Periodic Reporting for period 1 - STREAM (Smart Tools for Railway work safEty and performAnce iMprovement)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-12-01 al 2022-05-31
STREAM has reached several objectives through an earnest attempt to capitalize on the SoA gained by research organizations and on the critical innovations of partner companies to achieve the expected impacts outlined below:
Concerning workstream 1 (WS1), which is associated with developing the OTA3M (On-Track Autonomous Multi-purpose Mobile Manipulator), STREAM will positively affect the workers' safety. The OTA3M enables autonomous operations, thus, reducing the need for mentally demanding multitasking operator skills, a significant cause of accidents due to human errors. Moreover, employing sophisticated sensors and control algorithms will enhance the awareness of the machine of the presence of obstacles within the working space. STREAM aims to reduce production costs concerning the current practices. The reduction in the cost of the working methods is directly related to the time required for typical maintenance and quality assessment tasks. Thanks to the employment of robotic control and principles, our solution will improve quality and accuracy of the operations. The accuracy will be improved to an extent not reachable by humans. At the same time, the process quality assessment will be accomplished with the embedded online as-built 3D model and employing image recognition systems.
Concerning workstream 2 (WS2), which is associated with the development of the MMPE (Modular Multitasking Powered Exoskeleton), STREAM will improve the rail workers’ safety and conditions by reducing the effort, fatigue, and risk of injury that rail workers are subjected to while performing working daily activities. The MMPE supports maintenance workers in reducing the load applied at the back due to the strenuous activities carried out by employing controlled motors that transmit forces over the exoskeleton structure to the user. On a social level, in all European countries, it is necessary to provide concrete solutions to address the social and economic realities and challenges of an ageing society. Workers with musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) will suffer and require more prolonged and cyclical sick leave. It is causing problems for the company and future employability. This results into an increase in costs incurred by companies and, above all, will seriously affect workers' quality of lifeExoskeletons can improve individual well-being and quality of life. Thus sustainable employability is improved and allows workers to perform better even with reduced physical fitness
Concerning workstream 1 (WS1), which is associated with developing the OTA3M (On-Track Autonomous Multi-purpose Mobile Manipulator), STREAM will positively affect the workers' safety. The OTA3M enables autonomous operations, thus, reducing the need for mentally demanding multitasking operator skills, a significant cause of accidents due to human errors. Moreover, employing sophisticated sensors and control algorithms will enhance the awareness of the machine of the presence of obstacles within the working space. STREAM aims to reduce production costs concerning the current practices. The reduction in the cost of the working methods is directly related to the time required for typical maintenance and quality assessment tasks. Thanks to the employment of robotic control and principles, our solution will improve quality and accuracy of the operations. The accuracy will be improved to an extent not reachable by humans. At the same time, the process quality assessment will be accomplished with the embedded online as-built 3D model and employing image recognition systems.
Concerning workstream 2 (WS2), which is associated with the development of the MMPE (Modular Multitasking Powered Exoskeleton), STREAM will improve the rail workers’ safety and conditions by reducing the effort, fatigue, and risk of injury that rail workers are subjected to while performing working daily activities. The MMPE supports maintenance workers in reducing the load applied at the back due to the strenuous activities carried out by employing controlled motors that transmit forces over the exoskeleton structure to the user. On a social level, in all European countries, it is necessary to provide concrete solutions to address the social and economic realities and challenges of an ageing society. Workers with musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) will suffer and require more prolonged and cyclical sick leave. It is causing problems for the company and future employability. This results into an increase in costs incurred by companies and, above all, will seriously affect workers' quality of lifeExoskeletons can improve individual well-being and quality of life. Thus sustainable employability is improved and allows workers to perform better even with reduced physical fitness
Use-Case 1 – Railway track installation and inspection: The purpose of the WS1 is to develop and demonstrate, in an industrially relevant environment (TRL6), the effectiveness of the OTA3M platform in a full-scale prototype featuring multi-purpose autonomous maintenance tasks for hydraulic road-rail wheel systems and hydraulic excavator arms. Several results have been deployed during this first reporting period as follows:
• Development of the hardware architecture of the OTA3M, the real-time control system software architecture, and the virtual reality development environment that enable smart sensors and electro-hydraulic component retrofitting methods. Moreover, a dedicated control system architecture design is developed to allow the interaction of high-level software modules enabling autonomy and perception capabilities for any rail-road excavator (D2.1).
• Implementation of the OTA3M safety feature toolboxes that ensure run-time safety, together with the model calibration toolboxes that provide the unique geometric dimensions and inertial properties of the excavators. This method enables a new level of autonomy in railway operations of excavators and increases the overall safety and quality of the work being performed (D2.2).
• Implementation of the 3D perception system developed to detect obstacles and provide situational awareness in the working mode operations of road-rail excavators. Such a feature enables autonomous collision detection and avoidance control methods (D2.3).
• The OTA3M has been assessed at TRL5. Several KPIs were evaluated (D6.4): the measurement of the number of failures of the obstacle detection system (KPI2), reduction in exceeding the working gauge and invasion of the operating track (KPI3), reduction of overload forces events against infrastructures (KPI4), and the handling and task execution precision and accuracy with 6-DOF excavator arm (KPI5).
Use-Case 2 – Maintenance general manual operation: Work-related MSDs are a fundamental cause of functional impairments and disability among construction and maintenance workers, with the lower back most commonly affected. A primary goal is to provide the rail workers with an assistive exoskeleton for manual material handling up to 25kg. Several results have been deployed during this first reporting period as follows:
• Study and analyze ergonomic and anthropometric principles to lay down the basis of designing a comfortable and acceptable wearable robot design, thus enabling the development of the Wearable Units (D4.1).
