Bosch Rexroth wins Hermes Award for top industrial innovation

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August 2023 News

The Hanover Messe is the world’s premier trade fair for industry, providing a central platform for innovation, networking and orientation in the age of industrial transformation.

The company’s second Hermes award follows its win at the Hanover Messe 2021 for the SVA R2, the world’s most compact electrical Subsea Valve Actuator, which helps to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions from process systems and minimises environmental risks. Developed by Bosch Research, the Smart Flex Effector compensation module, on the other hand, gives industrial robots a sense of touch similar to that of the human hand.

An intelligent all-rounder

The Smart Flex Effector is a cutting-edge module designed to enhance precision and expand the possibilities of industrial robots and Cartesian systems. With its active measurement function in six degrees of freedom, this intelligent compensation module serves as a valuable tool in various applications.

By incorporating high-resolution position sensors, the Smart Flex Effector allows for the detection of position deviations in the tool. These deviations are then actively corrected by the manipulator through precise movements. Real-time readjustment is made possible by the advanced sensor technology embedded in the compensation element. Furthermore, the measured values obtained from the module offer insights into process quality, enabling quality monitoring and data logging.

This innovative compensation module finds wide application in automation technology and robotics, particularly in handling and joining processes that require strict tolerances. Whether it’s for achieving precise joinings, documenting quality and recording tool points, or automatically compensating for position drifts in the rotary axes, and in the X, Y, and Z directions, the Smart Flex Effector proves to be an indispensable solution.

A game changer for industry and society

According to Professor Reimund Neugebauer, president of the Fraunhofer Society and chairperson of the Hermes Award, the Smart Flex Effector is expected to play a key role in solving pressing economic, societal, and demographic challenges, from optimising industrial assembly to increasing productivity in agriculture, to supporting medical and nursing staff in the form of assistance robots. “The Smart Flex Effector is driving efficiency and diversity in the uses of robots, creating quantifiable value for industry, the environment and society,” he said.

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Bosch Rexroth wins Hermes Award for top industrial innovation

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