Researchers at Aalborg University wishes to automate use and development of business automation solutions. The center of the focus area is the research group: Robotics and Automation, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
The main
focus of the research group is to work with research and
development of automation technologies in three areas - all of
which create value on the user's bottom line. The three areas are
among other things focused on lowering costs and creating greater
application diversity, but also through development of new
technologies to provide users with easier and greater access to the
use of their purchased technologies.
The first two areas are covered through projects and research
looking closer at how robotic technology can optimize processing
operations or create new material handling solutions such as mobile
platforms.
Automation2
The last area has been named Automation2 and is based
on wishes from the research group who wants to develop and optimize
the methods, which today are standard in design of automated
production systems. The vision of the research group is to develop
a range of methods - meaning that design and implementation of new
automatic production systems can be done by selecting and combining
a number of predefined modules. The modules include e.g. hardware,
software, electronics and pneumatics.
- We wish to make it possible to develop new production systems
faster and cheaper than it is today. We systematically collect
best-pratice and integrate it in some modules that can be reused in
various production tasks. With such a concept, new items in a
production can be produced by replacing / adding a desired module,
says Ole Madsen, professor at the Department of Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering - and thus part of the research
group.
The solution will gradually be made more and more
intelligent.
- Initially we imagine that the system is continuously adjusted
by an operator or designer. On longer terms adaptation to different
tasks will happen intelligently and automatically by using mobile
devices, which autonomous moves around in the production where it
is most needed, says Ole Madsen.
By comparison, the ideas behind the system have similarities
with the way in which LEGO Mindstorms robots are programmed via
specific hardware-(Lego blocks) and software modules that are
assembled and adjusted as needed.