Radically Innovative Mechatronics and Advanced Control Systems

Project Information

RI-MACS

Grant agreement ID: 16938

Start date 1 September 2005

End date 31 August 2008

Funded under

• Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, knowledge-based multifunctional materials and new production processes and devices: thematic priority 3 under the 'Focusing and integrating community research' of the 'Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area' specific programme 2002-2006.

Total cost € 7 884 934,00

EU contribution € 4 183 283,00

Coordinated by

COMAU SPA
Italy

Objective

The present global competitive environment poses formidable challenges to the European manufacturing infrastructure; among others, we single out speed in responding to continuously changing market demands, time-to-market pressure, plant and equipment costs, and the need of amortizing them over longer periods.

We do not believe European manufacturing can cope with the many challenges of the future without radical innovation. The speed of innovation in the Information Technology domain has been increasing over many years when compared to other domains. We believe that leveraging this innovation is essential to develop radically innovative manufacturing plants and processes. We notice an increasing gap between the advent of new ideas and products in IT and their use in manufacturing plant.

Our goal is to bridge this gap: to make manufacturing plants and equipment agile and reconfigurable using multi-agent systems, open platforms, wireless technology and virtual engineering design methods.
Our actions have four prongs:
- Make open approaches and the multi-agent paradigm more robust and demonstrate their feasibility (agent-based mechatronics control technology with embedded intelligence;
-Exploit wireless technology in networking and in novel equipment architectures;
-Develop flows to support the design and operation of the manufacturing plant of the future with particular attention to the simulation of advanced multi-agent systems and automatic code generation for control;
-Develop industrial strength test beds.

Expected benefits include:
-Increased competitiveness of European automation solution providers in face of strong competition from the Far East;
-Increased robustness of the control hardware and software with reduced development times and costs;
-Enhanced reusability and reconfigurability of developed control solutions and improved portability;
-Optimised relationship among industrial manufacturing supply chain.

Fields of science

• natural sciences › computer and information sciences › software
• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › electronic engineering › control systems
• social sciences › sociology › industrial relations › automation
• engineering and technology › mechanical engineering › mechatronics
• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › information engineering › telecommunications › radio technology

Programme(s)

• FP6-NMP - Nanotechnologies and nanosciences, knowledge-based multifunctional materials and new production processes and devices: thematic priority 3 under the 'Focusing and integrating community research' of the 'Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area' specific programme 2002-2006.

Topic(s)

• IST-2002-2.3.2.5 - Embedded systems
• NMP-2004-IST-NMP-1 - Integrating Technologies for the Fast and Flexible Manufacturing Enterprise

Call for proposal

FP6-2004-IST-NMP-2
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

STREP - Specific Targeted Research Project

Coordinator

COMAU SPA

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Via Rivalta 30 ; GRUGLIASCO ; Italy
• Total cost: No data

Participants (9)

CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE

Italy

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Piazzale Aldo Moro,7 ; ROMA
• Total cost: No data

DASSAULT SYSTÈMES

France

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: 9 quai Marcel Dassault ; SURESNES
• Total cost: No data

FLEXLINK AUTOMATION OY

Finland

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Teollisuustie 9 ; MUURAME
• Total cost: No data

FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.

Germany

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Hansastrasse 27 C ; MUENCHEN
• Total cost: No data

LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

United Kingdom

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Ashby Road ; LOUGHBOROUGH
• Total cost: No data

PARADES GEIE

Italy

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: via Griziotti 4 ; MILANO
• Total cost: No data

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC GMBH

Germany

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Steinheimer Str. 117 ; SELIGENSTADT
• Total cost: No data

SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO S. ANNA

Italy

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33 ; PISA
• Total cost: No data

TAMPERE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Finland

• EU contribution: No data
• Address: Korkeakoulunkatu 10 ; TAMPERE
• Total cost: No data