ABB to Demonstrate Groundbreaking Robotic Bin Picking

New Technology to Be Unveiled at Chicago's International
Manufacturing Technology Show
CHICAGO--(Business Wire)--
ABB Robotics, a leading robotics manufacturer, has expanded its
application range for robot automation with the introduction of
robotic bin picking. Always at the forefront of new technology, ABB
will conduct demonstrations of its newest development during the
International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS).

"ABB is expanding the application range of robot automation by
demonstrating that our robots are now able to perform a random bin
picking task. This is considered almost mundane work for a human, but
is really quite a challenge for a robot, given the potential for
collisions and the challenges associated with finding the right part
to pick in a container with hundreds of parts," said Steven West,
development manager for ABB Robot Automation.

Utilizing the vision guidance software of partner Braintech Inc.
and the powerful IRC 5 robot controller developed by ABB, the robotic
bin picking demo will be the first public demonstration of an ABB
robot that can reliably locate and disseminate jumbled and randomly
situated materials from bins.

"We encourage every company that has a need for intelligent
material handling to stop by our exhibit and see it for themselves,"
said Jerry Osborn, vice president and general manager, ABB Robot
Automation. "There are many benefits - faster productivity, improved
quality, reduced capital and maintenance costs, all leading to
increased profitability." (ABB is at Booth B-6114, located in
McCormick Place North, Hall B)

Rick Weidinger, chief executive officer of Braintech added, "We
are excited to demonstrate our robotic bin picking technology at one
of the largest industrial trade shows in the world. Working with ABB,
we've developed a competitive advantage for our customers in cutting
costs and increasing production in a multitude of plant applications."

Packaged as part of ABB's TrueView(TM) leading edge vision
guidance product line, the new robotic bin picking will be installed
on a pilot basis in October and December at two original equipment
manufacturers. The technology will be released to partners and
customers at the start of 2009.

For more information, visit www.abb.com/robotics.

About ABB, Inc.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies
that enable utility and industry customers to improve their
performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of
companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 115,000
people.

About ABB Robotics

ABB is a leading supplier of industrial robots - also providing
robot software, peripheral equipment, modular manufacturing cells and
service for tasks such as welding, handling, assembly, painting and
finishing, picking, packing, palletizing and machine tending. Key
markets include automotive, plastics, metal fabrication, foundry,
electronics, pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries. A strong
solutions focus helps manufacturers improve productivity, product
quality and worker safety. ABB has installed more than 150,000 robots
worldwide.

Liggett Stashower
Shannon Hoehnen, 216-373-8229
shoehnen@liggett.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008