Flexiv, a Chinese robot developer, has created Moonlight, which it claims is the world’s first force-controlled parallel robot. Moonlight is designed for tasks requiring precision motion and force control, such as fastening screws, polishing items, and handling precision loads. It can measure forces accurately down to 0.1N and handle delicate objects with great precision. The robot combines the agility and speed of a parallel robot with the abilities of conventional robot arms. It can handle 12kg loads at low speeds and loads of up to 7kg at speeds of up to 1.5m/s.
Moonlight can operate at any angle, making it ideal for delicate tasks such as inserting screws into PCBs without risking damage to the boards. The robot complies with Pl d safety requirements, supports EtherCat communications, and is IP65-protected. It is particularly suitable for surface treatment applications such as polishing, grinding, deburring, and sanding. The robot is due to be released in the third quarter of 2023.
Flexiv also offers a complementary robotic gripper called Grav, which can pick up almost any item, regardless of its shape or surface texture. The company aims to reduce the need to change end-of-arm tools with Grav. Flexiv was founded in 2016 at Stanford University and has headquarters in China, the U.S., Taiwan, and Singapore, with around 300 employees. In December 2021, engineers at the National University of Singapore unveiled a reconfigurable hybrid robotics system inspired by the human hand. The system, called “soft touch,” is highly adaptable and can grip and manipulate a range of different objects. Companies are also working to invent robots that can feel the sense of touch, aiming to make robotics more adept at daily tasks.