The Confluence of Robotics and Automation for Next Generation Manufacturing

Abstract

In this presentation we will discuss how hard automation in many cases is getting replaced by flexible automation. The ideal factory is no longer a sequence of fixed processing stations, but a swarm of heterogenous stationary and mobile manipulation systems that can be re-configured to produce one-off products in a system that is fully integrated from design to manufacturing. The integration of new sensors, mixed-human-robot interaction, and cloud services offer an opportunity to rethink modern manufacturing.