By mid-2023, the project achieved the scheduled results for Phase 1 (M18), in the work carried out in WP1, WP2 and WP7. They are mainly related to the setting up of communication and dissemination tools (public web and internal data repository), the definition of technical and user requirements, pilot scenarios and management of data.
These achievements allowed for the starting of technical work in WP3, WP4 and WP5 in the second half of 2023. The developments and results obtained in those WPs, as of M18 (June 2024), cover an updated data management plan, a first version of the design of the human centred system to be developed, and the first prototypes of the enablers for the dexterity, reconfigurability and reasoning, to be integrated in the final developments. This carried-out work completes the Phase 2 of the methodology proposed for the project.
Main achievements, regarding objectives, are:
- Regarding objective 1: The first prototypes and tests, developing intelligent handling agents and mechatronics tools, have been carried out for the workpiece handling. These activities implied to work on mechatronics and sensorial systems, on grasp and manipulation strategies, on robot motion planning and teaching methods, and finally on humans’ perception (environment) system.
- Regarding objective 2: Activities in this first half of the project have been focused on designing and developing tools for offline planning and real-time orchestration of handling operations. They cover a comprehensive suite of solutions including part handling sequence generators using data driven techniques from CAD models, AI-driven process planning, a digital twin for simulation, a real-time digital scene reconstruction, and a robust production line controller for process orchestration and reconfiguration. These developments intend on enhancing the flexibility and efficiency of manufacturing operations, providing scalable solutions for complex industrial environments with application paradigms within the project’s three use cases.
- Regarding objective 3: The first version of reasoning enablers has been issued by M18, allowing for a better adaptation to the varying conditions inherent to current industrial and processing lines (at both at product and line levels). In particular, these first advances can be grouped into four main groups, namely (1) the common architecture to implement and integrate all the developed modules to prepare them for their integration into the three SMARTHANDLE use-cases, (2) the smart and adaptive planning and execution of the manipulation or handling actions, (3) the smart grasping and manipulation of both known and unknown workpieces, and (4) the runtime parameter adaptation and system reconfiguration for optimal workpiece processing.
- Regarding objective 4: The principles of human centric design have been set in the deliverable D2.3 Design of human centric and usable intelligent systems (1st period), where a framework serves as a monitoring tool for the development of the technical solutions foreseen in SMARTHANDLE. The approach is based on work and organizational psychology and human-technology interaction. An analysis of the workplaces for the three use cases has been carried out, providing inputs about the task requirements and worker´s profiles and needs of education and training.
During the Reporting Period 2 (RP2), and by end 2025, the project achieved the scheduled results for:
• Phase 3 (explained in the deliverables D1.7 D2.4 and D7.3)
• Phase 4 (explained in the deliverables D1.8 D3.2 D4.2 D5.2 and D6.1)
• Phase 5 (explained in the deliverables D1.4-3 D6.2 and D7.4)
The work in RP2 was carried out in all WPs. They are mainly related to:
• Final prototypes of enablers (deliverables D3.2 D4.2 D5.2).
• Setting up of pilots and use cases (D2.4 D6.1).
• Validation and assessment of KPIs, users feedback (D6.2)
• Generation of:
o Project data (D1.4)
o Exploitable Results (ER) and Key Exploitable Results (KER), project & individual exploitation plans (D7.3 D7.4)
• Final dissemination & communication efforts, together with sister projects (D7.4).
This carried-out work completes the 5 Phases of the proposed methodology.
