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Universal Robots recently announced a change to the M8 connector on all of its e-Series collaborative robot arms (cobots). The connecter was changed from a male version to a female version. It said the planned implementation will take effect in production cobots by the end of the first quarter of 2024.

Universal Robots, the world’s leading developer of cobot arms, said it also update the tool cap to fit with the new female version of the M8 connecter. The connector will be inside the tool cap as illustrated in the pictures above. Universal Robots said it will provide an adapter (15 cm adaptor cable, male – male M8) to soften the transition and enable tools with the current connector type.

“This [connector change] was introduced as it is a more robust design and brings the e-Series to match the new UR20/UR30 design so UR+ tools and any end effector connectors that use the tool port will be compatible with both hardware generations,” a Universal Robots spokesperson told The Robot Report.

Universal Robots said detailed information about the implantation date will be announced during Q1 2024.

The UR30 cobot was introduced in November 2023. It is built on the same architecture as the UR20, but the UR30 offers more payload capacity in a compact footprint. With a 30 kg (66.13 lb.) lifting capacity, 1,300 mm (51.2 in.) reach, and weight of 63.5 kg (139.9 lb.), the company said the UR30 can tend larger machines, palletize heavy products and support high-torque screwdriving.

“We saw some applications where the UR20 was too big,” Anders Billesø Beck, vice president of strategy and innovation at Universal Robots, told The Robot Report when the UR30 was unveiled. “We’ve found that ideal combination of size and power.”

Universal Robots is owned by Teradyne, an automatic test equipment designer and manufacturer based in North Reading, Massachusetts. Teradyne will be releasing its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2023 on Tuesday, January 30, 2024. Teradyne also owns Energid (motion control software) and Mobile Industrial Robots (autonomous mobile robots). Teradyne merged AutoGuide Mobile Robots with Mobile Industrial Robots in late 2022.

Ujjwal Kumar, who was named president of Teradyne Robotics in mid-2023, is keynoting our Robotics Summit & Expo. Taking place May 1-2 in Boston, the Robotics Summit is the world’s leading event for commercial robotics developers. Over his 25-plus-year career, Kumar has scaled businesses at major multinationals including General Motors, General Electric, and Honeywell. In this keynote on May 2 from 9-9:45 AM, he will share some lessons he has learned and how they can be applied to accelerate the transformation of industry with robotics.

Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney and Medtronic will also deliver keynotes at the event, which will have 5,000-plus attendees from the global robotics ecosystem. There will also be 150+ exhibitors showcasing enabling technologies, products and services for commercial robotics developers.