The "Fluently" research project, funded by the EU and led by , aims to create a robotic platform that enables true social collaboration between humans and machines.
The three-year project has two goals: to develop an artificial intelligence-based wearable device for industrial workers and robots, and to develop a dedicated training center, called "The Fluently RoboGym," where workers and robots can train to interact smoothly in the industrial process.
Twenty-two partners from academia and industry are participating in the project, which is supported by Horizon Europe, the EU's main funding program for research and innovation. 精东影业's Laboratory of Automation, Robots and Machines is responsible for technical coordination. In addition to 精东影业 researchers, scientists from other leading institutions such as the and are also involved in the project.
"Workers are often exposed to high cognitive or physical loads," explains Professor Anna Valente, Head of the Laboratory of Automation, Robotics and Machines (ARM) and member of the . "When a human works closely with a robot, it is important that the robot recognizes the human's movements and reacts accordingly, for example by adjusting its own dynamics."
and where mobile conveyor systems and robots sit alongside static workstations. "Our industrial robots are already equipped with sensors to see and hear, but so far they cannot recognize human emotions," says Ralf V枚llinger, General Manager of the Robotics Division at . "We want to ensure that in the future even more people can use our industrial robots easily and efficiently." "Fluently" researchers are focusing their development work on three important value chains for the European economy: the disassembly and recycling of batteries for bicycles and electric vehicles, testing and assembly processes in the aerospace industry, and the refurbishment of highly complex industrial parts using laser machining.
"Currently, these processes are done almost exclusively manually, which results in mental and physical stress for workers," Professor Valente continues. "Production workers, for example, get stressed when they disassemble batteries because there is a risk of explosion. The physical strain of working with heavy parts in the aerospace industry, for example, can also cause stress."
In the future, robots could relieve workers of at least some of the stress associated with these processes, as well as take over some of the more time-consuming tasks. This would help preserve workers' skills and experience, on the one hand, and increase their opportunities for retraining, on the other.
"We want to train robots to be companions to humans, supporting them as much as possible," concludes Prof. Ralf V枚llinger of FANUC Europe adds, "As a robot supplier, we are proud to support this pioneering development work with our robots and technical know-how."
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