The Operator’s New Co-Pilot: A Partnership with Robots
In the world of manufacturing, technology is often seen as a replacement for human labor. But at Plastifer, a leader in cosmetics and health products, we’re helping to redefine this relationship with SUNRISE (Smart Unified Network for Cosmetic), our innovative experiment under the ARISE project. SUNRISE is not about replacing workers; it’s about empowering them. By integrating AI-driven robotics with intuitive gesture and voice controls, we are creating a new type of human-robot collaboration that boosts efficiency, enhances safety, and elevates the role of the operator.
Beyond the Assembly Line: Tackling Customization at Scale
Plastifer faces a unique challenge in custom manufacturing. With a vast catalog of over 3,000 sink designs and 500 ventilator models, the production process is complex and demanding. Manual machine reprogramming and quality checks for each unique product are time-consuming and error-prone, limiting scalability and hindering efficiency. Operators spend hours on complex configurations, which can lead to inconsistent quality and a lack of automation. SUNRISE directly addresses these pain points by streamlining operations and freeing workers from these repetitive tasks.
From Isolation to Collaboration: Peer-to-Peer Production Intelligence
One of SUNRISE’s Agent most powerful features is its ability to connect workstations into a true collaborative network. Through a patent-pending peer-to-peer (P2P) communication layer, different stations—such as the quality control bench and the pick-and-place cell—can exchange information in real time without relying solely on central servers. This means that if the quality station detects a defect, it can instantly alert the pick-and-place robot to adjust handling, prevent errors, and ensure that only compliant parts move forward. The result is a living, adaptive production environment where every station “talks” to the others, creating a seamless flow of data and actions that further enhances efficiency, reduces waste, and builds resilience into the manufacturing process.
Edge Intelligence with Privacy at the Core
SUNRISE Agent also pioneers the use of distributed Large Language Models (LLMs) running directly on edge devices within the factory. This architecture allows the system to leverage historical production data to generate new product configurations—such as entirely new sink designs—without ever transferring sensitive information outside the premises. By keeping AI processing local, SUNRISE ensures full compliance with GDPR, protects proprietary manufacturing know-how, and minimizes cybersecurity risks. This privacy-by-design approach means manufacturers can benefit from generative AI innovation while retaining complete control over their data, enabling creativity and customization at scale without compromising confidentiality.
Intuitive Innovation: Gesture and Voice Control in Action
At the heart of SUNRISE is an AI-powered robotics solution that puts the operator in control using the most natural interface of all: human interaction. The system leverages the Tactigon SOUL suite, which enables operators to use natural voice and gesture commands to interact with robots. For example, an operator can simply use a voice command to recall a specific custom sink model from a pre-populated database. The system’s AI then adapts the robot’s behavior based on historical data, dynamically reprogramming machines to match the new product specifications. This seamless interaction, which requires no coding skills, allows operators to quickly switch tasks, ensuring a more fluid and efficient workflow.
The Digital Backbone: FIWARE, ROS 2, and the ARISE Community
SUNRISE productionis built on a robust, open-source technological foundation that ensures scalability and interoperability. The solution integrates IoT sensors for real-time quality monitoring. FIWARE’s Orion-LD and NGSI-LD standards manage these live data streams, providing operators with real-time dashboards and alerts for things like potential defects. This allows for proactive adjustments and a 30% reduction in errors. The entire system is built on ROS 2, with key modules contributed as open-source implementations to the ARISE Catalog. These reusable components, including an HRI module for gesture/voice control, an IoT and FIWARE module, and an adaptive AI module, ensure that the technology can be adapted for use in other industries like food, beverage, and electronics.
The ROI of Empathy: Business Impact and Sustainability
The human-centric design of SUNRISE translates directly into tangible business benefits. By automating repetitive and physically demanding tasks, the project is projected to boost operator job satisfaction by 20-25% and reduce production errors by 30%. This focus on worker well-being leads to a significant increase in production efficiency of 15-20%. By reducing downtime and material waste, SUNRISE Agent also aligns with EU Green Deal goals, fostering sustainable manufacturing. This innovative approach, which targets a serviceable market of €17.6M within the growing collaborative robot sector, proves that a more empathetic and inclusive workplace is also a more profitable one.