Automotive News - May 19, 2008 - (Page 20)

20 • MAY 19, 2008 information technology Honda, Toyota see robots in their futures Hans Greimel hgreimel@crain.com TOKYO — Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are locked in an intense race to build ever more sophisticated and practical … robots. In 2000, Honda blazed the trail with Asimo, a waist-high, bubbleheaded, bipedal humanoid robot. Asimo’s latest accomplishment: serving guests green tea. Toyota parried with a host of “partner robots,” including an ensemble of mechanical maestros that can play the violin, trumpet, tuba and drums. Detractors call these expensive efforts a diversion from mainstream business. Robots may help build a company’s engineering credentials, thus aiding recruiting efforts at universities, but the gee-whiz technology does little to benefit core automotive operations, they say. Honda and Toyota engineers disagree. As modern cars get more complex, they say, robot technology will become more prominent in vehicle engineering and design. sensors to walk and run on two legs and navigate around moving obstructions. Voice and face recognition software used in robots also can be used to assess whether a driver is falling asleep at the wheel or inebriated, enhancing auto safety. Another shared application is the actuator technology used in robots. It is usually compact and able to run on low power, traits that increasingly will be demanded in auto parts. The miniature motors used in robot joints also are ideally sized for tightquarter car parts such as oscillating air-conditioning vents, engineers say. Reality check Yet technology transfers are limited. “The working environments of robots and cars are very different,” says Masashi Yamashita, general manager of robot design at Toyota. “Cars operate at much higher speeds and deal with much greater distances. That’s quite different from slow-paced robots working in limited areas.” Thus, a navigation sensor on a robot cannot be directly installed on a car. The principle is the same, but the demands are not. The supplier base for robot and car parts also is different. For the time being, humanoid robots are halo programs at both companies. Toyota has more than a dozen robot models but has yet to sell one. Neither automaker discloses its robot r&d budget. But engineers say it is minuscule compared with auto development, another reason that any robot-to-auto crossover may be slow. Still, Toyota and Honda are increasing their robot efforts. For instance, Toyota is concentrating its robot r&d at its factory in Hirose, west of Tokyo. The automaker has about 100 engineers on its robot team but aims to double that in the next three years. c Better robots, better cars The worlds of cars and robots are quickly overlapping, Honda and Toyota engineers say. For example, much of the technology that makes robots “autonomous” also is used in pre-crash safety features, lane-keeping guides, parking assist, adaptive cruise control, and drive-by-wire and vehicle stability systems. Engineering better robots, the reasoning goes, will help improve cars. “There is simultaneous development going on from both the robot and the automobile sides,” says Toyota’s robot chief, Masaru Ogino. “We are moving from theory into practice.” Honda founded its robot program in the 1980s with the goal of creating cars that can drive themselves. To fire creativity, team members were originally ordered to build “Astro Boy,” a fictional flying robot of Japanese comic book lore. “I thought they were crazy,” recalls Robina, a tour-guide robot made by Toyota, shows a Prius to visitors at a Toyota museum in Japan. Masato Hirose, who now heads Honda’s robot unit. Likewise, Toyota also sees robots as an exercise in futuristic engineering. In December, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe unveiled the violin-playing robot and a robotic wheelchair. He said helper robots would be a core business in the 2020s. Toyota’s partner robots are seen morphing into tour guides, medical assistants and household helpers. They even will work on factory floors. Toyota plans to begin real-life trials of the helper robots this year, to test how well they interact with humans. So far there has been little if any direct crossover from robots to cars at either Honda or Toyota. But both say the potential for synergies is huge. and movement from the driver’s hand into electronic impulses. Toyota’s wheelchair robot is dubbed Mobiro for “mobility robot.” It can pilot itself using sensors to steer clear of obstacles and has a system keeping the seat level at all times, even over uneven terrain. Such sensor technology forms the foundations of pre-crash safety systems being developed for vehicles. The level-seat function parallels stability and slip control in cars. Honda’s Asimo uses an arsenal of visual, laser, infrared and ultrasonic Sensitive sensors For example, to stroke the bow just right, Toyota’s violin robot has advanced pressure and movement sensors in its arms. Toyota sees that technology as key to the future of drive-by-wire cars, where computers translate pressure Make or buy? Software can estimate costs for company Ralph Kisiel rkisiel@crain.com JOE WILSSENS Behr America’s Kurt Schulte: “Now we use the same tool globally, and we can quickly determine whether we want to manufacture the part or to outsource it.” Facton Inc., a German software maker, is training 100 employees at Behr America Inc. in suburban Detroit to use Facton’s cost-estimating software. The software automates the process of determining a company’s cost to design and manufacture a product. The idea is to find hidden costs before committing to producing the part. Underestimating the cost of a product could delay its production and require charging a higher price than the market can bear. Manufacturers typically use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to calculate production costs, says Facton CEO Martin Nehls. But Behr found using Excel to be an extremely time- and labor-intensive way to calculate the cost of a bid. Facton’s estimating software enables companies to reduce product costs by as much as 8 percent and cut time to market by as much as 30 percent, Nehls says. In addition, Behr’s 30 production sites around the world needed common software with a central database to share accurate cost data. Last December, Facton, of Dresden, Germany, opened its North American operations office in suburban Detroit. It has been deploying its software for Behr America’s parent company, Behr GmbH & Co. KG, around the world. “Previously we did costing in different ways in different parts of the world,” says Kurt Schulte, product line controller at Behr America. “Now we all use the same tool globally, and we can quickly determine whether we want to manufacture the part or to outsource it.” SAP Inc., i2 Technologies Inc. and Oracle Corp. offer similar software. Automotive companies that already use Facton software include Bentley Motors, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Magna Powertrain and Intier Automotive. c

