The KUKA-DLR Lightweight Robot arm - a new reference platform for robotics research and manufacturing

Transforming research results into marketable products requires considerable endurance and a strong sense of entrepreneurship. The KUKA Lightweight Robot (LWR) is the latest outcome of a bilateral research collaboration between KUKA Roboter, Augsburg, and the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling. The LWR has unique characteristics including a low mass-payload ratio and a programmable, active compliance which enables researchers and engineers to develop new industrial and service robotics applications with unprecedented performance, making it a unique reference platform for robotics research and future manufacturing. The stages of product genesis, the most innovative features and first application examples are presented.