Advanced robotics for Industry 4.0 Michael Valášek, Martin Nečas CTU in Prague, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Scope of presentation Directions of current research Examples of advanced robotics Conclusion
Function of robotics Robotics is the main tool for automation of remaining human work Positive? Negative? But it is
Directions of advanced robotics for Industry 4.0 Direct multiple robot cooperation for improved robot properties Direct robot cooperation with human workers Reconfigurable robotics for unforseeable operations Grasping and manipulation by sensor rich robotic structures
Example 1: Machining by robots Robots have full range of spatial motion Robots are cheaper than machine tools BUT Robots have low stiffness, lower than machine tools, leading into inacceptable inaccuracies SOLUTION Cooperating robots + additional measurement PRIMARY GOAL Increase of robot stiffness into the value > 10 N/um
Direct Cooperating robots for machining RoboMill project Patent pending
Solution principle Single robot has stiffness 0,5 N/um Interconnected robots = cooperating robots have mechanically stiffness 3,5x0,5 = 1,75 N/um Additional measurement enables feedback control that increases the stiffness >7x The resulting stiffness of cooperating robots is >24x higher than of a single robot The resulting stiffness of cooperating robots is >24x0,5 = 12 N/um
Additional measurement Machining spindle Optical laser measurement in each robot joint Robot interconnection
Future improvement of cooperating robots The concept of cooperating robots enables another better improvement of stiffness Interconnected robots cooperating robots collateral robots mechatronic stiffness increase of stiffness >10x Mechanical stiffness of interconnected robots is 1,75 N/um + mechatronic stiffness -> resulting stiffness >17 N/um Also possible further concepts
Example 2: Direct Multiple Robot Cooperation Mobile robots self-locking to ground, connecting for increased stiffness, self-referencing
Redundant robot calibration Patents pending
Study of self-constructing robots Can the robots be self-carrying? http://www.studioflorian.com/projekty/137-ales-hamhalter-rocos
Example 3: Robot safely cooperating with worker Safe cooperation by different means Electronic (camera) recognition Limited power - force capability Limited power balancing Lightweight robot structures (cable driven, inflatable) inherently safer due to lower inertias
Crane manipulator (robot) for cooperation with human workers Nonlinear control for large displacements
Cable driven robots Patent pending
Inflated/deflated robots Patent pending
Example 4: Reconfigurable robotics for unforeseeable operations Manufacturing operations can occur in nondeterministic (unforeseen) sequence This is consequence of customized products Robotic fleet should be accordingly reconfigured just in-time
Automatic tooling boom Patent pending
Example 5: Grasping and manipulation by sensor rich robotic structures Specialized robot gripper can be replaced by universal grippers with multiple sensors
Example 6: Intranet of machines in production line Capacity and stability of communication within intranet of machines on production line (e.g. EtherCAT) Limits of communication in control network
Conclusions Robotics is not just a software Flexible manufacturing = Advanced robotics Advanced robotics = advanced concepts of material object s motion and manipulation Industry 4.0 = advanced mechatronics of systems Let us open our phantasy and creativity
Thank you for your kind attention Contacts: dekan@fs.cvut.cz Michael.Valasek@fs.cvut.cz