How To Train Engineers To Overcome The Idiosyncrasies Of Next Generation Robotics

Dr. Ferdinando Milella SMART-E Technical Project Manager Autonomous Systems & Advanced Robotics Centre School of Computing, Science and Engineering

Prof. Samia-Nefti Meziani SMART-E Project Coordinator

•  Autonomous Systems & Advanced Robotics Centre: Introduction

•  Technology transfer and training in UK and Europe

•  SMART-E project presentation •  What’s next – conclusions

Summary

Autonomous Systems & Advanced Robotics Centre

•  Transfer of knowledge performed through MSc projects partially supervised by UoS and companies

•  Content of modules informed by industrial needs

•  Provides cutting-edge equipment for students

•  Attract more than 100 students a year

•  60% from apprenticeship funded by several companies (Aerospace, Automotive, etc.)

Master degree in Robotics and Automation 2016 - 11th year anniversary

•  Virtual Reality (immersive 3D simulation, virtual prototyping)

•  Augmented Reality (Metrology, validation and verification procedures)

•  Autonomous systems (driverless car) •  Human-Robot Interaction and Co-working (hybrid

work cells) •  Advanced Robotics (compliant gripping, humanoid

robots, sensor fusion, cloud networking, etc.) •  …

New Technologies for Automotive

Technology Transfer

Training

Academia Industry

through Training (TTT) Rationale:

•  Traditional technology-transfer projects do not always provide readiness for new expertise in the field

•  It takes time to train new engineers on new technologies

•  EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Centres (IDC) –  4 year programme combining PhD-level research projects with

taught courses –  students spend about 75 per cent of their time working directly

with a company –  27 centres, but none in Advanced Robotics

•  Maritime Education and Training organizations •  ? Global TTT strategy could be improved

TTT in UK

One programme: •  Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions – MSCA

MSCA is a Research Fellowship Programme supporting researchers across all disciplines as well as industrial doctorates, combining academic research studies with work in companies and other innovative training that enhances employability and career development

TTT – EU Strategy

MSCA funding progression

Marie Curie Actions are grouped into:

•  Initial Training Networks (ITN), •  Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP), •  Intra-European Fellowships (IEF), •  International Incoming Fellowships (IIF), •  International Outgoing Fellowships (IOF), •  Career Integration Grants (CIG), •  Co-funding of Regional, National and International

Programmes (COFUND), •  International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES)

and •  the Researchers' Night.

MSCA Actions

Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP) •  Project based on a joint cooperation programme. Proposal must

include one or more universities/research centres and one or more enterprises.

•  Participation by SMEs is encouraged. The industrial partners must be operating on a commercial basis (i.e. they earn most of their money by competing in the marketplace. Include: incubators, start-ups, spin-offs, venture capital companies, etc.

Innovative Training Networks (ITN) •  Provides high quality doctoral-level training in and outside academia

•  Brings together universities, research centres and companies from different countries worldwide to train a new generation of researchers.

•  Boosts scientific excellence and business innovation, and enhances researchers’ career prospects through developing their skills in entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

IAPP and ITN actions

SMART-e Sustainable Manufacturing through Advanced Robotics Training in Europe

Project funded from the People Programme (MSCA) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/ for research, technological development and demonstration under REA (grant agreement no 608022)"

•  SMART-E is a globally leading, sustainable doctoral training programme

•  A €4M European research and training programme on Advanced Robotics under the European Union programme FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN.

•  15 researchers

•  Providing training in complementary business, leadership and interpersonal skills, and exposure to working practices in academia and industry

•  Devising innovative solutions for industrial applications in Advanced Robotics and Intelligent Automation for sustainable manufacturing

Partners

SMART-E Partners

Associate Partners

SMART-E Associated Partners

Activities and Partnerships

SMART-E Network

Name Supervisor Industry    Winter  2014

Industry  Summer  2015

Industry    Autumn  2016

Academic

Saber  Mahboubi-­‐Heydarabad

Steve  Davis Marel Shadow     IIT/SSSA

Yasmin  Ansari Cecilia  Laschi Festo Shadow     Flowers  Lab,  INRIA,  France

ConstanCn  Neascu Darwin  Caldwell (Tesla?)     SSSA Stefano  Toxiri Jesus  OrDz Festo ZHAW   USAL/TUM Stefania  Russo Samia  NeKi-­‐Meziani Marel?     Centro  di  Ricerca  E.  

Piaggio,  Pisa   Andrea  GiusC   MaQhias  Althoff BMW     IIT/USFD Alex  Bousaid Benno  Pichlmaier       USFD/USAL/IIT Mateo  Leco Sam  Turner BAe KUKA   USAL Aaron  Pereira   MaQhias  Althoff RU  Robots BMW   USAL  (done)  

IIT  (planned) Esra  Icer   MaQhias  Althoff Festo BMW   USAL/Cranfield

Roy  Assaf Samia  NeKi-­‐Meziani Marel     USFD

Syed  Taimoor  Hassan  Shah

Paolo  Dario Festo Shadow  (planned  for  summer  2016)

  AUN  (previously  NUC)  University  of  Lille,  France  (February  2016)

MarCjn  Zeestraten Sylvain  Calinon Festo Shadow REC TUM    

MarCn  Eder Helmut  Hauser Festo     SSSA

1  Feb  2016   Marie-­‐Luise  Neitz                                                      Update  on  QM   17  

SMART-E Secondments

Work Package 1

Dexterous, soft and compliant robotics in manufacturing •  Flexible automation •  Effective grippers and end effectors for manufacturing use •  Industrial partners:

•  Festo •  Robotnik •  Shadow Robot Company

SMART-E WP1

Variable stiffness and compliant grippers

Dextrous Hands

Soft Robotics in Manufacturing and Maintenaince

Work Package 2

Reconfigurable and logistics robotics

•  Building the factory of the future: •  Modularity •  Flexibility •  Automation

•  Industrial partners: •  Marel •  Rolls Royce •  Kuka •  AGCO

SMART-E WP2

Modular robots for changing environments and tasks

New navigation system for agricultural robots

Real-time monitoring of swarm cells

Work Package 3

Safety and Human-Robot interaction

•  Formal safety verification for human-robot co-working •  Control and Trajectory Planning of Re-configurable modular robot

manipulators •  Compliant semi-autonomous tele operation programmed by demonstration •  High-performance tele-manipulation systems

•  Industrial partners: •  RU Robots •  BMW

SMART-E WP3

Formal Guarantees and Trajectory Planning for Safe Human-Robot Co-Working

Wearable exoskeleton for assistive robotics

Safe Human-Robot interaction (with Immersive Simulation)

Collaborations

SMART-E Cross-collaboration

•  Fellows are exposed to other industrial scenarios

•  “Reliability tests” for new technology by implementing underlying principles to other areas

•  Innovation from cross pollination: more and better

ideas from concept mobility

Cross-collaboration benefits

•  Seeking opportunities for a “SMART-E 2” in EU H2020

•  Expanding the TTT framework by targeting the specific need of more industries (Nuclear, Health, Transport, etc.)

•  Involving more industrial partners, taking advantage of the recently formed Industry Collaboration Zone (ICZ) at the University of Salford (recently awarded by the Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF)

What’s next

Thanks for your attention