Startup company launches new class of robot – the Wyzo ‘sidebot’

Wyzo, a startup company with backing from established companies such as Demaurex, the inventor of the delta robot, has launched a new class of robot – the Wyzo “sidebot”.

Wyzo – which is described as “the world’s first high-speed pick-and-place sidebot” – is now available for companies making their first steps into automation, as well as for large manufacturers looking for “unrivalled versatility”.

Compact and agile, Wyzo works safely side-by-side with humans without protective barriers or performance compromises. Critically, the robot uses the “revolutionary” new direct drive invented by Genesis Robotics.

The company says this new approach to collaborative production is “ideal” for lightweight applications in the food and beverage, consumer goods, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, automotive, electrical and electronics sectors.

Frank Souyris, CEO at Wyzo, says: “Creating Wyzo started with a dream to give every operator out there an assistant for day-to-day tasks on the production floor. Building on 20 years of experience in high-speed Delta robots, we are proud to present Wyzo – the fast, compact and flexible sidebot.”

Fast and safe

While traditional pick-and-place robots are large and work on fully automated lines separated from operators by protective doors, Wyzo’s advanced safety system allows it to collaborate with humans in close proximity.

Thanks to the high-tech robotic arm and built-in or external vision systems, the sidebot finds and picks products at an incredible 80 cycles per minute, with a payload of half a kilogram.

Through its advanced sensor technology, Wyzo constantly monitors its surroundings for the presence of human activity, allowing it to maximize performance when on its own and also to slow to a safe operating speed when a human is in close proximity.

As a result, manufacturers can now enjoy the performance of an industrial robot combined with the versatility and compact size of a cobot.

All around flexibility

To meet a wide variety of production needs, Wyzo is designed to fit anywhere on the production floor. At less than 0.5 sq m and just 1.80 meters in height, the sidebot fits through standard doors and elevators, offering unprecedented flexibility with a small footprint.

It can easily be moved from one workstation to another, eliminating bottlenecks and enabling fast return on investment.

For manufacturers switching between products, Wyzo is highly compatible with all regular grippers on the market with changeover speeds of less than nine seconds. To meet ever-changing production demands, it also offers integrated pneumatic, electric and vacuum controls.

All about operators

Wyzo’s Human Machine Interface is simplified for intuitive use by operators with no prior training in automated solutions.

Its mobile terminal is as easy to operate as a smartphone and requires neither script nor programming to get Wyzo up and running. Based on more than 30 years of software development for Delta robots, Wyzo’s state-of-the-art pick-and-place software has been specially refined for ease of use and control.

Souyris says: “It is not a mere machine. Wyzo is a co-worker, who is easy to communicate with through a simple interface. Maybe the next generation will even have a conversation with its colleagues.

“Regardless of its conversational skills, however, its ability to be effectively integrated into existing production lines to perform pick-and-place tasks flexibly and reliably will certainly put a smile on manufacturers’ faces.

“It is a new benchmark for collaborative production that combines the best of human and machine abilities. We could not be more excited to present Wyzo to our customers.”