” makes you think about packaged food in the su- In recent years, the company went even a step fur-
permarket, then you’re on the wrong track. Industrial ther to offer complete systems for various production
vacuum chambers are primarily needed in applica- steps in vacuum chambers, in addition to individual
tions where even the tiniest speck of dust or droplet valves. One of these systems is called Pinlifter. The
of water would ruin an entire production step. This Pinlifter is a kind of elevator for silicon wafers. The
takes us right into the thick of things: the high-tech wafer rests on three pins, and each of these pins can
industry. Smartphones, flat screens, solar panels, pro- be moved vertically using a motor. This creates a kind
cessors – without vacuum systems, these and many of three-legged elevator (three pinlifters) with which
other products would be impossible to manufacture. a wafer placed on it can be moved upward in a vac-
VAT accordingly ships most of their systems to Asia, uum chamber and aligned precisely for further pro-
home of the big players in the microelectronics and cessing. Here’s where maxon comes in. As a high-pre-
semiconductor industry. cision mechatronic drive system, the Pinlifter is the
result of a months-long collaboration between VAT
An elevator for wafers and maxon. The drive unit of the Pinlifter consists of
The production and processing of what is known as a brushless EC-flat motor with an optical encoder, a
“wafers” is a key production step in the microelec- brake, and a spindle. Keeping the length of the drive
tronics industry. Wafers are thin, round plates made unit to a maximum of 40 millimeters was a special
of a semiconductor material, such as silicon. These challenge.
plates are the basis for integrated circuits. If one Marco Apolloni, head of engineering at VAT, looks
considers that modern processors, including those back: “We initially explored about six different con-
of smartphones, contain billions of transistors, then cepts, with different potential suppliers for the mo-
it’s easy to see why the production environment for tor, brake, encoder etc. Four of the concepts followed
semiconductor substrates must be free of all foreign a components-based approach, while the others
particles. The easiest way to achieve this is by per- looked at systems, with the entire drive being pro-
forming these production steps in vacuum chambers. vided as a tested unit (incl. housing, spindle, motor
The problem is: The stronger a vacuum, the stronger shaft, insulation parts). “Due to the strict require-
the air pressure from outside. Professional vacuum ments with regard to precision and size, only the sys-
tems-based approaches made it into the final round,
as these concepts eliminate many risks and support
Photos: MirageC/Getty Images, VAT

the development of an optimal solution,” explains

Marco Apolloni. “maxon stood out for its technical
expertise and its ability to deliver the complete solu-
tion from a single source.”

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 Innovation __YEP report

ID10: Baker

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 Innovation __YEP report

Robots
on set
These intelligent robotic cameras that automate live transmission
are used on stages, racetracks, and playing fields, operate
autonomously - and provide a perfect TV experience.

T he camera pans evenly to follow the fig- dynamically optimize the field of view. In addition,
ure skater, smoothly zooming in as she pulls various image design modules make sure that the re-
away and slowing down as she changes direction. quirements for professional image composition are
A skilled hand with the camera? Yes. However, the being fulfilled. Conrad von Grebel, Business Devel-
hand isn’t human. The camera movements are gener- oper and co-founder of Seervision, explains: “Our
ated by an intelligent robotic system. software adjusts camera movements in real time.
The system is backed by technology developed at What’s unique about our process is that the cameras
Seervision, a spin-off from ETH Zurich that produc- operate at a human level of proficiency.” The system
es systems for automated video production that are still allows the producer to intervene at any time. “If I
capable of learning. The core of such systems is their command the software to do a closeup, I can adjust it
image-analysis software, which is capable of recog- manually when needed.” This makes the technology
nizing and classifying people and makes sure that the a perfect symbiosis between an autonomous system
cameras follow their movements. An expansion of and human artistic skill. It works with all commonly
the algorithm to other subjects is in planning. used cameras and a web browser.
The number of cameras used in a typical TV produc-
Collaborative on a human-equivalent level tion ranges from three to eight in studio setups, to
The software is quite sophisticated. Using what is more than 50 during the soccer world cup. This can
referred to as Visual Position Tracking, the system quickly become quite costly. However, Seervision is
sets multiple reference points for each item in the im- not primarily focused on cutting cost: The compa-
age. These are used to generate movement patterns ny wants to give film producers a tool that makes
that are supplied continuously to the controller. The their work more plannable and improves the quality
movement patterns are used to continuously and of live transmissions. This results in changes in

Using a large number of reference points, the Seervision

system detects people in an image and automatically
adjusts the field of view to their movements.

