Eike SchäfferFriedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg | FAU · Department of Mechanical Engineering
Eike Schäffer
Dr.-Ing. - M.Sc., M.Sc.
Digital Planning of Robot based Automation Solutions
About
30
Publications
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Introduction
Eike Schäffer, a researcher at the Institute for Factory Automation and Production Systems (FAPS) within the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), is located in Nuremberg(Germany). His current research interests include the digitalization of planning with web-based platform technologies in the field of robot-based automation solutions and end-to-end business process automation, in combination with knowledge-based configuration, user-centered approaches, and 3D web technologies.
Publications
Publications (30)
Die Digitalisierung im Engineering verspricht automatisierte Arbeitsabläufe, höhere Geschwindigkeiten und sinkende Kosten bei der Entwicklung von Automatisierungslösungen. Voraussetzung hierfür ist nicht nur die Modularisierung auf Basis einer strukturierten Beschreibungssprache, sondern auch eine einheitliche, aufeinander aufbauende Modellierung,...
The design and integration of robotic-based automation solutions is a common problem for robotic component providers and especially for their consumers. In this work, a standardized robot configurator is introduced, based on a modular system architecture and best practice solutions. Due to this modular structure, as a backbone of an intuitive web-b...
![Fig. 1. Responsibilities within the different architectures following [27]](profile/Eike-Schaeffer/publication/339348125/figure/fig1/AS:860288534462464@1582120178212/Responsibilities-within-the-different-architectures-following-27_Q320.jpg)
Microservice (MS) architectures, especially in combination with micro front ends, are a modern, scalable and sustainable approach to software development. The modular development of individual components and the possibility of a simple, collaborative and iterative development represent a strategic advantage for companies. In addition, the MS approa...
![Figure 5. Best Practice selection as initial starting point [35]](profile/Eike-Schaeffer/publication/344298661/figure/fig3/AS:937076954521609@1600427964818/Best-Practice-selection-as-initial-starting-point-35_Q320.jpg)
Configurators are well-established strong researched expert systems due to the high popularity and gained benefits. Nevertheless, the aspects of user-centered design are rarely researched and applied during the development of configurator front-ends. However, when addressing a mass consumer market or non-experts end-users, the front-end represents...
Der Markt für roboterzentrierte Automatisierungslösungen (RA) ist ein globaler Wachstumsmarkt. Aufgrund der hohen Kosten und Komplexität von RA bleiben häufig kleine und mittlere Unternehmen (KMU) hinter diesem Trend zurück. Gegenstand und Zielstellung der Promotion ist die Schaffung von effizienten sowie skalierbaren Engineering-Konzepten und -Lös...
Due to the complexity of financial products, consumers with low financial literacy are left behind. However, few practical studies investigated the impact of digital advisory systems to improve customer experience. Configuration systems, as the most popular expert systems, have never been applied as a financial tool. In this study, we explore the a...
Automation solutions in production represent a sensible and long-term cost-effective alternative to manual work, especially for physically strenuous or dangerous activities. However, especially for small companies, automation solutions are associated with a considerable initial complexity and a high effort in planning and implementation. The ROBOTO...
One of the major trends in the 21st century is the trend towards digital transformation within Industry 4.0. In order to adapt to high volatile market conditions, especially in the context of COVID-19, companies do not only have to transfer their knowledge into digital systems. Furthermore, they have to be able to tailor their business processes ra...
Robot-centric automation solutions (RAS) promise greater efficiency and consistent quality in production, relieving workers of physically demanding and dangerous tasks, especially in the times of COVID-19. Nevertheless, due to their relatively high complexity and implementation costs, RAS are only used to a limited extent by small and medium-sized...
Robot-centric automation solutions (RAS) promise more efficiency and quality in production as well as more economic stability and security through local production, especially in the times of COVID-19. Nevertheless, due to their high complexity and costs, RAS are only used to a limited extent by small and medium-sized manufacturing companies. As a...
The high complexity of today’s automation solutions often raises integration costs to an uneconomic level, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. Analyzing the total costs of automation solutions, engineering efforts account for the largest share. However, potentials for time and cost savings as well as quality improvements by reusing...
Digitization within the framework of Industry 4.0 is considered the biggest and fastest driver of change in history of manufacturing industry. While the size of a company is becoming less essential, the ability to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and new technologies is more important than ever. This trend particularly applies to the com...
The term Virtual Reality (VR), is very well known in the consumer goods and entertainment sector. The visual presentation of the VR environment is typically achieved via stereoscopic head-mounted displays (HMD), and the interaction via a 3D position detection of HMD and additional input devices such as controllers for active user input. While the v...
Das Robotik-Portal Robotop führt zu einem minimalen Planungsaufwand. Der Baukasten inklusive Beispielanwendungen dient als Basis für eine flexible Integration von Robotik-Applikationen. Über eine Datenbank mit Regelwerk, Attributen und Bedingungen wird die Planung zusätzlich abgesichert und automatisiert. Vor der Installation können die Lösungen du...
To provide a systematization for the emerging Digital Twin paradigm we recently introduced the Digital Twin Structure Model. In this contribution, we now utilize this model to elaborate further on the life cycle of a Digital Resource Twin: This covers the initial model generation, includes different simulation stages like software- and hardware-in-...
Industrial gained and potential benefits of configurators are explored and researched to great extent in the literature. Moreover, configurators generate most of the needed documents automatically, which can be an effective solution to reduce the number of manual tasks. The generated documents include variety of customized knowledge such as BOM (bi...
