Smart Battery Manufacturing Research and Development Assistant based on Augmented Reality Technology and powered with the ARTISTIC project Computational Models

Project Information

SMARTISTIC

Grant agreement ID: 101069244

DOI

10.3030/101069244

Project closed

EC signature date 15 March 2022

Start date 1 April 2022

End date 30 September 2023

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 150 000,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITE DE PICARDIE JULES VERNE
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SMARTISTIC (Smart Battery Manufacturing Research and Development Assistant based on Augmented Reality Technology and powered with the ARTISTIC project Computational Models)

Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2023-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The lithium ion battery (LIB) manufacturing process encompasses numerous steps and numerous parameters that need to be carefully optimize to maximize the LIB cell performance, durability and safety. Nowadays the optimization of the manufacturing process parameters to obtain the desired characteristics of LIBs is supported on a forward "trial and error" approach. This approach is highly inefficient in terms of time, cost and CO2 fingerprint due to the infinite number of possibilities for adjusting the manufacturing parameters (battery manufacturers still expend significant amount of their revenues in R&D). To significantly reduce the amount of trial and error and ease the results analysis, experimentalists crucially need easy-to-use tools based on computational models able to predict in real-time the impact of manufacturing parameters on electrode properties. Furthermore, the working efficiency of battery scientists and engineers performing experiments to optimize the manufacturing process parameters is strongly affected by routine tasks away from the experiments/manipulation themselves and the associated results analysis.

The ERC PoC project SMARTISTIC aimed at developing and demonstrating a first prototype of a smart and interactive Mixed Reality (MR) software designed to assist in the decision-making of battery scientists, engineers and operators while they are working in electrode formulation and manufacturing in laboratories or in production lines. The software is powered with the novel computational models developed in Prof. Alejandro A. Franco's ARTISTIC ERC CoG project (https://www.erc-artistic.eu/). These are constituted by unique experimentally validated physical and machine learning models that can predict how the numerous parameters implicated in the manufacturing process (e.g. slurry formulation, calendering pressure) impact the LIB electrodes properties (e.g. porosity, tortuosity factor, conductivity) and performance (e.g. energy density, power density).

The SMARTISTIC software was designed to be used by wearing MR glasses with hand gestures. The software blends holograms, powered with the ARTISTIC software tools. The interaction with the holograms allows the user without programming skills to create real-time databases from ongoing experiments, launch computations for experimental results analysis, or request machine learning predictions about the intended formulation and manufacturing process impact on the electrode properties.

The project also aimed at considering chemistry lab safety aspects, ergonomics aspects and work situations, for an optimized ready-to-use technology in battery manufacturing environments.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We have successfully developed the intended SMARTISTIC software technology and demonstrated its use in a real battery manufacturing environment (battery manufacturing pilot line of the French Network on Electrochemical Energy Storage -RS2E-, Amiens, France).

It is a novel and secured software usable from MR glasses (HoloLens 2) by hand gestures. By wearing the MR glasses, the user can see holographic objects overlaid in the real environment with which they can interact. These objects contain either instructions and advice in the form of panels or 3D objects on how to reproduce an experiment carried out by someone else or learn how to perform a manufacturing process, either a holographic notebook for data collection and providing assistance for decision-making to the users to achieve their desired electrodes or cell properties. By simply using the MR interface and without the need for programming skills, the users can also update databases in real time from the data they are acquiring from their ongoing experiments (e.g. battery electrode porosity measurement).

The software was implemented through the use of the Unity programming language, specifically tailored for Microsoft HoloLens 2 glasses. The software development phase involved coding in Unity, followed by extensive testing at the user level. Noteworthy emphasis was placed on seamless integration with the HoloLens 2 platform, ensuring optimal performance and a cohesive user experience. With this application, the MR glasses are in continuous communication with a server storing the collected data and/or providing feedback to the MR user, such as recommendations on the training recipe or the manufacturing parameter values to adopt to achieve the desired electrode or cell property.

In SMARTISTIC we recognized the significance of ergonomics and implemented various interventions to improve our product's ergonomic design. These interventions were tailored to enhance user experience and minimize the risk of discomfort or injury by working in battery manufacturing environments.

The developed software takes part of the technology that is going to be valorized through the creation of a startup (ongoing) with Prof. Alejandro A. Franco as co-founder.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The SMARTISTIC Mixed Reality software technology is pionner and unique in the battery manufacturing field. It allows breaking the barrier between the digital and the real worlds. Furthermore it is powered with the unique ARTISTIC project computational models able to predict how manufacturing parameters impact battery electrode and cell properties.

The SMARTISTIC software can be used by wearing Hololens 2 glasses, and integrates battery manufacturing data management, decision making and training recipes. By enabling users to see both digital information and their external environment, our MR application fosters a hands-free approach, allowing users to collect data seamlessly and receive real-time guidance during battery design and manufacturing, and addresses the complexities of data management by automatically saving collected data on a server, overcoming the hurdles associated with dangerous workspaces. This innovative MR solution not only enhances safety and efficiency but also facilitates experiential learning in the experimental setting, marking a significant stride in advancing battery manufacturing processes.

The developed technology offers a significant number of benefits, including increased working efficiency due to real-time data capture, reduced errors and accelerated skills gains. In particular, the software can be used to optimize battery prototyping processes, thanks to intuitive manufacturing and properties data collection and the ability to retrieve data effortlessly.

Thanks to the SMARTISTIC software technology, battery labs and companies will be able to improve their manufacturing processes and accelerate research and development in the field, while reducing costs and guaranteeing a high-quality product. The SMARTISTIC MR solution allows bringing digital twins, data and computer simulations directly in the place of experimentation: it can be seen then as a fantastic enabler of the removal of the frontier between the real and the digital environments, therefore maximizing the impact of digitalization in battery manufacturing.