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 Innovation __YEP report

the nature of tasks: The camera operator becomes a

multi-camera coordinator who is in charge of the vi-
sual language and thus is responsible for the style of
the transmission. The benefits include more attrac-
tive and immediately adjustable camera angles and
movements, as well as the minimization of human
error.

The software is continuously learning

“Our cameras operate at a human-
The varied functions of the system are based on arti-
like level of proficiency. This ficial intelligence: For programming the software, the
makes them unique in the world.” experts in Zurich continuously analyze existing film
material to develop the world’s first artificial neuronal
net for video productions – a concept that originated
Conrad von Grebel, Business Developer in brain research. The software independently learns
and co-founder of Seervision from the data of past productions to optimize pro-
cesses of visual recognition and comprehension and
to determine the field of view and the movements of
the camera. The developers even plan to use artificial
intelligence to automate the cutting process.
Seervision equips its camera robots with brushless EC
45 flat motors and EPOS4 compact positioning con-
trollers from maxon that move the camera noiselessly
with a precision of 0.0002 degrees. Additional drives
mounted on the lens ensure optical accuracy and con-
trol the camera focus. Interesting: The original idea of
Young automatically filming a university lecture gave birth to
Engineers
Program a technology company. Seervision has been part of the
With its Young Engi- maxon Young Engineers Program since 2016, won the
neers Program (YEP), Swiss Technology Award in 2018, and has been nomi-
maxon supports nated for this year’s Digital Economy Award.
innovative projects
with discounted prod-
ucts and technical
advice.
n AG
ister, Seervisio

Apply now:
www.drive.tech
Photos: Luca Me

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Innovation __YEP report

A two-axis pan-tilt unit contains two maxon drives.

The Seervision system also contains a connected
software rack and a web-based user interface.

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 maxon inside __compact drive

“A result of
global
collaboration”
The IDX is a new compact drive consisting of a motor, gearbox,
and controller. The responsible sales engineer Sébastien Gissien
explains why maxon is taking a different approach with
this product and which markets will benefit from the new drive.

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 maxon inside __compact drive

Interview Stefan Roschi

With the IDX, maxon is presenting a new series of

compact drives. What’s behind it?
IDX drives are based on familiar maxon technologies,
like EPOS4 electronics and the EC-i family of motors.
The whole unit comes with a housing to protect against
water and dust (IP65)

That’s all well and good, but aren’t there such

drives on the market already?
Of course. However, our IDX has a number of strengths
to offer, of which I’m quite proud. For example, we
achieve the same level of performance as our competi-
tors, with a product that’s about 25 percent smaller. The
drives are also easy to integrate in any control architec-
ture using an EtherCAT or CANOpen field bus. This is
helped by the proven EPOS Studio software, which en-
ables customers to commission an IDX drive in a very
short time. Not least, our goal is to offer the IDX series Sébastien Gissien is the head
via our online configurator as soon as possible – and of sales at mdp – maxon France.
this is something that’s exclusive to maxon.

What prompted the development of the IDX?

The idea for a new compact drive was born two years
ago at maxon France. We conducted a survey among
our customers and other interested parties to learn
about their expectations with regard to such a drive. When do customers ask for an integrated
We then formed an international project team based compact drive for their application?
on these expectations. As such, the IDX is the result of By way of example, let’s look at an AGV whose wheels
a global maxon collaboration: The brushless motor is need to be driven. The more compact the drive, the
from South Korea, the gearhead from Germany, and smaller the entire vehicle. This means that more AGVs
the matching EPOS4-based electronics are from Swit- can be used when space is limited, which in turn leads to
zerland, where a project team integrated all compo- higher productivity. With a pick&place machine, a cus-
nents into an overall system. tomer can use compact drives to drastically reduce the
amount of cabling and thereby the design complexity.
What are the intended applications for the drive?
Basically, the IDX series is suitable for any application Is the IDX capable of making a contribution to the
that requires low-voltage BLDC motors. We’re looking digital factory?
at several interesting developing markets. These include Yes. The drive is equipped with two temperature sen-
shuttles and AGVs (automated guided vehicles) for in- sors, one in the motor and one in the electronics. Cus-
tralogistics, the packaging industry, agricultural robots, tomers can use the real-time feedback for predictive
but also production machines with X, Y, and Z-axis maintenance.
movements.
Are there already applications in which IDX drives
Why the intralogistics market in particular? are used?
Intralogistics is a rapidly growing market with high We are successfully using the drives in our own pro-
requirements to productivity and efficiency. Our team duction lines in Switzerland. There are also some
has integrated these requirements and developed a tests with AGVs and logistics shuttles.
product that is powerful, easy to use, and affordable.
What are the reactions?
The initial feedback has been very positive. Key cus-
tomers who are already testing the IDX are looking
forward to the launch of mass production.

