ARISE Experiments
Automatha
Revolutionizing Precision Manufacturing with AI & Robotics
Automatha uses AI and robotic teaching to improve worker efficiency and safety in high precision tasks such as surface machining. Here applied to high-value ski boots, this scalable solution fosters innovation also through ROS modules publication.
The Challenge: Overcoming Limitations in High-Precision Manufacturing
In today’s high-precision manufacturing, particularly for variable products like high-value ski boots, industries face significant hurdles. Traditional surface treatment methods for pad printing rely heavily on hazardous solvents, posing health and safety risks to operators and raising environmental compliance concerns. A smart solution is programming collaborative robots to help with these tasks, but the manual “cobot teaching” is a time-consuming and complex process. The sheer diversity of product models, sizes, and frequent design updates means thousands of different configurations require individual mapping. This manual approach is not only inefficient and prone to errors but also severely limits scalability, preventing manufacturers from keeping pace with demand for high-variability products.
Our Solution: Automatha's AI-Powered Robotic Precision
Automatha is an advanced technological solution designed to revolutionize these processes. We combine artificial intelligence, computer vision, 3D reconstruction, and robotics to automate cobot teaching and task execution in production environments that demand high-precision surface machining on high-variability products. Our core innovation replaces the use of solvents with an anthropomorphic collaborative robot equipped with a plasma torch for surface treatment.
The project automates the robotic teaching phase by leveraging video and laser scanning of each product variant, coupled with advanced computer vision systems for precise 3D reconstruction and analysis. AI-powered modules identify specific areas of the surface to be treated and automatically generate the appropriate robotic part programs. This data is then seamlessly transmitted to the cobot, which executes the required treatments, replicating the part program for each identical item with unparalleled accuracy.
Human Centricity: Empowering the Operator
At the heart of Automatha lies a commitment to human-centric design. We aim to make the machine an extension of the user, not a replacement.
- Enhanced Safety: By eliminating the need for toxic solvents, Automatha significantly improves workplace safety and operator health.
- Simplified Training: The system drastically reduces training complexity, enabling operators without extensive robotic programming skills to effectively learn and engage with the technology.
- Empowered Decision-Making: Operators are equipped with intuitive graphical interfaces, allowing them to initiate, evaluate, and validate teaching and machining results. This human-in-the-loop approach ensures their expertise remains central to quality control and process optimization.
- Inclusivity: Automatha accommodates individuals who may lack the physical strength traditionally required for manual robot teaching, fostering a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
The ARISE Contribution: A Game-Changing Open-Source Module
Automatha’s key contribution to the ARISE community and the broader robotics ecosystem is an Open-Source ROS2 AI-Powered 3D Reconstruction Module. This reusable, industry-agnostic component is designed to enable:
- Rapid 3D Data Reconciliation: Facilitating the creation of complex 3D items across different stations for shared and scalable robotic teaching.
- Plug-and-Play Precision: Allowing easy integration of advanced 3D reconstruction, outlier removal, and mesh generation into virtually any high-precision manufacturing line.
- Accelerated Innovation: Providing a validated (TRL7) foundation that fosters deeper human-robot collaboration and drives innovation across industries.
This module leverages ROS2 Vulcanexus for seamless communication and 3D information reconciliation, and integrates with FIWARE middleware for real-time data collection, analysis, and interoperability between open-source and proprietary systems. By delivering outputs in ROS-compatible formats and integrating with industry-standard tools like RViz and Webots for digital twin simulations, Automatha addresses the critical lack of standardization in open-source robotics.
Impact & Scalability: Unlocking Massive Market Potential
Automatha is poised for significant industrial and economic impact:
- Industrial Added Value: Improves product quality through enhanced surface machining precision, reduces setup times by 50%, and decreases operator exposure to harmful solvents, leading to increased efficiency and cost savings.
- Market Opportunity: Initially targeting the high-value ski boots sector, the solution is highly scalable to a vast €30 Billion annual market for surface treatments, with an addressable high-end market in Europe estimated between €6 and €8 Billion.
- Return on Investment: For our end-user, Tecnica Group, we project an immediate 18-month ROI for initial deployment, dropping to just 12 months for subsequent installations.
- New Revenue Streams: Our commercial partner, Eureka System, anticipates significant new revenue streams, projecting €3 Million in revenue by Year 3 through direct unit sales, recurring service contracts, and customization opportunities.
- Environmental & Social Impact: Aligns with the European Green Deal by eliminating VOCs, promoting reshoring of production, and fostering a healthier, more inclusive, and skilled workforce.
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