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Automotive News - May 19, 2008 Ford eyes smaller F-150 cousin Sonic: Mercedes tries to 'extort' store upgrades Chrysler seeks 25% slash in parts prices Dealership managers pushed Chrysler's latest incentive Crain names 4 new VPs Automotive News staffers win Wheel Awards GM will keep cutting sales to fleets GM studies the future of full-sized trucks American Axle plans to expand in Asia At Lexus, the sales laggards are cars VW positions Tiguan as 'GTI' of small SUVs Tata enters race for 100-mpg car Harley Earl was the daddy of auto design Focus will follow Fiesta as a global vehicle Lexus shows how it sweats details Industry slows tide of state CO2 rules Chevy tweaks Cobalt to add fuel economy Be careful; don't do anything dumb Looking ahead to different industry They thought they knew everything Cerberus doesn't belong in autos Dealers as scapegoats Smart, steady growth works best for suppliers Farley's smart to value Ford's heritage Absurd logic in the U.S., cowardice in Germany BMW, Daimler keep a wary eye on U.S. economy James Franey Dealers' approach can lessen pain of staff cuts GM plans to distinguish Opel with image makeover Make or buy? Software can estimate costs for company Honda, Toyota see robots in their futures Bosch aims to lead in hybrids technology King of hearts Clarke aims to get GM back on track in N.A. Fields navigates Ford through 'white water' LaSorda steers Chrysler's global ventures Toyota's Lentz: A crash course in hard times Truck sales fall 13% in April Modine sells Thermacore unit Alcoa to close Mexico plant Toyoda Gosei expands in Mexico Hayes Lemmerz plans to close Georgia factory Japan's sales slide 2% in 1st quarter; output climbs Dealers Hyundai let U.S. direct Sonata freshening After .com and .edu, is it time for .car? Panoramic sunroof of Lincoln MKS boosts Inalfa sales Chrysler hedged gas price bet Smart phones help dealerships retain customers CAW completes pacts with GM, Chrysler early GM, UAW resolve 2 disputes New media buyer for Chrysler Visteon names Stebbins CEO Convertible registrations drop Ferrari: From denial to debut Buildings Porsches in U.S.? Depends whom you ask Toyota will go slow in Tupelo Ghosn is glum on prices, U.S. sales prospects Pischetsrieder has earned a celebratory cigar NHTSA spins VINs, averts meltdown F_RD GU_S WI_ BUI-_KS 50 PEOPLE FOR 50 YEARS Yutaka Katayama Clarence Talley Jim Morton Pete Brock Marvin Runyon Yoshikazu Hanawa Bill Bruce Shin Maki Jack Collins Mitsuya "Scape" Goto Bob Link Soichi Kawazoe Jerry Hirshberg Takashi Ishihara Roy Rogers John Parker Bob Thomas Teruo Uchino Morrie Sage Bob Thomas Nobe Wakatsuki Earl Hesterberg Carlos Ghosn Lee Clow Jerry Benefield Yutaka Kume Doug Betts Tim McCarthy Jed Connelly Atsushi Nakatsuji Dave Hubbard Joe Opre Patrick Pelata Yoshiyuki Kimura Diane Allen Mad Mike Taylor Chuck King Larry Dominique Mark Igo Mitsuhiko Yamashita Shiro Nakamura Tom Mignanelli Dick Roberts William Cushing Emil Hassan Chester Luby Jane Nakagawa Louis Schweitzer MR. K Ray Lemke Richard McCutcheon

Automotive News - May 19, 2008

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