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Special __Cybathlon

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 Special __Cybathlon

Me
and the
machine
Paralyzed people can learn to walk again with the aid
of electromechanical exoskeletons. However, it’s
not easy. It takes a lot of engineering and hard training.

D oes the human control the machine, or does against each other on an obstacle course during the Cy-
the machine control the human? This old ques- bathlon in Switzerland (see page 32).
tion invariably comes to mind when we’re thinking Team Varileg Enhanced takes part in the Cybathlon
about exoskeletons, i.e. electromechanical aid systems and has set itself the goal of mastering all obstacles on
that enable paralyzed people to walk again. To Silvia the course. Silvia Rohner: “We want our pilot to suc-
Rohner, project manager of the Varileg Enhanced team, ceed in the competition.”
the answer is clear: “How well an exoskeleton works in
practice depends primarily on the pilot.” A paralyzed Improvements still necessary
person needs to get used to the robotic support and At the first Cybathlon in 2016, there already was a
learn how to use it for best effect. “Some people rely Team Varileg from ETH Zurich. It had little to do with
more on strength, others more on technique. Either the current one, however. The current exoskeleton was
way, it takes a lot of training.” In May 2020, we will see developed new from the ground up, as a student proj-
which approach is best when pilots from all over the ect that started in the summer of 2018 and ended in
world, using different exoskeleton systems, compete the summer of 2019. Since then, a mixed team from
ETH Zurich and the HSR University of Applied Sci-
ences Rapperswil has been working on the completion
of the robotic system. The goal: Having the compe-
tition exo ready in time for the Cybathlon. “There is
still a lot of potential,” says Silvia Rohner. While the
mechanics are excellent, the software needs to be
put in a future-proof architecture. The actuator con-
trol also needs improvement. The team wants to

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 Special __Cybathlon

finalize these changes before the end of winter so that

the pilots can start training. One of them, Thomas
Krieg, is a former bobsledder and has a strong athletic
ambition. He has made great progress since his first
walking attempts with the exoskeleton, saying: “I’m
getting better and better at handling the machine, and
I’m confident that we can master the challenges of the
Cybathlon.” The most difficult obstacle will probably
be the inclined plane. That’s because his exoskeleton
A view of the inside of the Varileg Enhanced exoskeleton: Two lacks the additional degree of freedom in the hip joint,
maxon EC 90 flat Power Up motors drive the legs on each side. so that the entire weight will be on the crutches and
Thomas’ arms.

Additional motor power

In order to save weight and keep the system simple, the
technicians limited the Varileg Enhanced to two de-
grees of freedom. There are two brushless flat motors
from maxon on each side to move the hips and knees.
To keep the exoskeleton as narrow as possible at the
hips, the motor and gearhead were mounted in paral-
lel, connected by a V-belt. At the knee joints, the gear-
head is installed directly on the motor. At up to 600
W of power, the motors of the Varileg Enhanced are
twice as strong as those of the predecessor model. This
power is needed, says Silvia Rohner. “When climbing
stairs, very large forces are generated. We don’t have a
lot of reserves.”
The Cybathlon is just There are many ways to build an exoskeleton. Time
around the corner will tell how successful the Varileg Enhanced team
On May 2-3, 2020, the second Cybathlon will be with its concept. At any rate, Silvia Rohner is
event takes place in Zurich. Again, people
looking forward to the Cybathlon. “It will be interest-
with physical disabilities compete on obstacle
ing to see the other teams’ solutions and get an idea
courses – supported by state-of-the-art
Photos: Stefan Schneller/ETH Zurich; Varileg Enhanced

