South East members excelling in Robotics and Automation  

We are pleased to inform that LMS – University of Patras, one of our key partners in the South East region, has been awarded with the “Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper award in the Section of Robotics and Automation” for their unique contribution in Robotics and Automation. The Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation (LMS) is oriented on research and development in cutting edge scientific and technological fields focusing on Manufacturing Processes Modelling and Energy Efficiency, Robots, Automation and Virtual Reality in Manufacturing and Manufacturing Systems. 

The awarded paper “Digital Twin for Designing and Reconfiguring Human-Robot Collaborative Assembly Lines” introduced an assembly paradigm that exploited the capabilities of multiple resources such as human operators and mobile and / or stationary robot assistants targeting fast and cost-effective response to demand variations and / or unexpected events. The implemented approach allowed the dynamic update of a multi-level Digital Twin (DT) in runtime, synthesizing data from multiple 2D–3D sensors, in order to have up-to-date information about the actual production process. The DT was used in combination with artificial intelligence logic to derive alternative configurations of the production system when changes were needed. The integrated system was developed and piloted in a case study from the automotive sector focusing on the assembly of the front axle of a passenger vehicle. 

Dr. Niki Kousi, who is currently the Managing Director of EIT Manufacturing South East, is one of the co-authors of the awarded paper.

She highlights that “this work delt with the deployment of mobile dual arm robotic workers embedded with cognition for hybrid reconfigurable manufacturing systems and it was part of a European funded project, named THOMAS (GA no. 723616). Back then for the development of this application, we have been working with major industrial players in the field of robot safety and perception. This collaboration boosted the deployment of an innovative solution for flexibility in the shop floor towards actual industrial requirements.”    

“EIT Manufacturing is playing a significant role in transforming such technological results into new products and processes on the market maximizing the impact that such innovations can have on the EU industry as well as in the society as a whole.” she adds.  

The award was well received by the team, underscoring its exceptional effort in the fields of robotics and automation.