As the activity and hype (?) around humanoids heats up there is one question lately in my mind: When will we see the first humanoid robots in wafer FABs in regular production ?
Since the overall trend towards more generic robotic hardware is gaining traction the human form factor will fit of course very well in all older wafer FABs which have no OHT capable automation systems – largely because of too low ceilings and recessed equipment load ports. In todays application often AGV/AMR solutions are deployed, but as humanoids will eventually become commercially available.
Obviously there is still some significant work to be done especially for topics like:
- physical safety ( what happens if a robot falls)
- working in hybrid environments with real humans
- gripper capability / flexibility
- run times per charge
- how long will it take to train and commission and humanoid
To have generic humanoid robots which will be able to work the next day in a different FAB area – just by a software change – would be the ultimate benefit.
I also think there will be some work needed to integrate humanoid robots into the typical FAB software environment:
- will they be controlled by a traditional MCS or fleet manager ?
- will humanoid robots “speak” SECS/GEM and E84 ?
Besides all these challenges I believe humanoids will find there way into the wafer FAB automation world: be it
– to transport wafer carriers
– load / unload process tools
– transport spare parts to support maintenance crews
– execute the complete maintenance work from start to finish.
I’m curious what you – the reader of this blog – think. By when will we see the first humanoid robots doing regular production work in a wafer FAB in the US or Europe ? Please participate in the poll below.
I will share the results next year in my next post.
Happy Hollidays !
Factory Physics and Automation blog 