technical assistance systems. The teams and of the technologies used elsewhere in the world.”
their pilots compete in six disciplines: brain-
computer interface (BCI) race, functional elec-
trical stimulation (FES) bike race, powered
arm prosthesis race, powered leg prosthesis
race, powered exoskeleton race, and powe-
red wheelchair race.
maxon supports the event as a Presenting
Partner and will be on site. Among other things,
the drive specialist will be supporting the par-
ticipating teams with technical advice. For more
information, please visit cybathlon.com

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 Expertise

Series:
Brushless
motors
with grooved
windings
part II

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 Expertise

Saturation
highat
torque and
current
How does the motor data of multipole brushless
motors with grooved windings – i.e. with an iron core –
deviate from ideal, linear characteristics?

Urs Kafader,
head of
technical training,
maxon

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 Expertise

netization; only the flux in the coil itself increases. In

other words, getting more torque out of the motor re-
quires a much higher current. Or, the same increase in
the current only generates little additional torque. The
torque constant decreases.
A s opposed to classic ironless maxon mo- Figure 2 Saturation occurs at high currents. It is not
tors, maxon flat motors and EC-i motors considered in the motor data in the maxon catalog.
have windings with iron cores. The result is a High currents also mean that deviations from the
higher magnetic flux in the winding, which makes specified values occur only in short time operation.
the motor stronger. Only two parameters are affected: startup current and
In the last issue of driven, we discussed how high in- stall torque.
ductance delays the current response. At high speeds,
this creates deviations from the simple linear char-
acteristics of motors with ironless windings. Part 2
is a simplified discussion of the effects of magnetic
saturation at high currents. The iron core is only able
to amplify the magnetic flux to a certain limit. Above
magnetic flux motor torque
this limit, no further amplification of the magnetic
flux in the winding takes place. As a result, the mo-
tor’s stall torque deviates from a simple linear extrap-
olation of the gradient. It should be noted that cur- total
rently (2019), maxon presents all motor data without iron core coreless
taking saturation into consideration.
current
Magnetic flux density of a coil
The magnetic flux of a conventional winding is pro-
portional to the number of turns multiplied by the
current passing through the wire. A higher current
means a greater flow density, resulting in higher mo- Figure 1 The blue line shows the additional magnetic flux due to
tor torque. This proportional relation between cur- the magnetization of the iron core at low currents. The total
magnetic flux is represented by the red line whose gradient – i.e.
rent and torque is expressed by the motor’s torque the motor’s torque constant kM – is greater than for ironless
constant, kM. motors.
If one places soft magnetic iron in an external field
(e.g. generated by a coil around the iron core), the
magnetic flux motor torque
iron magnetizes, i.e. the internal magnetic moments
gradually orient themselves in the direction of the
external field. This magnetization generates addi-
iron core saturation
tional magnetic flux, as well as additional torque in total
the motor. This effectively means that the motor’s coreless
torque constant becomes bigger.
Figure 1 This simple illustration shows low motor cur-
current
rents and low magnetization of the iron core. We also
have a torque constant kM, which represents the linear
dependency between the current and the torque in the
motor.
Figure 2 Saturation of the iron core (blue line). In case of
Saturation higher external fields due to the winding current, the iron core
no longer contributes to magnetization. The total flow and the
At higher currents, the iron core in the coil’s magnetic motor torque increase less steeply.
field becomes saturated. Saturation means that all of
the internal magnetic moments in the iron are fully in
alignment. Increasing the strength of the external field
(more current) has no additional effect on the mag-

