Project Introduction

Cobots reduce injuries on the workfloor

In Europe, around 40 million workers suffer from injuries resulting from high physical workloads. The associated cost is estimated at 240 billion euros on a yearly basis. Having a cobot to alleviate the task of the worker will enable him/her to work longer in healthy physical condition and reduce costs due to absenteeism.

Addressing a gap in the market

Cobots have great commercial potential, but their market penetration is limited mainly by their limited payload. There are nearly no commercial cobot offerings for payloads above 15 kg, despite a clear market demand.

Technical challenges

Commercial cobots have extremely high payload-to-mass ratios, typically 1:2 and above, and tend to consume a lot of energy. These factors prevent them from being integrated in e.g. service robots. Moreover, the high mass of the cobot puts limitations on its safety and speed.

ELYSA: solving technical challenges

The objective of the project is to develop a lightweight, energy-efficient cobot, capable of lifting payloads up to 30 kg safely. We aim for a payload-to-mass ratio of 1:1, similar to the human arm, but an improvement of a factor with respect to the state of the art.

Industrially relevant research

ELYSA is backed by an advisory committee covering the full value chain: technology providers, robot manufacturers and system integrators. Their involvement will ensure the application potential of our technologies.

Preparing Flemish industry for the future

ELYSA’s developments in cobot technology will open up a new range of automation possibilities. This will allow Flemish companies to become leading players in industry 4.0.