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ITRI Exhibits Robotics Expertise at 2017 ICRA

ITRI displayed its R&D achievements including the Motion Intelligence Orchestration (MIO) industrial robotics controller and PC-based motion control card EPCIO at the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). ICRA is the world’s largest robotics conference, bringing together worldwide experts to discuss the latest robotics technologies. Research related to self-driving vehicles and artificial intelligence was among the groundbreaking technology first discussed at the conference. Dr. Jwu-Sheng Hu, General Director of ITRI's Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Research Laboratories, was invited to serve as one of the Industrial Forum Chairs for the conference.

Dr. I-Ming Chen of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and General Chair of this year’s ICRA, stated that according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), Japan, Korea, and China are the leading markets for industrial robotics, with the Asia Pacific industrial robotics industry contributing over 50% of overall market revenue. This points to the importance of the Asia Pacific in the global robotics industry and is why ICRA 2017 took place in Singapore, he said. ITRI’s Dr. Hu, who is also a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at National Chiao Tung University, has substantial experience in both academic and research communities that will be conducive to forging cooperation with the industrial sector.

Dr. Hu remarked that interest among international venture capital firms in robotics startups is greater than ever due to the increasing maturity of robotics applications. Consequently, a number of startups will unveil their latest innovations at this year’s ICRA. At the same time, he pointed out that the pace of research papers being turned into industrial applications is also picking up. ITRI, he said, has long been committed to promoting the commercialization of groundbreaking technology, and it would be on the lookout at this year’s conference for the latest trends in robotics and collaboration opportunities.

Dr. Nelson Yen-Chung Chang, Manager in ITRI’s Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Research Laboratories, shared his R&D achievements at the Industry Forum on May 31. He introduced the ITRI-developed MIO industrial robotics controller, which has enhanced dynamics control and improved trajectory precision, boosting robotic arm precision by a factor of 10. This is conducive to precision assembly automation in the aerospace and timepiece industries and will help Taiwan companies seize global business opportunities associated with Industry 4.0.

The IEEE has held ICRA for over 30 years, dating back to 1985. At ICRA, top researchers from around the globe annually discuss the latest innovations in robotics and automation. Renowned international companies such as ABB, KIKA, JD, drone manufacturer DJI, Korean educational robot manufacturer ROBOTIS, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have participated in the event over the years as sponsors.