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 Expertise

Speed n

U>UN

Nominal operating point

U=UN Practical considerations and summary
Calculated
U<UN
UN ideal stall torque How important are saturation effects in reality? All
affected motors have a very flat gradient. Accordingly,
Real stall torque Torque M
their stall torque is very high compared to the nominal
torque. Reasonable amounts of overload torque do not
Figure 3 Diagram and remark on saturation: “The specified exceed the nominal torque by more than factor five.
stall torque is equal to the linearly calculated load torque In addition, peak torques are frequently limited by the
(without magnetic saturation effect) which causes the shaft to maximum currents of the controller (e.g. maxon ES-
stall at nominal voltage. With EC-flat and EC-i motors, this
CON or EPOS).
torque often cannot be achieved due to saturation effects.”
The Table compares different current values of grooved
multipole EC-i motors. We can see (cf. Figure 4): The
max. Current
startup currents are much higher than the maximum
maxon Nominal Startup current, for 20 %
Saturation effect
currents delivered by standard controllers. In real
EC motor type current current ESCON/ reduction
EPOS in kM applications, the specified startup currents – and
EC-i 30, 3.64 A 63.1 A 30 A ca. 23 A Only at controller’s the corresponding stall torques – cannot be reached.
50 W std max. current However, the maximum currents from the controller
EC-i 40, 2.8 A 47.9 A 15 A ca. 21 A almost none may still severely overload the motors. Saturation only
50 W std
becomes a significant effect at currents and torques in
EC-i 40, 2.73 A 60.9 A 15 A ca. 20 A kaum almost none
70 W HT excess of what is reasonable.
EC-i 52, 6.11 A 225 A 30 A ca. 60 A almost none
What can we learn from this? Most applications do not
180 W HT
supply enough current to get even close to creating a sat-
Table Comparison of the nominal current and the startup uration problem. Saturation is not a significant problem
current with the maximum current of matching controllers. It unless you have a power supply and controller capable
also specifies the current at which a significant deviation
in the torque constant was observed. of delivering these large currents. Whether or not the
motor likes to operate under such a high overload is a
different question.

n [rpm]
10 000
15 A approx. 20 A
8 000
Controller limit Saturation
70 W
6 000 becomes
496655 significant
4 000

2 000

0
0 50 100 150 200 400 500 600 700 800 M[mNm]
0.21 1.4 2.5 3.6 4.8 9.6 12.4 14.8 17.2 19.6 | [A]

Figure 4 Expanded operating range diagram for EC-i 40, 70W High Torque (the third motor in table 2). Observe that in theory, the stall torque
without saturation is about 60 A. That’s about three times further to the right than the entire diagram reaches.

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 maxon inside __injection molding

Solution from the

Ceramic is an excellent material for reinforcing a gearhead.

That’s why maxon started its own powder injection molding
unit 20 years ago. Some of the ceramic parts produced there are
even used to enhance music lovers’ listening experience.

The greatest pride of the department gets its own cantly extend a gearhead’s service life, especially for
room. Andreas Philipp, head of maxon’s powder injec- drives used in start-stop operation. That’s why, about
tion molding department, beelines for the newly built twenty years ago, maxon began manufacturing its
walls, opens the door, and points at the one machine own ceramic parts for gearheads.
in the room – a laser device for hard-machining ce-
ramic parts. This latest purchase is capable of cutting From a spindle to a pair of headphones
ceramics with an accuracy of 2 micrometers, Philipp About 45 employees are currently working in the in-
explains. The machine is able to machine spring ele- jection molding department, among them developers,
ments with a wall thickness of 17 micrometers while application engineers, quality experts, and production
simultaneously performing precise measurements. employees. They belong to maxon’s specialized gear-
head production site in Sexau, southern Germany.
Ceramics for longer service life About half of the parts made by the department are
Not many people know that maxon has its own in- used in maxon drives. Customers especially value ce-
jection molding department for ceramics and metals. ramic spindles for linear drives because of their run-
After all, the company is known mostly for its micro- ning characteristics and wear resistance. “We are the
motors. However, maxon also develops and produces only company able to offer customers a motor, gear-
controllers, encoders, and gearheads. Gearheads – head, and ceramic spindle from a single source,” says
or at least gearhead components like gears, axles, or production manager Walter Kuhn.
planetary carriers – sometimes need to be reinforced However, maxon doesn’t make ceramic parts just for
for certain types of application. Ceramics are espe- gearheads. Its products also include miniature jets for
cially suited for these kinds of upgrades because the industrial automation, pawls for watches, and even
material is more resistant to chemicals, high tem- headphone casings. The latter have been produced at
peratures, and wear than steel. Ceramic axles signifi- maxon for years and have a positive effect on sound

