How End of Arm Tooling (EOAT) Technology is Advancing

Robotic technology, both industrial and collaborative types of robots, have evolved dramatically. They’ve become faster, smarter, cheaper and more profitable than ever before thanks to a number of technological breakthroughs. Manufacturers all over the world are reaping the benefits of rapidly improving robotic technology. 

End of arm tooling (EOAT) interacts directly with a part at the end of a robot, making it one of the most important pieces of technology of a robot. With such steady advancements in robotic technology, how has EOAT changed?

Customer Demand Drives EOAT Innovation

End users of robots face constant pressure to minimize operating costs while maximizing productivity, causing them to forever search for more ways to incorporate automation into their daily operations. 

As robotic technology is needed in a wider range of applications and industries, and higher productivity is demanded in existing applications, the need for new and more efficient types of EOAT expands. Just like all other forms of robotic automation technology, EOAT must keep up with the rapid pace of innovation to satisfy customer demands for more productive automation systems. This has led to a number of advances in EOAT technology. 

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2 Major Advances in EOAT Technology

There are many ways in which EOAT technology is advancing rapidly. One of the most common ways that EOATs are elevated is with the use of sensors to monitor force, orientation, pressure, temperature, acceleration, and proximity, as well as general capabilities in tactile and vision sensing. These sensors amass a wealth of application data for analysis. 

The other major development in EOAT technology, much of which is still on the horizon, is advances in deep learning in artificial intelligence (AI). Once EOATs collect the massive amount of data mentioned above, deep learning algorithms can then help make sense of all this data to help EOATs navigate semi-structured environments for greater flexibility and accuracy. AI technology could have the potential to allow EOAT operation in completely unstructured environments. 

There are a number of other advances in EOAT technology, particularly in small, delicate and collaborative environments, but the two advances mentioned above are the predominant ways in which EOAT technology is advancing. 

The EOAT is a critical part of a robot as it interacts with the part being processed. As customers have demanded more productive robots, EOATs have evolved and continue to evolve too.