Now below watch the even more impressive followup video released by ABB just days ago: The first video is the original Fanta Challenge released by ABB in February 2009. By synchronizing the speed adjustment of each of the robots, the speed of the entire exercise can be slowed or sped up as desired with a simple control pad, as shown in the videos. Success simply requires the robots to plot out their respective paths with the proper speed and precision, skills that robots, especially those from ABB, are particularly good at. As such, no artificial intelligence or complex programming is required to get the ABB robots to perform their impressive trick. Can robots really move a metal rod in between this rapidly moving maze of cans without collapsing into a confused pile of metallic mess? The path, although intricate and moving, is a fixed path that changes in a predictable, spatially consistent pattern. When first viewing the videos the achievement may seem too incredible to believe.

The feat would already be impressive if the 6 pack of cans was stationary, but then ABB ups the ante by putting the cans on a tray and programming another robot to rapidly move the tray around.

In these “Fanta Challenges” ABB’s robots move metal rods in between six packs of Fanta soda cans at a blistering pace with only 1 millimeter of clearance between the metal rod and the cans. To prove this point, and to showcase its robotic prowess, ABB robotics has released an impressive pair of promotional videos (embedded below) that you don’t want to miss. Humans may still be king when it comes to creativity or reasoning, but when it comes to raw speed, precision, and repetition, its all about the robots. ABB’s Super Fast Industrial Robots Perform the Fanta Challenge

Abb spider robot video