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... Once the preferred option is selected, it can be fabricated making use of digital fabrication machines [6] like laser cutters, CNC machines, or 3D printers. Before starting the course, a previously prepared parametric design optimized for 3D printing was selected and then optimized to improve the material distribution and ensure that the output was easy to be printed [7]. This base design allows room for improvements and attachments. ...
Consider a typical task-solving scenario where a robot is performing a task involving tool use. When a robot is operating in a dynamic environment, it can not be assumed that a tool required in the task will always be available. Our research work concerns the development of a knowledge-based computation system to determine a substitute for the unavailable tool. During the development, we identified the requirements regarding the knowledge base for our scenario and selected 9 existing knowledge bases for review. In this article, we review existing knowledge bases developed for the service robotics and investigate their suitability for this specific application. The knowledge bases are reviewed with respect to various criteria corresponding to the categories knowledge acquisition , knowledge representation, and knowledge processing. Our main contribution is to facilitate the selection of a knowledge base according to one's requirements of a target application for service robots involving household-objects.
The vision of the 4th industrial revolution describes the realization of the Internet of Things within the context of the factory to realize a significantly higher flexibility and adaptability of production systems. Driven by politics and research meanwhile most of the automation technology providers in Germany have recognized the potentials of Industry 4.0 and provide first solutions. However, presented solutions so far represent vendor-specific or isolated production system. In order to make Industry 4.0 a success, these proprietary approaches must be replaced by open and standardized solutions. For this reason, the SmartFactoryKL has realized a very first multi-vendor and highly modular production system as a sample reference for Industry 4.0. This contribution gives an overview of the current status of the SmartFactoryKL initiative to build a highly modular, multi-vendor production line based on common concepts and standardization activities. The findings and experiences of this multi-vendor project are documented as an outline for further research on highly modular production lines.
This paper describes some of the main technology areas that have been actually used in the development of cleaning robots. The approach taken in this survey is to examine the characteristics of cleaning robots that have made successful laboratory demonstration or have become commercial products. We then identify the technology approach followed by the authors, and group their contributions in a few general areas. The result is a summary of used approaches to thesolution of difficult, albeit very practical, problems in the area of autonomous execution of cleaning tasks.
Today, the manufacturing industry is aiming to improve competitiveness through the convergence with cutting-edge ICT technologies in order to secure a new growth engine. Smart Manufacturing, which is the fourth revolution in the manufacturing industry and is also considered as a new paradigm, is the collection of cutting-edge technologies that support effective and accurate engineering decision-making in real time through the introduction of various ICT technologies and the convergence with the existing manufacturing technologies. This paper surveyed and analyzed various articles related to Smart Manufacturing, identified the past and present levels, and predicted the future. For these purposes, 1) the major key technologies related to Smart Manufacturing were identified through the analysis of the policies and technology roadmaps of Germany, the U.S., and Korea that have government-driven leading movements for Smart Manufacturing, 2) the related articles on the overall Smart Manufacturing concept, the key system structure, or each key technology were investigated, and, finally, 3) the Smart Manufacturing-related trends were identified and the future was predicted by conducting various analyses on the application areas and technology development levels that have been addressed in each article.
One of the critical issues in orthopaedic regenerative medicine is the design of bone scaffolds and implants that replicate the biomechanical properties of the host bones. Porous metals have found themselves to be suitable candidates for repairing or replacing the damaged bones since their stiffness and porosity can be adjusted on demands. Another advantage of porous metals lies in their open space for the in-growth of bone tissue, hence accelerating the osseointegration process. The fabrication of porous metals has been extensively explored over decades, however only limited controls over the internal architecture can be achieved by the conventional processes. Recent advances in additive manufacturing have provided unprecedented opportunities for producing complex structures to meet the increasing demands for implants with customized mechanical performance. At the same time, topology optimization techniques have been developed to enable the internal architecture of porous metals to be designed to achieve specified mechanical properties at will. Thus implants designed via the topology optimization approach and produced by additive manufacturing are of great interest. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of topological design and manufacturing processes of various types of porous metals, in particular for titanium alloys, biodegradable metals and shape memory alloys. This review also identifies the limitations of current techniques and addresses the directions for future investigations.
One of the critical issues in orthopaedic regenerative medicine is the design of bone scaffolds and implants that replicate the biomechanical properties of the host bones. Porous metals have found themselves to be suitable candidates for repairing or replacing the damaged bones since their stiffness and porosity can be adjusted on demands. Another advantage of porous metals lies in their open space for the in-growth of bone tissue, hence accelerating the osseointegration process. The fabrication of porous metals has been extensively explored over decades, however only limited controls over the internal architecture can be achieved by the conventional processes. Recent advances in additive manufacturing have provided unprecedented opportunities for producing complex structures to meet the increasing demands for implants with customized mechanical performance. At the same time, topology optimization techniques have been developed to enable the internal architecture of porous metals to be designed to achieve specified mechanical properties at will. Thus implants designed via the topology optimization approach and produced by additive manufacturing are of great interest. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of topological design and manufacturing processes of various types of porous metals, in particular for titanium alloys, biodegradable metals and shape memory alloys. This review also identifies the limitations of current techniques and addresses the directions for future investigations.
This article examines the characteristics and applications of 3-D printing and compares it with mass customization and other manufacturing processes. 3-D printing enables small quantities of customized goods to be produced at relatively low costs. While currently used primarily to manufacture prototypes and mockups, a number of promising applications exist in the production of replacement parts, dental crowns, and artificial limbs, as well as in bridge manufacturing. 3-D printing has been compared to such disruptive technologies as digital books and music downloads that enable consumers to order their selections online, allow firms to profitably serve small market segments, and enable companies to operate with little or no unsold finished goods inventory. Some experts have also argued that 3-D printing will significantly reduce the advantages of producing small lot sizes in low-wage countries via reduced need for factory workers.
Although an automated flexible production cell is an intriguing prospect for small to median enterprises (SMEs) in current global market conditions, the complexity of programming remains one of the major hurdles preventing automation using industrial robots for SMEs. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the recent research progresses on the programming methods for industrial robots, including online programming, offline programming (OLP), and programming using Augmented Reality (AR). With the development of more powerful 3D CAD/PLM software, computer vision, sensor technology, etc, new programming methods suitable for SMEs are expected to grow in years to come.
Industrial, personal, and service robots
Vijay Kumar
George Bekey
Yuan Zheng
Executive summary: world robotics 2018 industrial robots
Gudrun Litzenberger
Junji Tsuda
Steven Wyatt
Thingiverse - digital designs for physical objects
Thingiverse
Executive summary: world robotics 2018 industrial robots