Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) has selected 11 projects that aim to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and create new industrial automation applications. ARM is awarding $6 million to fund the R&D efforts.
The projects address eight areas that ARM claims are critical to advancing the state of robotic automation in manufacturing: identifying and packing objects; unloading and unpacking objects; transport and delivery through a complex or crowded floor; inspection of nonstandard materials; tracking and traceability of components; surface treatments; manipulating compliant materials; and software interoperability.
“By bridging the gaps between industry, academia and government, our projects will lead the transformation of the national manufacturing landscape,” claims Byron Clayton, Ph.D., CEO of ARM. “These selected projects will assert U.S. leadership and improve the lives of American workers.”
The 11 projects include the following:
*Advanced Control for Robotic Surface Treatment (United Technologies Research Center).
*Automatic Onsite Polishing of Large, Complex Surfaces by Real-time Planning and Control (Carnegie Mellon University).
*Automation of Manufacturing Defect Correction Using Robots (Siemens).
*Collaborative Robotic Sanding of Aircraft Panels (Spirit AeroSystems).
*Functional Interoperable Compiler (Siemens).
*Human-Robot Teaming for Composite Ply Lay-up and Conforming (Boeing).
*Precise Packing with Intelligence (United Technologies Research Center).
*Large Metallic Sanding and Finishing (Wichita State University).
*Robot Raconteur: An Interoperable Middleware for Robotics (Rochester Polytechnic Institute).
*Robotic Assembly of Garments (Siemens).
*Seamless Multi-Robot, Multi-Mac Interoperability (Siemens).
To learn more about the robotic projects, click www.arminstitute.org.
