I don't know if it's the music or what, but watching this 'bot cutting steel sheets like they were butter feels so...mesmerizing. I could watch this the whole day. The robot is an ABB IRB 4400, a 6-axis industrial manipulator designed for high speed cutting and handling applications. It weighs one metric ton and has a payload capacity of 60 kilograms. The video shows the robot laser cutting various shapes and perfectly round holes on high strength steel sheets. ABB claims that this robotic laser system offers "the flexibility of industrial robots with lower capital costs and smaller footprint than traditional laser machining centers." I don't know about that, but I do wish I had a giant robot with a laser in my garage.
[ ABB Robotics ]
Erico Guizzo is the digital product manager at IEEE Spectrum. An IEEE Member, he is an electrical engineer by training and has a master’s degree in science writing from MIT.
