Revolutionizing Industrial Automation: Naotake Hiraga's SCARA Robots

Human-Inspired Design Meets High-Speed Efficiency in Industrial Robotics

Naotake Hiraga, a designer renowned for his innovative approach, has created a series of horizontal, multi-joint industrial robots, also known as SCARA robots. These robots, developed by DENSO Wave, are designed to adapt flexibly to a variety of tasks, contributing to automation and labor-saving in production plants. The design inspiration for these robots came from the structure of the human body, where "tension" and "contraction" provide its external form. This lifelike soft exterior removes the sense of intimidation during high-speed movement, a unique feature in the realm of industrial robots.

The SCARA robots are not just about aesthetics; they also boast top-of-class performance levels. Despite their compact sizes, these robots deliver impressive results, contributing to reduced equipment size in production plants. The design realization technology used in these robots involves an arm that extends powerfully from a stable base, becoming more delicate toward the tip. This design choice was made to suppress the influence of inertia by reducing the weight of the tip, resulting in stable high-speed operation.

Technical specifications of these robots include an arm length of 480mm (205mm + 275mm), 550mm (275mm + 275mm), 650mm (375mm + 275mm), a maximum payload of 8kg, and a body weight of 33kg. The robots also have a maximum synthesis speed of 7540mm/s, 8000mm/s, 8850mm/s, and variations include cleanliness of ISO class 3 and dust and drip-proof performance of IP65.

These robots are programmed to work throughout the day in a factory setting. The project, which started in 2014, has already seen the robots go on sale and continue to be produced. The design process involved extensive research of SCARA robots worldwide, leading to the realization that a change in every legacy structure was necessary to make the robot faster.

The main challenge was to create the fastest SCARA robot. Initially, the designer's expectations were only to renovate the appearance of the predecessor. However, it was felt that the previous model's structure did not embody the fastest spec, leading to a proposal for an ideal form of the SCARA robot, including a renovation of the whole structure.

The SCARA robots by Naotake Hiraga have been recognized for their innovation and performance, winning the Golden A' Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design Award in 2020. This award is granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. They are venerated products and bright ideas that advance art, science, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.