Collaborative Robot Arms Enable Breakthrough Research

The University of Tulsa is tackling a major social challenge through robotics: helping older adults live independently at home while staying connected to their communities. Backed by a grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), led by Principal Investigator Dr. Rose Gamble, they planned to start the Institute for Robotics & Autonomy, a new facility focused on real-world robotics applications.

The robotics research team at the University of Tulsa needed a reliable way to test how collaborative robots would perform across a variety of tasks — such as sit-to-stand motion, balance training, or assisting residents with everyday tasks inside the house.

For instance, one objective for the University of Tulsa team was to eliminate the need for older adults to climb ladders by extending the cobot’s vertical reach. Another focus area was enabling complex two-handed tasks using using a two-cobot platform integrated with machine vision systems.

Bringing this vision to life needed a fast, flexible way to procure and assemble the essential components—and seamless compatibility between hardware and software.

University of Tulsa partnered with Vention to deploy a comprehensive collaborative robots platform to directly address their research objectives for aging-in-place solutions.

Vention’s team helped customize a Robot 7th Axis application that included a telescoping column integrated with two UR5e robot arms. The set up helped the team create both dual-arm bimanual configurations and high-reach platforms capable of extending accessibility for the elderly. Additionally, Vention also helped deploy a UR20 cobot arm on a pedestal.

Vention’s MachineMotion controller, with URCap integration, ensured smooth compatibility with third-party equipment—maximizing the system’s flexibility and adaptability.

Following the order, Vention accelerated the deployment by ensuring rapid shipping, with Vention parts typically arriving faster than other suppliers.

The deployment process was further streamlined by Vention’s responsive technical support and expert guidance. Detailed product consultations helped the University of Tulsa team navigate compatibility requirements confidently—avoiding unnecessary additional purchases and reducing setup time.

University of Tulsa needed a robotics solution that could adapt to different research scenarios, and Vention’s plug-and-play approach delivered exactly that.

The telescoping column integration dramatically expanded the robots’ operational workspace, enabling near-ceiling reach—which helped the University team find ways to eliminate the need to use the ladder for the elderly. Beyond just reaching higher, the column opened up multiple new ways to position the robot arm for the same task, giving researchers far more options than the typical ‘elbow up or elbow down’ configurations.

The superior hardware quality and robustness of Vention’s patented T-slot extruded aluminum ecosystem provided the precision and reliability needed for scientific research applications. Most importantly, everything worked together seamlessly. Thanks to MachineMotion and Vention’s hands-on support, the University of Tulsa team could dive straight into the exciting research instead of spending months troubleshooting compatibility issues and hardware headaches.

This successful collaboration and deployment of robotics solutions has helped position University of Tulsa as a premier robotics research facility, focused on bridging the gap between theoretical research and real-world applications.