Hello and welcome to the dynamic systems laboratory at the Université de Moncton in Canada, Dynamium. Dynamium is specialized in collaborative robot manipulators (cobots) and physical human-robot interaction (pHRI). We are currently working with a redundant Gen3 7 degrees of freedom (DoF) robot from Kinova, a company from Montreal. This robot, shown in the photo below, is equipped with 7 motors/joints that work together to accomplish complex movements and tasks.

Kinova Gen3 - 7-DoF Robot

An interesting functionality of this robot is a mode that allows us to manipulate the robot with our hands. The first interesting project that we will present to you is an application called teach and repeat. The goal of this application is to manually manipulate the robot, placing it in a series of positions and recording each one. Afterwards, the robot can repeat the sequence of movements, accomplishing the recorded task. This application offers a quick, simple, and effective method of programming complex tasks and sequences, that can be accomplished by anyone, without needing to be an expert in robot programming. It also offers great flexibility when it comes to having to change tasks frequently.

Of course, in collaborative robotics applications, security is paramount. The Kinova Gen3 7-DoF robot is equipped with torque sensors in each joint, which will enable the team at Dynamium to further explore methods of ensuring everyone’s safety when working alongside cobots. Stay tuned for our next demo!