Robotics

Main Objectives:

RENEE envisions flexible remanufacturing using AI and advanced robotics for circular value chains in EU industry. The objective of RENEE is to implement human-centric production systems relying on advanced robotics and AI to accommodate the remanufacturing of diverse states of used products. Additionally, RENEE will accelerate the workforce upskilling/reskilling by deploying a remanufacturing educational platform and a set of operator support technologies.

RENEE follows a holistic approach providing product, process and resource level enablers for flexible remanufacturing applications including:

1. Circular value chains configuration toolbox
2. Digital infrastructure for remanufacturing management
3. Robot skills & flexible production modules for remanufacturing
4. Upskilling/reskilling the workforce for remanufacturing

The RENEE modules will be validated in 4 pilots from the white goods, robotics, and mobility (electrical motors and bikes) sectors. Visit the project dedicated website: https://renee-project.eu/

Main Objectives:

MASTERLY aims to develop flexible robotic solutions, constituting of modular grippers combined with state-of-the-art robotic technologies, such as mobile, high and low payload industrial and collaborative robots and smart cranes, enhanced with AI driven advanced control and perception capabilities that will allow them to act autonomously, operating handling and assembly of a large variety of parts varying in size, shape and material, while being acceptable by both genders of workforce.

The developments will focus around the following 5 pillars:

1. Innovative, efficient and low consumption systems for storage, retrieval, conveying and pick-and-place using a multi-disciplinary approach combining technologies
2. Robust handling devices and systems, with integrated –AI driven- advanced control
3. User-friendly interfaces for robot/machine control and programming
4. Interoperable S/W and H/W interfaces
5. Industrial Pilot Cases for workpiece handling in full production line

The technologies will be tested for flexibility, efficiency & user acceptance in three use cases from different production sectors: Elevators manufacturing, Sportswear and Aeronautics. Visit the project dedicated website: https://aiprism.eu/

Main Objectives:

AI-PRISM is an industrial-end-user driven project that will provide a human-centered AI-based solutions ecosystem targeted to manufacturing scenarios with tasks difficult to automate and where speed and versatility are essential. The result will be an integrated and scalable ecosystem with installation-specific solutions for semi-automated and collaborative manufacturing in flexible production processes and for which specific robotic programming skills will not be required, thanks to its programming-by-demonstration modules.

The ecosystem will be composed of four main pillars including:

1. Human-centered Collaborative Robotic Platform
2. Human Robot Cooperation Ambient
3. Social Human-Agent-Robots Teams Collaboration
4. Open Access Network Portal

To facilitate the assessment of the performance, transferability, scalability and large-scale deployment of these solutions, the demonstrations will be conducted under real operational environments in four pilot involving key manufacturing sectors – Furniture, Food/Beverage, Built-in Appliances and Electronics, plus one generic demonstration facility. Visit the project dedicated website: https://aiprism.eu/

Main Objectives:

CONVERGING aims to develop, deploy, validate and promote smart and reconfigurable production systems including multiple autonomous agents (collaborative robots, AGVs, humans) that are able to act in diverse production environments. The diversifying factors will be a multi-level AI based cognition (line, station, resource levels) which will exploit the collective perception (Digital Pipeline) of these resources, allowing them to interact with each other and seamlessly coexist with humans under a “social industrial environment” that ensures trustful, safe and inclusive user experience.

CONVERGING will demonstrate its results in the Automotive, Aircraft Production, White Goods and Additive Manufacturing products processing sectors. Visit the project dedicated website: https://www.converging-project.eu/

Main Objectives:

The main goal of the ODIN project is clear: strengthening the trust of European manufacturers in advanced robotics. By bringing groundbreaking technologies such as autonomous mobile robots and configurable tooling, dynamic digital world modelling among others, ODIN aims to demonstrate that production environments with high human robot collaboration are both economically feasible and sustainable. Furthermore, the solutions featured in its robotics digital platform (Digital Twins & Virtual Commissioning) have been designed with human centered interaction in mind. Due to its focus on reconfigurability and modularity, the project currently targets three use cases in the White Goods, Aeronautics and Automotive industries.

Main Objectives:

PENELOPE is a novel methodology that seeks to link product centric design and data management, production planning and scheduling in a closed-loop digital pipeline based on the development of a modular and reconfigurable approach for the precise manufacturing of large-scale parts. This will guarantee greater interoperability and the possibility of zero-defect manufacturing thanks to the use of AI and worker-centric tools that assist operators in particularly complex or labor-intensive tasks. Although PENELOPE is being built upon existing technological solutions, it can lead to major innovations that will increase productivity and reduce overall costs. The project is being demonstrated in four strategic sectors at the moment: Oil&Gas, Shipbuilding, Aeronautics and Bus&Coach.

Main Objectives:

DIMOFAC is a European initiative created to help factories adopt smart factory methods and technologies in order to better face the challenges and needs of the modern market. With the support of Comau and its experience in modular production, automation and reconfigurable production lines, the consortium works to create, test, validate and promote industrial formulas that make factories more flexible and responsive to both mass customization and demand changes. DIMOFAC’s technological solutions like Plug-and-Produce modules in closed-loop lifecycle systems and Digital Twins can reduce companies’ reconfiguration times and production costs by 15%. The modular and versatile production lines developed by this project will make more competitive Small and Medium Enterprises.

