A delegation of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, joined by Ecce-Robot EU project members from the robotstudio met up together with director and head sales & marketing Eugen Elmiger and head sales Switzerland Heinz Schällibaum, representing maxon motor.
(left ro right: Pascal Kaufmann, Eugen Elmiger, Rob Knight, Alejandro Hernandez Arieta, Hugo Gravato Marques, David Askew-Renaut, Heinz Schällibaum)

The gathering was preceded by various meetings where details of a close collaboration between maxon and the AI Lab were brought to terms.

Eugen Elmiger and Pascal Kaufmann, representing Prof. Rolf Pfeifer, agreed on a memorandum of understanding, preparing a contract ready to be signed in October 2009 in Shanghai, China.

The collaboration aims at equipping AI Lab robots with high precision drives and systems developed by maxon motor. As a first project, the leading humanomimetic Ecce-Robot will be fully euquipped with maxon motors.

NASA's two Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which both landed successfully and completed their missions, were both equipped with 39 high precision motors from maxon. Later, maxon motor received the "MER Recognition Award" for its significant contribution to NASA's success with the "Mars Exploration Rover" mission. maxon motor is a worldwide leading supplier of components and systems in the precision drive technology sector. When it really matters, it is not just space agencies such as NASA and ESA that rely on maxon products. maxon drives are used in any number of application areas, including medical technology, industrial automation, instrumentation and inspection, communications, security technology, the automotive industry and air and space travel.

The collaboration will pave the way for a cutting-edge position for both the AI Lab and maxon motor in the emerging field of humanoid robotics.