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 maxon inside __injection molding

quality, according to the vendor. Unlike metal casings, Fast production of prototypes
they are also scratch resistant and maintain their sheen The basic principles of powder injection molding have
for a long time. remained largely the same over the past few years. Some
The development and production of precision ceramic things have changed, however. According to Andreas
parts doesn’t come cheap. The processes are complex, Philipp, the processing of green compacts will be re-
and hard machining requires diamond tools or, as men- duced. Instead, simple basic forms are molded and then
tioned above, laser machines. That’s why ceramics are machined with high-tech equipment until they have
usually selected only for very specific requirements that the perfect shape. “This way, customers get a prototype
can’t be fulfilled using traditional materials. Or, as An- much earlier,” says Andreas Philipp. Small batches can
dreas Philipp puts it: “Ceramics are used where all other also be ready for shipping faster. What hasn’t changed
materials have failed.” is the fascination with powder injection molding, which
can be felt throughout the workforce. “Every job is differ-
Two days in the furnace ent, nothing is routine. Ceramics are extremely challeng-
The production process begins with a granulate, also ing materials. That’s what makes them so interesting.”
known as feedstock. It contains a certain amount Left: Production manager Walter Kuhn (left) and An-
of adhesive so that the material can be pressed into dreas Philip, head of the powder injection molding de-
molds in the first place. After the parts have left the partment, standing next to injection molding machines
injection molding machine, they can already be ma- and holding ceramic spindles. Right: Final polish to give
chined lightly. However, they don’t yet have much in the ceramic parts a smooth surface.
common with finished ceramic products. They are
called green compacts, and they are brittle and much
larger than the final product. A few more steps are
required before they obtain the outstanding charac-
teristics of industrial ceramics. First, the adhesive is
removed in a chemical process. Next, they are sent
to the furnace to sinter for two days at up to 1500
degrees Celsius. During this process, they shrink by
up to 30 percent.
This loss of volume is hard to calculate, especially
when the tolerances are in the micrometer range.
That’s why many parts are reworked after sintering.

Left: Production manager

Walter Kuhn (left) and
Andreas Philip, head of the
powder injection molding
department, standing next to
injection molding machines
and holding ceramic spindles.
Right: Final polish to give
the ceramic parts a smooth
surface.

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 Heroes of this issue

Starring

EPOS4 Compact
positioning controller

Camera robot, p. 24

Brushless
EC motor
EC-4pole 22

Soccer robot
Sweaty, p. 4

DCX 22 DC motor
with GP 30 HD gearhead
Encoder and brake
Brushless EC 40
with GP 41 gearhead Brushless
RE 13 DC motor EC flat motor
with GP 13 gearhead EC 90 flat

ExoMars Rover, p. 7 Exoskeleton, p. 30

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 Innovation __Firefighting robots

hero The

of Notre-

Photos: Shark Robotics; Ian Langsdon/Keystone

In spring, the famous cathedral of Notre-Dame was damaged

in a devastating fire. However, the Paris fire department
prevented the complete destruction of the building – with the
help of a special unit in their ranks.

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 Innovation __Firefighting robots

A pril 15, 2019, 07:50 p.m.: In front of the eyes

of an aghast public, the spire of Notre-Dame
cathedral in Paris collapses. To firefighters, this
isn’t just a cultural tragedy: The collapse means that
the structure of the church is further destabilized by
the flames. From this point on, entering the cathedral
to fight the fire from within is very dangerous. The
incident commander decides to send the robot Colos- Colossus is about 1.6 m long, 78 cm wide
sus into the cathedral. and 76 cm tall. It weighs 500 kg empty.
Colossus was built by the French company Shark
Robotics. The company employs 20 people and builds
high-tech robots to assist or even replace humans in
especially dangerous environments. Their robots are

