MAiRA | 2019-2021

Designers: Sebastain Weik, Neura Robotics GmbH., Metzingen, Germany
Manufacturer: Neura Robotics, Metzingen, Germany

MAiRA is a cognitive robotic assistant designed with advanced novel sensors and an unprecedented integration of artificial intelligence to collaborate and interact with humans naturally, safely, and learn from all its experiences to improve performance. Its ability to see, hear, and speak enables true human-machine collaboration.

MAiRA gives room for an extension to a wide range of new applications where it works directly with humans in collaborative workspaces and can perform dangerous and repetitive tasks with minimal supervision. The design features smooth, rounded edges and flexible materials that mimic human biology and enhance physical interactions.

MAiRA achieves industry-leading movement speeds of up to 4.5 meters per second and completes tasks with sub-millimeter accuracy. At the same time, it is extremely powerful and flexible and can carry payloads of up to 18 kg within a motion range of up to 3 meters, depending on the model.

The 7 degrees of freedom (7-DOF) provide greater flexibility and freedom of movement than a human arm and allows operators to program specific actions using motion guidance. With multiple joints and a 360° working range, MAiRA can learn to move, adjust and work in the safest and most efficient way for the application at hand.

Thanks to IP 65 protection (full protection against dust and water penetration from different directions), MAiRA can work safely in rough conditions e.g.
water, dust, chemicals, and humidity. Critical areas of research and development of MAiRA which NEURA Robotics created were instrumental to unlocking the adoption of cognitive robots on a full scale.

MAiRA provides comprehensive environmental perception capabilities enabled by advanced augmented intelligence, leveraging integrated sensors such as 3D vision sensors and its integrated CPU and GPU. This facilitates accurate motion planning and precise identification of any object, enables error compensation, continuous system improvement, predictive maintenance, and allows for third-party development and sensor integration.

The integrated AI enables MAiRA to think, make decisions, and learn from its experiences. In work environments, these improvements allow them to perform entry-level tasks and then increase their productivity over time. NEURA Robotics developed a novel sensor technology called Touchless Safe Human Detection, combining the best of existing sensor technologies to create a sensor that can reliably detect humans to always guarantee safe operation of MAiRA. An intuitive interaction between human and robot is possible since MAiRA responds to voice commands, recognizes people, and can be guided by gesture control.

MAiRA's ease of manual handling is ensured by the Zero-G mode, allowing to move the robot arm with minimal effort. User-friendly GUI with unlimited configurability occurs with a powerful, tablet-based graphical user interface which provides full access to MAiRA's motion and behavior through simple menus and drag-and-drop functions. Using 3D scanning sensors, the designers create a 360° color visualization of the robot and its environment with a selection of objects, settings, and motion paths that are easy to program.