ABB robot shocks London Fashion Week visitors with new ‘magic’ perfume. An ABB industrial robot recently took centre stage in demonstrating an innovative new perfume for a major fashion label at this season's On | Off showcase at London Fashion Week. Robot sprays magicMore commonly found hard at work on factory floors, the IRB 140 robot sprayed curious visitors with Boudicca's ‘Wode' fragrance, a blue-coloured perfume which magically turns invisible as it dries.Based on an ABB IRB 140 robot, the installation was equipped with a gripper to hold and activate the perfume container. To enable the robot to control the perfume spray, the gripper arrangement included a special piston-activated system to apply pressure for two seconds at a time to the spray nozzle.Robot pulls the crowdsProgrammed by ABB engineer Richard Ramos, the robot performed to a carefully choreographed routine, which included spraying a blue ‘W' onto a canvas."We have used our robots for a lot of unusual jobs over the years, but this is definitely the first time that one of our products has made a leap into the fashion world," says Richard. "To add to the overall effect, we programmed the robot to move as gracefully as possible rather than the fast speeds you'd normally see in an industrial application. As is always the case wherever a robot is used in unusual surroundings, the installation really did help to pull in the crowds.The decision to use the robot came from Grace Woodward, voted Stylist of the year 2009. As Guest Curator of On | Off, Grace wanted an attention-grabbing way of showcasing the perfume."Quirky but successful launch"Using the robot proved a great way of demonstrating the magic of the ‘Wode' perfume," says Grace. "It took over eight years to develop this unusual product and we really wanted an unusual and quirky way of drawing people's attention to it. The unexpected nature of the perfume, coupled with the attraction of the robot, proved a great way of doing this."With the future of the British fashion manufacturing industry very much on the agenda throughout the show, the robot provided an appropriate reminder of the benefits that robots can bring to UK manufacturing companies across a multitude of sectors.