Dame
capable of moving in rough terrain. Equipped with
an articulated arm, they
assist firefighters or help
with defusing explosives or
removing other dangerous
objects. space applications. Two 4,000 W motors and six bat-
teries make sure that it is able to work continuously
A modular system as a recipe for success for up to twelve hours. It is completely sealed against
Colossus was developed in collaboration with the dust and water and resists powerful heat radiation.
Paris fire department. It’s not just suitable for fighting
fires, but also for rescuing people after the collapse 3,000 liters of water per minute
of a building, or for removing biohazards. Since the During the fire of Notre-Dame, the fire hose of the ro-
tasks vary so much, Shark Robotics decided to use a bot was used to keep the inner walls of the church and
modular design. A base unit is equipped with tools the structural elements of the building wet and prevent
suitable for the mission. the fire from spreading. Via a supply hose, the robot
In addition to a fire hose, the robot can be equipped was provided with almost 3,000 liters of water per min-
with a 360° pivoting HD camera, for example. The ute – without the slightest danger to human personnel.
robot can also be equipped with sensors that measure Colossus is operated via a remote-control module with
parameters like temperature or radiation exposure a display.
and detect the presence of toxic substances. Colos- Designing a robot like this is a technological chal-
sus can also take point, carrying a smoke extractor lenge. For this reason, Shark Robotics contacted mdp –
to make a seat of fire accessible to human firefight- maxon France. For the gripper arms of the robot, the
ers. The gripper arm enables it to clear a path into designers were in search of motors that are compact,
an area. Not least, Colossus can be equipped with a powerful, and efficient. “Our robots need highly re-
stretcher, a rescue cage, or a ram. These applications silient motors that are suitable for extreme operating
put high demands on the quality and resilience of the conditions,” says Jean-Jacques Topalian, managing
materials. That’s why Colossus is completely made of director of Shark Robotics for R&D. “The decision to
steel and aluminum alloys that are also used in aero- use maxon was an easy one for us: The company has
an excellent track record, and its motors have already
proven themselves in hostile environments.”
Shark Robotics currently uses 19 different maxon prod-
ucts and obtains the motors directly from the drive
specialist’s website. Oh, since we mentioned hostile
environments: The same electric motors are built into
the European rover that will start roaming planet Mars
in 2021.

driven

41
 Column

Finished
work? Text Stefan Roschi

Routine jobs will soon be a (even though this text was

thing of the past. Robots and still done by hand). While
AI will be taking over. At least, there will be new jobs, there
this is what most futurologists won’t be enough for everybody.
agree on. Sounds great if you’re a ro- Most people will be working creative-
botics specialist or a programmer, but less ly or in charity – maybe supported by a ba-
great if you’re a person with a routine job. What are sic income from the government.
people going to do with their lives? Paint? Or start a One way or the other, most researchers believe that
vegetable garden? our concept of work will need to change completely
Retrain, adapt, develop, says one half of the experts. in the coming decades. Fixed working hours, per-
The story repeats with every industrial revolution: manent jobs, and time keeping will vanish – as will
Old jobs vanish, new ones emerge. From the village the boundary between one’s job and personal life.
blacksmith to the assembly line worker: It’s always Our work will no longer be measured quantitatively.
been this way. No need to panic. It’s much more important that we contribute to the
Then there’s the other half, who think that digitiza- group – whatever that may ultimately mean.
tion can’t be compared to other industrial revolutions “Adapt and change!” is the battle cry from the Dar-
because the pace and extent of the change are much winian corner. The future is digital. If we’re not tech-
greater. Not just routine jobs are being automated, nicians yet, then should quickly buy a beginner’s pro-
but also professions that used to require a high lev- gramming set from Lego – at least for our kids. For
el of education: lawyers, doctors, journalists. Some good measure, let’s also take an online class on how
Illustration: iStock/ilyaliren

news articles are already being written by programs to make a vegetable garden.

driven

42
 Contest

Contest

How many people work

in maxon’s powder injection
molding department?

Win one of three outdoor solar chargers E-mail your answer to:
made by Goal Zero. [email protected]

The deadline for participation is February 28, 2020

Winners will be notified. maxon employees are not eligible to participate.
There will not be any correspondence in regard to the contest. All decisions are final.

www.drive.tech

Why not take a Story

look at our blog? Engineered

to the
The maxon corporate blog
last pour
www.drive.tech has many exciting
reports, videos, and technical articles
in which maxon experts offer their
knowledge. Get excited, learn new
things, and discuss with our bloggers.

Take this article about a robotic precision

coffee maker, for example.
 Sugar coating
It’s one of the last production steps before rotor and stator become a brushed DC motor:
A robot covers the rotors with a thermoset material that fulfills several roles.
It transfers power between the winding and shaft, acts as an insulating material, and
protects against external influences.