Main Objectives:

Comau’s mobile robotics paradigm integrates the company’s high-payload Racer-5 COBOT, a 6-axis articulated robotic arm that can work at industrial speeds of up to 6 m/s when human operators are not present, and its Agile1500 autonomous mobile vehicle. The solution is currently being used within several European projects and can also be seamlessly integrated within Comau’s digital infrastructure, further safeguarding productivity and profitability across the entire manufacturing line. In the first application, with DIMOFAC, an EU-initiative aimed at helping companies implement a smart factory architecture, the platform is being used for pick and place and warehouse automation tasks within a machining scenario. For PeneloPe, on the other hand, it is being used for glue dispensing and non-destructive quality inspection in the public transport domain. Here, the goal of the Horizon 2020 program is to develop a closed-loop, end-to-end digital manufacturing solution that facilitates bidirectional data flows across the entire manufacturing value chain. Finally, the platform is being used as part of ODIN to support the manipulation of mechanical parts for automotive applications with the aim of demonstrating the technical and performance feasibility of collaborative robotics on the factory floor. Learn more.

Main Objectives:

A project like HR-Recycler is a necessary response to the growing number of e-waste all over the world. It foresees the development of an indoors ‘hybrid human-robot recycling plant for electrical and electronic equipment’. With the help of Comau’s expertise in collaborative robotics, the project aims to improve the way current Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) management is done by replacing manual tasks with automated solutions. Recycling can be hazardous and time-consuming, since categorization, disassembling and sorting components is often done by hand. With the assistance of smart mechatronics and AI perception methods, both human workers and robots can perform different handling activities. The plant will extract sorted electronic device components (PCBs, capacitors) and concentrated fractions (copper, aluminum or plastics), while mixed fractions with low concentrations in valuable materials can be sent to dedicated facilities. As a result, HR-Recycler will also contribute to the European circular economy project that seeks to boost economic activity in secondary markets.

Main Objectives:

The SHERLOCK project aims to introduce the latest in human robot collaboration into production environments. With enhancements like smart mechatronics, AI enabled cognition to help mobile robots understand their surroundings, Virtual Reality based training for HRC, Augmented Reality among others, SHERLOCK can be a crucial factor to guarantee both safety for workers and higher productivity. Some of the project’s objectives focus on collaborative soft robotics production stations, which include the use of tools like exoskeleton frames. Another important factor would be human centered interaction for interface development that allows a seamless HR interaction. SHERLOCK technologies are being tested in four cases in the elevator assembly, machine tools, industrial modules and aeronautics sectors, which will then be made available for widespread implementation.

Main Objectives:

The ESMERA initiative aims to support Small and Medium Enterprises in every aspect of their robotic system development process with the purpose of boosting innovation. This includes concept creation, testing and promoting the resulting technologies. The project provided a series of industrial challenges defined by leading EU companies to stimulate competition among participating SMEs, which will do their own research experiments and come up with innovative solutions to real life problems. It also included a set of Competence Centers offering accessible facilities to develop and test novel technologies such as robotics for inspection and monitoring among others. In addition, the involved SMEs have the opportunity to submit a challenge that needs to be solved using robotics for manufacturing in various industries and get the necessary support to help the solutions to such become market-ready.

Main Objectives:

Comau is a key partner of RobMoSys, a EU-project that aims to develop an open and sustainable European industrial robotics software ecosystem. Leaning on model-driven software development, RobMoSys envisions the integration of current code-centric robotics platforms, which saves both implementation times and costs. Thanks to Comau’s experience in robotic system development, it will be possible to manage interfaces between different domains in an efficient and systemic way according to the client’s needs. Furthermore, its collaborative nature encourages the involvement of an active community.

Main Objectives:

The goal of RUBIC is to introduce a hybrid production cell that helps companies automate their production processes, reduce physical strain on workers and minimize human error. To do so, the project foresees the integration of various robotic and mechatronic solutions applied to assembly lines. With the use of intuitive digital interfaces, safe human-robot cooperation is guaranteed. This way, the repetitive parts of quality assessment operations can be performed by collaborative robots quickly and accurately while safely monitored by a human operator. Based on past projects like FP7-ROBO-PARTNET, RUBIC provided the opportunity to address a real industrial problem with a ready to market solution that can be easily implemented into any manufacturing context.

Main Objectives:

SOFOCLES’ main goal is to develop a flexible, reconfigurable and smart robotic system for precise manipulation, clamping and positioning of large complex components for different processes like sealing, welding and WAAM in the Aeronautical industry. The project’s end result will be a fully operational work cell that integrates, among other features, a coordinated dual Cobot (collaborative robot) system for high payloads, a versatile tooling system integrated on said robots, capable of clamping and handling the parts. The cell also includes its Digital Twin for a safe and efficient (H-R) interaction. SOFOCLES guarantees both safety for human workers and autonomy for Cobot operations, reducing up to 50% of errors in the manufacturing process.

Main Objectives:

As a partner of the European Commission’s VERSATILE project, Comau put decades-long experience in robotics for manufacturing to help develop innovative applications for reconfigurable production lines. Facilitating human-robot interaction is crucial for the integration of highly flexible systems that can manage complex assembly processes. Activities included the use of dual-arm robots like the Comau Rebel S and Racer with the addition of support of robotic perception tools that allow for their programming and eventual reconfiguration suited for rapidly-evolving production needs.

Main Objectives:

The objective of the HUMAN – HUman MANufacturing project is to design smart manufacturing environments, where human workers can operate safely and efficiently with industrial machinery. With a human-centered approach to automation, Comau provided its expertise in assistive technologies such as augmented reality and other adaptive workplace tools that focus on workers needs while at the same time guarantee increased productivity and reduced operativity costs.