Erfahrungen und Handlungsempfehlungen aus Praxissicht
The development of a modular, internet-based and open robot platform (ROBOTOP) serves to open up the mass market for robots in service and manufacturing applications. Through an intelligent standardization and reuse of software, hardware and peripheral components as well as the significant reduction of offer and engineering costs, significant cost...
Robotiklösungen versprechen Effizienzsteigerungen und die Entlastung von Arbeitnehmern bei körperlich anstrengenden und gefährlichen Tätigkeiten. Außerdem ermöglichen sie den Erhalt der Produktion in Deutschland. Die Automatisierung von manuellen Tätigkeiten gehört deshalb zunehmend zum Alltag in deutschen Unternehmen. Vor allem für kleinere Untern...
The interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and its use in industrial production is growing steadily. The increasingly known machine learning, however, is only one of several AI technologies emerging from basic research. Another subarea of AI represent the so-called semantic technologies, which play a decisive role especially in knowledge manageme...
When it comes to the development of knowledge-based configurators, there is a lack of procedures for the collaborative work on knowledge acquisition and modeling. However, the division of work is inevitable, especially in interdisciplinary application domains such as the configuration of automation solutions. Therefore, this paper presents a practi...
![Overview of load profiles needed for the energy module [19].](profile/Toni-Donhauser/publication/333984767/figure/tbl1/AS:773408811925510@1561406438947/Overview-of-load-profiles-needed-for-the-energy-module-19_Q320.jpg)
Discrete event simulations are one of the most used techniques by manufacturing system designers. In order to extend the traditional material flow with an advanced energy simulation, this paper presents two specially developed extension modules for the widely used software Tecnomatix Plant Simulation. In contrast to other approaches, the FAPS energ...
Due to the growing individualization and ever shorter product life cycles, the engineering of automation solutions is facing increasing challenges. The rethinking of common engineering processes and the inclusion of knowledge-based approaches are considered inevitable. However, existing optimization measures often do not meet the actual problems as...
Die Zusammenarbeit von Mensch und Roboter – Möglichkeiten, Ziele, Grenzen.
Jeder Robotereinsatz hat nur dann Sinn, wenn er dem Menschen nützt. Der Nutzen eines Roboters entsteht durch seine Fähigkeit, uns von Arbeit zu befreien, die wir nicht machen können oder wollen. Bei der Mensch-Roboter-Kooperation geht es um Arbeitsplätze, an denen der Mensc...
Due to the increasing areas of application, the development and production of electric motors has become one of the most relevant topics in engineering research. In order to benefit from the growing market demand, companies pursue the adaption of new procedures for enabling an efficient development and manufacturing of electric motors. However, the...
Human-robot collaboration (HRC) has the potential to increase the degree of automation, and thus productivity, throughout many industries. However, complex safety considerations and a lack of appropriate planning tools still prohibit a more widespread application. In this paper, the use of virtual commissioning (VC), an established tool for the val...
Complex robot systems and intelligent automation concepts play a key role in manufacturing companies. Due to the required high level of expertise in such systems, many robot automation solutions do not achieve a good economical cost-benefit ratio. In order to meet these challenges, intuitive engineering platforms are urgently needed. In this paper,...
An increasing amount of enterprises is currently facing the topic “knowledge and process management” to be more efficient and to be able to introduce concepts of Industry 4.0. The challenge for these companies, which are mostly not Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), but medium to large component suppliers, is that they do not have resources an...
Abstract— Low-cost RGB-D cameras are currently used in applications in which their functionality and low price is preferred over accuracy. As there are many approaches for software optimization, the focus is primarily on improving the measurement setup to increase depth image quality of popular RGB-D sensors: we analyze the potentials of the Micros...
In this letter, we show the combination of multiphoton polymerization and optical trap assisted nanopatterning (OTAN) for the additive manufacturing of structures with nanometer resolution. User-defined patterns of polymer nanostructures are deposited on a glass substrate by a 3.5 μm polystyrene sphere focusing IR femtosecond laser pulses, showing...
Questions
Question (1)
For the development of knowledge-based configurators, I have used the tools from Tacton. This raises the question, whether there are comparable or similar tools or stacks available based on open-source and free versions? This would make it possible to further develop them successively and to build a larger community similar to Python.
And if there are none available yet, why are there no viable open source stacks for configuration similar to the stacks of Python for ML?
The following requirements/ functions should be included in this stack/ would be nice:
Basic requirements:
- Modeler based to create the configuration models based on constraints
- Constraint solver for configuration
- Creation of simple user interfaces
- Connectivity with OWL and excel
Nice to have requirements:
- Interface to user-centric development tools for front-ends (e.g. Axure)
- Docker integration/ Container
- REST interfaces
Further requirements:
- If further requirements would be useful here, please mention them in the comments.
Projects
Projects (2)
The research project PDA-RobE (Process Driven, Continous and automated Robotics Engineering) aims to optimize business processes and improve its transparency in the context of digital transformation. Therefore, based on the Business Process Model and Notation standard (BPMN) workflows will be modelled, optimized and automated using big data- and AI-services.
The development of a modular, internet-based, and open robot platform (ROBOTOP) serves to open up the mass market for robots in service and manufacturing applications. Through an intelligent standardization and reuse of software, hardware, and peripheral components as well as the significant reduction of offer and engineering costs, significant cost reductions can be achieved in the planning and design of industrial robotics solutions.
Video: https://youtu.be/JaeEzhZk_jI
The research project ROBOTOP is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). ROBOTOP is part of the technology program “PAiCE Digitale Technologien für die Wirtschaft” and is guided by the DLR Project Management Agency in Cologne.
