With exuberant music and crystal awards, Hannover Messe 2023 got off to a lively start at Sunday night’s Opening Ceremonies in Hannover Germany. Indonesia is the 2023 Partner Country, and they put on a lively presentation of cultural dance and music before more than 3,000 invited guests at the Hannover Centrum.
It is hoped the 2023 event, which was virtual during the pandemic and had a limited presentation in 2022, would return to its past, when more than 200,000 visitors roamed the fairgrounds in Germany for the week-long event. This year, more than 4,000 exhibitors from 63 countries will exhibit at Hannover Messe.
The night also featured the presentation of the Hermes Award for international technology innovation. Bosch Rexroth received the 2023 award for development of its Smart Flex Effector. It is the third time in the 20-year history of the Hermes Award that Bosch Rexroth has received the top prize.
“The Smart Flex Effector is driving efficiency and diversity in the uses of robots, creating quantifiable value for industry, the environment and society, said Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, president of the Fraunhofer Society and chair of the Hermes Award jury, in a press release.
The Smart Flex Effector is a sensor-based robotic end effector that uses kinematics in six degrees of freedom with precise movements. It can handle loads of up to 6 kg. Jury members said it is a particularly effective tool for cobots as well as many robotics applications because it can sense the position of workpieces or objects.
The evening also featured speeches from Indonesian president Joko Widodo and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In his remarks, Scholz touted the innovation at the Hannover Messe as a tool to address global sustainability and achieve a carbon-neutral world. He also urged a sharp reduction in onerous regulations that he said are impeding the goals of manufacturing and sustainability.
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