Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ONE4ALL (Agile and modular cyber-physical technologies supported by data-driven digital tools to reinforce manufacturing resilience)
Période du rapport: 2023-01-01 au 2024-06-30
The ONE4ALL project is born in a context where the resilience and adaptability of the manufacturing sector are paramount. The recent COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with ongoing geopolitical tensions such as the Ukrainian war, has highlighted significant vulnerabilities within the EU’s industrial landscape. These events have not only caused an economic downturn but also exposed weaknesses in production chains, particularly affecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In response, there is a pressing need for a comprehensive transformation of the manufacturing sector to ensure its resilience against future disruptions and its capacity to adapt to changing societal needs.
The ONE4ALL project aims to address these challenges by spearheading the transition of manufacturing industries, especially SMEs, towards Industry 5.0. This transformation will be driven by human- and sustainability-centered technologies that emphasize resilience, flexibility, and the integration of society in the industrial evolution. Key innovations within the project include the development of reconfigurable cyber-physical production modules (RCPMs), embedded with the latest advancements in Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twins (DTs). These modules will enable real-time monitoring, data-driven decision-making, and adaptive production processes, all coordinated through an intelligent orchestration platform (IOP).
The project's objectives extend beyond technological advancements; they also focus on societal impacts. By preparing the workforce through adaptive digital upskilling programs and ensuring that manufacturing processes are sustainable and aligned with societal needs, ONE4ALL aims to ensure that the transition to Industry 5.0 is inclusive and beneficial to all stakeholders. The anticipated impact is significant, with the potential to enhance the resilience and competitiveness of European industries, particularly in sectors like agri-food and pharmaceuticals, which are crucial yet currently underdeveloped in terms of digital transformation.
In integrating social sciences and humanities, the project places a strong emphasis on understanding and addressing the societal implications of these technological shifts. This ensures that the innovations are not only technically advanced but also socially responsible, fostering a more sustainable and equitable industrial future in Europe.
The ONE4ALL project aims to address these challenges by spearheading the transition of manufacturing industries, especially SMEs, towards Industry 5.0. This transformation will be driven by human- and sustainability-centered technologies that emphasize resilience, flexibility, and the integration of society in the industrial evolution. Key innovations within the project include the development of reconfigurable cyber-physical production modules (RCPMs), embedded with the latest advancements in Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twins (DTs). These modules will enable real-time monitoring, data-driven decision-making, and adaptive production processes, all coordinated through an intelligent orchestration platform (IOP).
The project's objectives extend beyond technological advancements; they also focus on societal impacts. By preparing the workforce through adaptive digital upskilling programs and ensuring that manufacturing processes are sustainable and aligned with societal needs, ONE4ALL aims to ensure that the transition to Industry 5.0 is inclusive and beneficial to all stakeholders. The anticipated impact is significant, with the potential to enhance the resilience and competitiveness of European industries, particularly in sectors like agri-food and pharmaceuticals, which are crucial yet currently underdeveloped in terms of digital transformation.
In integrating social sciences and humanities, the project places a strong emphasis on understanding and addressing the societal implications of these technological shifts. This ensures that the innovations are not only technically advanced but also socially responsible, fostering a more sustainable and equitable industrial future in Europe.
The ONE4ALL project is on track to reinforce the manufacturing industries' resiliency and flexibility, with a special focus on SMEs and labour-intensive manufacturing industries. ONE4ALL tackles the problem from multiple perspectives and is reflected in its technical and scientific advances:
1) The reconfigurable cyber-physical production module (RCPM) based on collaborative robotic technologies, as well as completed the development of the first operational prototype. The RCPM developed will perform several supportive activities within the manufacturing line. Furthermore, thanks to the interchangeable end-effector, it enables the handling of a variety of products and on-demand reconfiguration, quickly responding to rapid changes in production. Lastly, it can be accessed and controlled remotely thanks to the Intelligent Orchestration Platform modules.
2) Data-driven Digital Twins (DTs) + Distributed Decision Support Systems (DDSS). The data-driven DTs have been designed, prioritising a modular and reconfigurable architecture. The flexibility of those technologies enables their adaptation to a dynamic environment, as presented by the labour-intensive manufacturing sites of the demonstration sites. The DTs aim to simulate the production of the manufacturing lines considering multiple aspects (internal and external), in order to anticipate and forecast potential risks. Once identified, the DDSS come up with a strategy both at the management and operation level to mitigate it, taking advantage of the production recofngiruability and modularity reinforced through technologies such as the RCPM. At this stage (M18), the decision support system to be developed has been identified, and a review on how nowadays technologies support decision-making has been performed. Furthermore, the review also tackles the integration of those technologies with the DTs, identifying the current challenges and opportunities in the field. In the next stage of the project those challenges will be surpassed.
3) Intelligent Orchestration Platform (IOP). Significant advances have been made in designing and constructing the architecture of the IOP. At this stage, the IOP architecture has been built, and all that remains is to fill the slots with the ONE4ALL technologies to bring it to life. In particular, simply configuring the external-connector of the data fusion pipeline enables the connection of the IOP and all its modules to any other data sources, manufacturing MES or ERP systems, new production processes and digital modules.
