Robotic and laser systems and components

Robotics is one of the most important enabling technologies and the basic building block of the paradigm of factories of the future. Today’s robotization is at a level that enables the automation of many industrial processes, but there is a shortcoming in flexibility, interoperability, connection with man and other devices in the system. Ensuring greater flexibility of robotic systems is the main motivation for many new research in the field of robotics. It is necessary to increase the flexibility of robots and to shorten the time needed for their layout and startup when the product changes. To this end, new mechatronics solutions must be found, for example, in the field of intelligent sensor-driven drives, automatic reconfiguration, robotic sensors, robotic vision and touch, guidance and learning. Introducing i.e. Collaborative robots will enable robotization in factories outside of highly automated industrial production lines, for example, assembly, where the work process will be carried out in cooperation with robot workers. In the 2016-2019 period, a breakthrough in collaborative robotics is expected in the world.

The proposed vertical value chain The robotic systems and components are geared towards the development of new products and services in the following three areas of robotics within the framework of the “Factories of the Future”:

• The field of intelligent sensors and actuators for the needs of robotics. The field covers both internal and external sensors for the needs of robotics (machine vision, position sensors, torque sensors) combined with software and information and communication technologies (ICT) in completed intelligent systems.
• The field of development and production of new robots. In this context, we highlight the anticipated needs of newly installed robot plants in Slovenia, where the accelerated flow of knowledge from research organizations into new industrial robots is expected, as well as the production of completely new robots for the agro-food and eco-industry and, last but not least, the contribution of service and humanoid robotics assemblies currently in its infancy.
• The field of development and marketing of flexible and cooperative robot cells is crucial for increasing the number of robots in production at home and abroad. These are, in particular, interdisciplinary technological areas such as the development of new advanced and adaptive applications within robotic cells, the introduction of new concepts of reconfigurability, adaptability, modularity, introduction of concepts of desktop cells for installation in desktop factories, advanced systems of logistics and cell integration into systems. An important feature of these cells is also the ability to engage robots with humans, taking into account both the aspect of security and the synchronization of the work process with a person who will act as a colleague in such a cell. The characteristic of this field is interdisciplinarity and intertwining of technological areas and product directions with other value chains and other SRIP structures.

The existing cross-sectional areas have been concentrated mainly within robotics and control technologies.

Within SRIP ToP, new cross-sectional areas with HOM such as photonics and plasma technologies, as well as VVVs such as smart mechatronic tools, smart plants, robotic systems and components, advanced sensors and wider with other SRIPs such as Mobility, Smart cities and communities (ICTs), Sustainable food production, Networks for the transition to a circular economy, Development of materials as final products and others.