Smart integrated Robotics system for SMEs controlled by Internet of Things based on dynamic manufacturing processes

The HORSE consortium met in Athens-Greece during 9-11 Nov 2015. The meeting completed successfully, and detailed timeplan has been created for the architecture specification as well as the end-user requirements collection. Pilot scenarios were thoroughly presented by the end-users, in addition to all different technological components to be addressed in the HORSE platform.

HORSE aims to bring a leap forward in the manufacturing industry proposing a new flexible model of smart factory involving collaboration of humans, robots, AGVs (Autonomous Guided Vehicles) and machinery to realize industrial tasks in an efficient manner. HORSE proposes to foster technology deployment towards SMEs by developing a methodological and technical framework for easy adaptation of robotic solutions and by setting up infrastructures and environments that will act as clustering points for selected application areas in manufacturing and for product life cycle management (production and/or maintenance and/or product end of life). The main strategy builds on existing technology and research results in robotics and smart factories and integrates them in a coherent framework.

The suitability of the resulting framework is not only driven by but will be validated with end-users – manufacturing companies- in two steps: In the first, the joint iterative development of the framework together with selected end-users will take place (Pilot Experiments). In the second, its suitability and transferability to further applications will be validated with new end users, which are recruited by an Open Call mechanism.

The novel approaches of HORSE are the integration of concepts such as (physical) human-robot interaction, intuitive human-machine interfaces, and interaction between different robots and machines into an integrated environment with pre-existing machines and workflows. Safety of the human worker as well as reduction of health risks through physical support by the robotized equipment will contribute to better overall manufacturing processes. In these, pre-defined workflows to be customized are the basis for servitisation, for the entire value chain that allow rapid reconfiguration of the robots based collaborative production processes.

HORSE aims to foster advanced manufacturing technology deployment by industries and especially SMEs. In line with the EC initiative to support the European leadership in manufacturing through the adoption of ICT technologies, HORSE is an implementation of the second phase of I4MS, focusing on Advanced Robotics for manufacturing.