Schilling Robotics Releases New Dexterous Grabber Manipulator

Schilling Robotics, LLC, experts in subsea systems, today unveiled a breakthrough new manipulator arm, the ATLAS 7R Dexterous Grabber. The seven-function dexterous grabber is destined to set a new standard for reliability and capability. Offering an elbow joint that replaces the ‘extend-retract’ maneuver of a five-function grabber, it adds two degrees of freedom, making it a premium option for performing complex tasks. The extended range of motion allows the gripper to access targets from acute angles.

In addition to dexterity, its lift-to-weight ratio is among the strongest in the industry. ATLAS weighs only 5 kg more than Schilling’s current grabber, the RigMaster, yet lifts 250 kg of weight at its full extension of 65-inches compared to 54-inches for the RigMaster. The additional joints allow it to withstand extreme loads through an overpressure protection feature in the valve manifold allowing the joints to absorb forces in two additional planes.

The grabber has been undergoing field trials since December, which have proven that Schilling’s attention to kinematics, finite element analysis, and reliability are paying huge dividends in customer productivity. "The enhancements to customer productivity are proven in extremely heavy-lift work encountered during anchor handling operations. ATLAS has the strength and dexterity to manipulate mooring connectors, where other manipulators would either be unable to lift the load or fail due to overstress. It is also optimized for construction work such as manipulating saws and grinders, and to position the tools accurately and repeatedly. Its dexterity makes it very effective at rigging operations, where it’s slender profile allows unobstructed views of the tooling during complex and precise movements,” says Tim Ranstrom, manipulator product manager for Schilling Robotics.

The ATLAS will have its debut at the Schilling Robotics booth #8809 at the Offshore Technology Conference, May 4-7, 2009, in Houston, Texas U.S.A. Additional product details, schematics, and datasheets can be seen at www.Schilling.com. They are available for order and shipping now.

About Schilling Robotics, LLC

Schilling Robotics is a leading global, deep-ocean robotics company, founded in 1985. Its customers include offshore oilfield equipment and service providers such as Acergy UK Ltd, Bourbon Subsea Services, Expro North Sea Ltd, and Oceaneering International. Schilling is headquartered in Davis, California and has regional offices in Houston, Texas and Aberdeen, Scotland. In late 2008, FMC Technologies, Inc. acquired at 45% interest in Schilling. FMC Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:FTI) is a leading global provider of technology solutions for the energy industry. FMC designs, manufactures, and services technologically sophisticated systems and products, such as subsea production and processing systems, surface wellhead systems, and marine loading systems for the oil and gas industry. Further information about Schilling can be found at www.schilling.com.