ABB Robotics Launches E-Device Safety Interface for Hardware-Agnostic Robot Control

ABB Robotics has launched E-Device, a compact physical safety interface that allows customers to use their own Windows tablets or PCs to operate, program, and monitor OmniCore-powered industrial robots and cobots.

Built on the OmniCore User Interface (UI), E-Device delivers full-featured robot interaction paired with dedicated physical safety hardware—including an emergency-stop button and a three-position enabling switch—providing an alternative to traditional robot teach pendants.

Marc Segura, President of ABB Robotics, stated:

"Making robots more accessible and easy to use is at the core of our journey to more autonomous and versatile robotics (AVR). Customers are looking for ways to quickly and easily customize and build solutions that can be readily adapted and scaled as their needs change, without the need to spend time learning how to use new interfaces or programming. E-Device gives them the freedom to interact with the robots using their own tablets or computers. With a consistent user experience across OmniCore-powered robots and cobots, customers can reduce training, simplify deployment, and accelerate production ramp-up."

The consistent OmniCore UI provides operators access to ABB's programming and simulation suite, including RobotStudio for offline programming and AppStudio, a no-code tool for building customized application screens. Operators can develop and simulate programs away from the factory floor before connecting their tablet to the robot on the line.

Because the end device is portable, operators can easily switch between multiple E-Device-equipped robots, making it ideal for multi-robot production lines and training environments. Additionally, connected smart devices allow access to online manuals, while built-in cameras enable operators to capture troubleshooting photos directly into the robot's backup folder.

E-Device complies with the updated ISO 10218:2025 safety standard for industrial robots and holds both CE and UL certifications.