ROMOFLEX- ITC- 20181132

Low-cost Robotic Mobile Platform for flexible and reconfigurable order picking.

The popularization of autonomous automatic systems, flexible and collaborative robotics is driving the request for new products by companies, which is opening new markets.

In recent years the demand for a robotic mobile platform (RMP) has increased, being a request that both integrators, engineering and research centers have received. The business opportunity for companies that can supply this technology is clear, but to achieve an adequate turnover, the proposed solution must maintain a good cost-benefit ratio.

RoMoFLEX is looking for a functional prototype that responds to the handling needs present present in a Lean manufacturing environment (ELIMCO) (ELIMCO) ) where the capabilities of the RMP can be exploited to the maximum, both from the point of view of connectivity (Softcrits), and from the point of view of product (mobile platform – Hedesis and manipulator robot – DGH) RoMoFLEX is conceived as a modular product with a focus on the market.

Within this framework, RoMoFLEX mainly contributes to the social challenge R7: Digital economy and society.

RoMoFLEX will contribute to the ICT sector of Andalusia and Castilla y León, by strengthening and differentiating the technological offer of ELIMCO, Softcrits, DGH and Hedesis. An innovative offer in robotics, machine vision systems and connectivity 4.0 in highly organized production lines are undoubtedly a set of solutions for the industries of the future.

Framed in the Innterconecta 2018 Program, the project consortium is led by DGH Robotics Automation and Industrial Maintenance and is completed by the companies ELYMCO, SOFTCRITS, and SYNERSIGHT. TECNALIA participates as a collaborating entity.

Main innovations:

The Robotic Mobile Platform, objective of the project, will have a degree of autonomy (partial and controlled) that will be a technological leap with respect to the technologies of the companies of the consortium. The RMP as a whole will combine the capacities of the different project partners and the subcontracted collaborating entity to offer the following capabilities:

Have a high capacity for perception (by vision and contact) of their environment to adapt their internal model.
Can be programmed and reconfigured very easily by non-experts to adapt quickly to new variants of products to be produced.
Potentially be able to work in interaction with people
Be integrated into production lines, with connectivity to management systems or enterprise resource planning systems (hereinafter ERPs), and 4.0 connectivity like any other productive means.

The RMP concept developed in RoMoFLEX will not be dependent on either the developed mobile platform or the manipulator robot used in the final demonstrator.

Have a high capacity for perception (by vision and contact) of their environment to adapt their internal model.
Can be programmed and reconfigured very easily by non-experts to adapt quickly to new variants of products to be produced.
Potentially be able to work in interaction with people
Be integrated into production lines, with connectivity to management systems or enterprise resource planning systems (hereinafter ERPs), and 4.0 connectivity like any other productive means.

Cross-sectoral collaboration:

The FEDER-Innterconecta program is aimed at experimental development in cooperation between companies, to achieve technological innovation with applicability and impact in the productive sector.

For this, Romoflex is an example of a cooperation and collaboration strategy between the participating partners that fits within the lines and approaches in which, from both regional and European instances, it has been influenced in recent years as fundamental axes of promotion of competitiveness: science-technology-innovation based on the collaboration of Companies (and Technology Centers).

The RoMoFLEX technology consortium aims to:

These joint actions allow to deepen even more in the establishment of the bases of cooperation, as well as in the establishment of alliances and ties of external connectivity between the industrial fabric of Castilla y León and Andalusia.