• Design and develop the electronic platform that enables wearable robotics’ real-time and safe operation. Thus, allowing users to safely wear a powerful robot that incorporates electric actuators in close contact with the body (D4.1).
• Development of a dynamically stable assistive multi-layer control architecture that allows the parallel development and handling of several control instances of robotic real-time control (D5.1).
• Development of an exoskeleton prototype that combines wearable, assistive, and intelligent units. This exoskeleton prototype has been certified accordingly to EN ISO 12100 (D4.1).
• Design and implement a wearable sensor strategy that can be used for both the exoskeleton control and the working conditions monitoring platform (D4.1).
• Development of a sensing device to monitor environmental conditions (D4.1) and preliminary dashboard that displays real-time data and feedback with site managers and workers (D6.4).
• The MMPE has been assessed at TRL6. Several KPIs were evaluated (D6.4): the Ergonomic evaluation (KPI7), reduction of muscular activity (KPI9), reduction of metabolic cost and perceived exertion level (KPI10), and the Increment of workers’ activity duration as the delay of the onset of fatigue (KPI11)
• Development of the hardware architecture of the OTA3M, the real-time control system software architecture, and the virtual reality development environment that enable smart sensors and electro-hydraulic component retrofitting methods. Moreover, a dedicated control system architecture design is developed to allow the interaction of high-level software modules enabling autonomy and perception capabilities for any rail-road excavator (D2.1).
• Implementation of the OTA3M safety feature toolboxes that ensure run-time safety, together with the model calibration toolboxes that provide the unique geometric dimensions and inertial properties of the excavators. This method enables a new level of autonomy in railway operations of excavators and increases the overall safety and quality of the work being performed (D2.2).
• Implementation of the 3D perception system developed to detect obstacles and provide situational awareness in the working mode operations of road-rail excavators. Such a feature enables autonomous collision detection and avoidance control methods (D2.3).
• The OTA3M has been assessed at TRL5. Several KPIs were evaluated (D6.4): the measurement of the number of failures of the obstacle detection system (KPI2), reduction in exceeding the working gauge and invasion of the operating track (KPI3), reduction of overload forces events against infrastructures (KPI4), and the handling and task execution precision and accuracy with 6-DOF excavator arm (KPI5).
Use-Case 2 – Maintenance general manual operation: Work-related MSDs are a fundamental cause of functional impairments and disability among construction and maintenance workers, with the lower back most commonly affected. A primary goal is to provide the rail workers with an assistive exoskeleton for manual material handling up to 25kg. Several results have been deployed during this first reporting period as follows:
• Study and analyze ergonomic and anthropometric principles to lay down the basis of designing a comfortable and acceptable wearable robot design, thus enabling the development of the Wearable Units (D4.1).
• Design and develop the electronic platform that enables wearable robotics’ real-time and safe operation. Thus, allowing users to safely wear a powerful robot that incorporates electric actuators in close contact with the body (D4.1).
• Development of a dynamically stable assistive multi-layer control architecture that allows the parallel development and handling of several control instances of robotic real-time control (D5.1).
• Development of an exoskeleton prototype that combines wearable, assistive, and intelligent units. This exoskeleton prototype has been certified accordingly to EN ISO 12100 (D4.1).
• Design and implement a wearable sensor strategy that can be used for both the exoskeleton control and the working conditions monitoring platform (D4.1).
• Development of a sensing device to monitor environmental conditions (D4.1) and preliminary dashboard that displays real-time data and feedback with site managers and workers (D6.4).
• The MMPE has been assessed at TRL6. Several KPIs were evaluated (D6.4): the Ergonomic evaluation (KPI7), reduction of muscular activity (KPI9), reduction of metabolic cost and perceived exertion level (KPI10), and the Increment of workers’ activity duration as the delay of the onset of fatigue (KPI11)
Several project Key Exploitable Results are foreseen to be produced in the project. The list below presents each STREAM potential result:
• For the OTA3M: Any brand RRE kinematic parameter-based OTA3M control system auto-generator. Force sensorless force/motion control algorithms. Intelligent trajectory generation and motion control for excavators. Kinematic and dynamic model calibration toolbox for generic 6 DOF excavators. Multimodal Safety function application for excavators
• For the MMPE: fully integration of the exoskeleton with PPEs functionalities. Reconfigurable and modular design for heavy-duty use and IP protection. Control strategies for holding, lifting, carrying, and walking. High-level control strategy implements a human activity recognition strategy. Embeds sensor and algorithm strategy to enable real-time ergonomic risk assessment. IoT framework and monitoring web interface for multiple MMPEs
• For the OTA3M: Any brand RRE kinematic parameter-based OTA3M control system auto-generator. Force sensorless force/motion control algorithms. Intelligent trajectory generation and motion control for excavators. Kinematic and dynamic model calibration toolbox for generic 6 DOF excavators. Multimodal Safety function application for excavators
• For the MMPE: fully integration of the exoskeleton with PPEs functionalities. Reconfigurable and modular design for heavy-duty use and IP protection. Control strategies for holding, lifting, carrying, and walking. High-level control strategy implements a human activity recognition strategy. Embeds sensor and algorithm strategy to enable real-time ergonomic risk assessment. IoT framework and monitoring web interface for multiple MMPEs