Credits: Fruitcore Robotics GmbH I Solidfluid
Picture 1, Picture 2

Manufacturer
Fruitcore Robotics GmbH
DE-78467  Constance
www.fruitcore.de

Design
Solidfluid
DE-78467 Constance
www.solidfluid.de  

A robot alone is no help to a company – it’s only the right programming that turns it into an economic factor. In order to ensure that process runs as smoothly as possible, the company has developed an intuitive software by the name of Horst FX. It works on the assumption that the user has no programming expertise and reduces the complexity of controlling the robot so effectively that automation becomes an interesting option even for small and medium-sized enterprises. The user interface on the 13.3-inch touchscreen is divided into three areas. The middle section shows the robot in its real-time position, while the console on the right provides step-by-step instructions for the preset actions. The left-hand side displays the details of the resulting program flow.
Initially designed for use with the company’s Horst robot, the user interface is intended to be compatible with any future robots and even communicate with external machines.

Jury
There are huge barriers to using a collaborative robot if it calls for special programming skills. But this user interface shows that there’s another way: its graphics are very clearly structured and the software is easy to use. No abstract codes are required to train the automaton, and the actions are displayed very vividly and incorporated into logical processes. The idea of conducting usability tests with children is very interesting.