4) AI-based vision system for collaborative robots. Significant advancements in AI-based vision systems for robots have been achieved during the first period of the project. An AI-based system, open-source in its entirety, has been developed within the WP3 activities and as part of the IOP processing layer. At this stage, the AI-based vision system enables the identification and positioning of different objects in space. The stable and operative version is currently trained with pharmaceutical products (ORI demonstration site). Another version will be adapted for the agri-food sector (MOL demonstration site). Furthermore, the MLOps methodology (currently under development and implementation) will enable fast reconfiguring for any product type. As a result, the advances in the AI-based vision system will imply significant progress in robotics.
5) Digital Maturity and Sustainability Assessment module (DMSA). One of the main objectives during this reporting period has been to identify the SMEs and industrial users' baseline understanding and their goals concerning the I5.0 transformation. Several surveys and interviews have been conducted at the demonstration sites. The survey results were analysed in terms of work safety, wellbeing and skills. Besides the results of the surveys, the main outcome in this regard is the preliminary version of the DMSA and its core tools. The DMSA aims to close the gap between SME industries and the I5.0 transformation.
1) The reconfigurable cyber-physical production module (RCPM) based on collaborative robotic technologies, as well as completed the development of the first operational prototype. The RCPM developed will perform several supportive activities within the manufacturing line. Furthermore, thanks to the interchangeable end-effector, it enables the handling of a variety of products and on-demand reconfiguration, quickly responding to rapid changes in production. Lastly, it can be accessed and controlled remotely thanks to the Intelligent Orchestration Platform modules.
2) Data-driven Digital Twins (DTs) + Distributed Decision Support Systems (DDSS). The data-driven DTs have been designed, prioritising a modular and reconfigurable architecture. The flexibility of those technologies enables their adaptation to a dynamic environment, as presented by the labour-intensive manufacturing sites of the demonstration sites. The DTs aim to simulate the production of the manufacturing lines considering multiple aspects (internal and external), in order to anticipate and forecast potential risks. Once identified, the DDSS come up with a strategy both at the management and operation level to mitigate it, taking advantage of the production recofngiruability and modularity reinforced through technologies such as the RCPM. At this stage (M18), the decision support system to be developed has been identified, and a review on how nowadays technologies support decision-making has been performed. Furthermore, the review also tackles the integration of those technologies with the DTs, identifying the current challenges and opportunities in the field. In the next stage of the project those challenges will be surpassed.
3) Intelligent Orchestration Platform (IOP). Significant advances have been made in designing and constructing the architecture of the IOP. At this stage, the IOP architecture has been built, and all that remains is to fill the slots with the ONE4ALL technologies to bring it to life. In particular, simply configuring the external-connector of the data fusion pipeline enables the connection of the IOP and all its modules to any other data sources, manufacturing MES or ERP systems, new production processes and digital modules.
4) AI-based vision system for collaborative robots. Significant advancements in AI-based vision systems for robots have been achieved during the first period of the project. An AI-based system, open-source in its entirety, has been developed within the WP3 activities and as part of the IOP processing layer. At this stage, the AI-based vision system enables the identification and positioning of different objects in space. The stable and operative version is currently trained with pharmaceutical products (ORI demonstration site). Another version will be adapted for the agri-food sector (MOL demonstration site). Furthermore, the MLOps methodology (currently under development and implementation) will enable fast reconfiguring for any product type. As a result, the advances in the AI-based vision system will imply significant progress in robotics.
5) Digital Maturity and Sustainability Assessment module (DMSA). One of the main objectives during this reporting period has been to identify the SMEs and industrial users' baseline understanding and their goals concerning the I5.0 transformation. Several surveys and interviews have been conducted at the demonstration sites. The survey results were analysed in terms of work safety, wellbeing and skills. Besides the results of the surveys, the main outcome in this regard is the preliminary version of the DMSA and its core tools. The DMSA aims to close the gap between SME industries and the I5.0 transformation.
At this stage of the project, in the M18, at the technical and scientific level, the technologies have consolidated their base TRL (i.e. TRL4) and started their advance towards the competition of TRL5 by validating the technologies in replicated environments of the use cases.
To maximize the uptake of the project results, several dissemination, communication and exploitation activities have been followed. The project, its research activities and results are visible through several channels, including social media, the project website, YouTube, open-access newsletters, press releases and publications, as well as through the intensive presence of partners in scientific fora, conferences and events. The analysis of associated markets and the patent landscape in combination with the identification and development of exploitation, business and IPR management plans will facilitate the pathway of ONE4ALL results to market and commercialization maximizing its impact.
To maximize the uptake of the project results, several dissemination, communication and exploitation activities have been followed. The project, its research activities and results are visible through several channels, including social media, the project website, YouTube, open-access newsletters, press releases and publications, as well as through the intensive presence of partners in scientific fora, conferences and events. The analysis of associated markets and the patent landscape in combination with the identification and development of exploitation, business and IPR management plans will facilitate the pathway of ONE4ALL results to market and commercialization maximizing its impact.