Innovative Mobile Manipulator Solution for Modern Flexible Manufacturing Processes

Jose Luis Outón, Iván Villaverde, Héctor Herrero, Urko Esnaola, Basilio Sierra

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)
2 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

There is a paradigm shift in current manufacturing needs that is causing a change from the current mass-production-based approach to a mass customization approach where production volumes are smaller and more variable. Current processes are very adapted to the previous paradigm and lack the required flexibility to adapt to the new production needs. To solve this problem, an innovative industrial mobile manipulator is presented. The robot is equipped with a variety of sensors that allow it to perceive its surroundings and perform complex tasks in dynamic environments. Following the current needs of the industry, the robot is capable of autonomous navigation, safely avoiding obstacles. It is flexible enough to be able to perform a wide variety of tasks, being the change between tasks done easily thanks to skills-based programming and the ability to change tools autonomously. In addition, its security systems allow it to share the workspace with human operators. This prototype has been developed as part of THOMAS European project, and it has been tested and demonstrated in real-world manufacturing use cases.
Original languageEnglish
Article number5414
Pages (from-to)5414
Number of pages1
JournalSensors
Volume19
Issue number24
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Dec 2019

Keywords

  • Industrial mobile manipulator
  • Robotics
  • Perception
  • Sensor fusion
  • Autonomous navigation
  • Skill-based programming
  • Industry 4.0

Project and Funding Information

  • Project ID
  • info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/723616/EU/Mobile dual arm robotic workers with embedded cognition for hybrid and dynamically reconfigurable manufacturing systems/THOMAS
  • Funding Info
  • This research was funded by the EC research project “THOMAS—Mobile dual arm robotic workers with embedded cognition for hybrid and dynamically reconfigurable manufacturing systems” (Grant Agreement: 723616) (www.thomas-project.eu/).

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