Festo_BionicWorkplace_en

BionicWorkplace Intuitive operating concepts and artificial intelligence The worker’s special work clothing consists of a long-sleeved top, which is equipped with inertia sensors, and a work glove with inte- grated infrared markers. All the necessary cables are integrated in the fabric of these so-called wearables, so that they do not hinder the worker’s movements. The interaction of cameras and wearables allows the entire work- place to be handled safely and intuitively. With the help of the recorded sensor data, the BionicCobot is able to hand over objects to its human colleague with pinpoint accuracy and move out of their way if necessary – an essential requirement for direct collab- oration between humans and robots. Camera systems for safe interaction A special 3D camera with depth perception registers the worker’s direction of view and head movements. The system uses eye tracking to constantly check whether the worker’s attention is on the workplace or whether it is dropping. If there is a hazardous situation, the BionicCobot can react immediately and adapt its behaviour. If the person directs their eyes to a particular area of the projection screen, the content here is adjusted accordingly. If the robot is supposed to hand the worker a part from an unordered box, an- other camera supports it by working out the coordinates for the ideal gripping points on the object. Voice control and digital processing Another element of the intuitive operating concept of the work- place is voice control. Thanks to a corresponding software pro- gram, the system is able to interpret semantic details as well as the relevant linguistic context and to converse with the human in a natural way. So that the BionicCobot can execute the required command, the voice recognition software turns the spoken sentence into text. To do so, it compares its frequency patterns with databases, where countless examples of words and their patterns are already stored. In the next step, the task is to understand the meaning of the sen- tence. For this purpose, the software sends the text to a language interface, which checks it for certain keywords. Machine learning optimises workflow Once the interface has identified the meaning of the sentence, it supplies a context object, which is a software code, with which the robot’s control system can work. The clear handling instructions to the BionicCobot are then taken care of by a special, self-learning automation software program with artificial intelligence. The intelligent software evaluates the contents of the context ob- ject and simultaneously processes all data and inputs recorded using sensors from the various peripheral devices. It uses all this information to derive the optimal program sequence and sends it using the robot’s control system to the screen and the BionicCobot. The latter thus knows how and where it is supposed to move. With every action solved, the system learns something new. This creates a so-called semantic map that grows continuously. Along the network paths, the stored algorithms constantly draw dyna- mic conclusions. As a result, a controlled, programmed and set sequence gradually turns into a much freer method of working. New application options with remote manipulation For remote manipulation purposes, a 180° 3D stereo camera re- cords the entire working space, while the physically separated worker wears virtual-reality goggles with the textile wearables. The worker can use these to access and follow the images from the camera in real time. The robot can thus be controlled from a distance, for example, when handling hazardous substances or carrying out processes that are harmful to health. A worker could also control several systems at once in this way – even if these are spread out over factory facilities across the whole world. Learned knowledge building blocks applicable worldwide By means of intelligent workplaces capable of learning and the use of multifunctional tools, collaboration between humans and ma- chines will be even more intuitive, simple and efficient in future. Knowledge building blocks and new skills, once learned, can be limitlessly shared and made available on a global scale. It would therefore be possible in future to set up workplaces as a world- wide network with local adaptations, in each case adjusted to the local individual tasks and customer requirements. 01 02 01: Safe handling: by means of the spe- cial work clothing, the system can adapt its actions to the position and move- ments of the worker. 02: Workplace capable of learning: with the help of artificial intelligence, the sys- tem processes the voice commands fur- ther and learns something with each new action. 03: Controlled remote manipulation: harmless working with the help of textile wearables and virtual-reality goggles from a safe distance. 03 6 Festo AG & Co. KG 7 BionicWorkplace: Human-robot collaboration with artificial intelligence