The SMART FACTORY project “Research in technologies to enable intelligent systems for the factories of the future”, financially supported by the Centre for Technological and Industrial Development (CDTI), focuses on research in technologies for intelligent systems that can help us build the factories of the future. The project’s vision is a highly automated and collaborative world, in which smart robotics combine their efforts with the creativity and adaptability of people.
SMART FACTORY intends to make a substantial technological jump with respect to the current state of the art, contributing to all the elements of this vision.
SMARTFACTORY would fit in what is called Industry 4.0. This concept includes a number of technologies that will provide factories with the ability to adjust continuously and immediately to different tasks, change the products that are manufactured and adapt them to the specific needs of each client or user. In short, the advantages of a bespoke suit at mass production prices.
The SMARTFACTORY project has the goal of investigating and advancing in technologies that contribute towards the deployment of intelligent systems for the factories of the future. These systems will increase the flexibility of the manufacturing plants and allow the optimisation of industrial processes, improving their productivity in a total-quality environment.
The internal logistics of a manufacturing plant are usually very inflexible and are one of the areas for improvement targeted in this project. The use of robots for assembly and collaborative work will be another focal area for this project.
The project will cover the value chain for technology providers, integrators and end users.
The SMARTFACTORY project has the goal of investigating and advancing in technologies that contribute towards the deployment of intelligent systems for the factories of the future.
Three scenarios for industrial application have been chosen, which will determine the technologies to be developed:
- Smart Logistics (Automotion): to enable the flexible mobility of materials and components between storage areas and production lines in unstructured and highly populated environments via precise autonomous unmanned vehicles without additional infrastructure. There are no predetermined routes or processes and the traffic is adapted automatically.
- Collaborative Handling (Aeronautics): to enable robots to handle objects in part-assembly applications without explicit programming. Alternatively, the task may be shown to the robot intuitively.
- Collaborative Robotics (Automotion): to enable safe collaborative work between people and robots in small areas and shared tasks with adaptation of the robot’s behaviour to the movements and positions of the people.
The project is formed by a consortium of seven companies that provide the technology and the three use scenarios: DGH (leader), LEYTEC (sensors), VIRTUALWARE (virtual simulation), IBERMATICA (TIC, logistics, navigation), FICOMIRRORS (smart logistics scenario), CESA (collaborative handling scenario) and CONTINENTAL (collaborative robotics scenario).
Also participating in the project are several public and private research bodies: LEITAT, TECNALIA, IK4-TEKNIKER, the EATCO Research Group of the University of Córdoba and the Institute for Robotics and Industrial Computing, CSIC-UPC.
