Advanced Applications of Industrial Robotics: New Trends and Possibilities

This review is dedicated to the advanced applications of robotic technologies in the industrial field. Robotic solutions in areas with non-intensive applications are presented, and their implementations are analysed. We also provide an overview of survey publications and technical reports, classified by application criteria, and the development of the structure of existing solutions, and identify recent research gaps. The analysis results reveal the background to the existing obstacles and problems. These issues relate to the areas of psychology, human nature, special artificial intelligence (AI) implementation, and the robot-oriented object design paradigm. Analysis of robot applications shows that the existing emerging applications in robotics face technical and psychological obstacles. The results of this review revealed four directions of required advancement in robotics: development of intelligent companions; improved implementation of AI-based solutions; robot-oriented design of objects; and psychological solutions for robot–human collaboration.

EGM Toolbox—Interface for Controlling ABB Robots in Simulink

The development of industrial robotics requires the use of increasingly sophisticated control algorithms. In modern tasks posed by industry, it is not sufficient for the manipulator to move along a programmed path, reaching individual points with the greatest accuracy. There is a need for solutions that can allow detection and avoidance of obstacles appearing on the robot’s path and that can compensate the path for low-repetitive workpieces, adjust the strength of the impact of manipulator tools on the workpiece or enable safe cooperation of manipulators with people. To support this development, this work proposes an interface for controlling industrial robots in the Simulink environment. With its use, we can easily test our control algorithms using an external controller without the need to write an extensive program in the RAPID language. The robot controller’s task is to control the drives to achieve the set trajectory.

Dominants and Features of Growth of the World Market of Robotics

Purpose: Explore the current state, trends and development prospects of the global robotics market, especially the industrial robotics segment, as well as the service robots segment. Design/Method/Approach: Logical, statistical, and graphical methods were used; systemic, structural-functional, and comparative types of analysis. The specificity of the interdisciplinary research is expressed in the use of the methodology for graphical presentation of the life cycle of technologies and goods. Findings: The format for the use of “end-to-end” digital technologies, which include robotics, artificial intelligence and others, was determined, which leads to extreme changes in production and consumption and, in fact, marks the onset of a new technological order. It can be stated that a new cluster of innovations has been formed in the information technology industry, going beyond its limits, explosively transforming the sectors of the economy, the activities of the state and business, society and the world as a whole. The world markets for new technologies and goods are being formed, the composition and distribution of the roles of the participants in the global innovation system are changing. Modern concepts of innovative development of the world economy were studied, and a comparative analysis of methods for studying the markets of high-tech goods in various schools of economics was carried out. The authors outlined the features of the formation of the world robotics industry as a large technological system and assessed the place of the world market of robots in the world economy. The study contains the results of the work carried out to study the conditions and factors of the development of the global robotics market, as well as an overview of its geographical and corporate structure. In the scientific work, a study of the features of pricing in the robotics market and the specifics of creating and financing robotic projects was carried out. Theoretical Implications: A comprehensive assessment of the global robotics market was carried out and the leading vectors of its transformations and growth prospects were identified. Practical Implications: The obtained results of the study can be used as the basis for the formation of a corporate strategy for the development of individual companies and enterprises of industrial sectors of the world economy in order to accelerate innovative, technical and economic development in a durable format. Originality/Value: The features and components of the development of the world industrial robotics market have been investigated. The encouraging directions of robotization of the world economy are determined. Prospects for further research. The obtained results can be used in the context of the promising development of a national doctrine or policy of robotization and the development of digital robotic systems of industry in the countries of the world. Future Research: The obtained results can be used in the context of prospective development of national doctrine or policy of work and development of digitalized industrial systems of the world's countries. Paper type: Theoretical

Symbiotic relationship between robotics and Lean Manufacturing: a case study involving line balancing

PurposeThe present paper aims to demonstrate the potential of integration between industrial robotics and Lean Manufacturing (LM) approach to increase the efficiency of an assembly line.Design/methodology/approachBased on a case study performed in an Italian company, this paper reports a comparative analysis of the results produced on a line balancing study involving a semi-automated production line, aided by an industrial robot.FindingsThe results suggest the possibility of implementing industrial robotics in line balancing studies highlighting efficiency gains and idle reduction. Further, it also addresses some concepts directly related to industry 4.0, such as collaborative robotics, artificial intelligence, and lean automation.Practical implicationsLine balancing studies may include advanced robotics in order to extend traditional lean practices toward Digital LM.Originality/valueThis study adds contributions to the operational excellence literature, demonstrating the symbiosis between industrial robotics and LM practices.

Determination of the Function of the Course of the Static Property of PAMs as Actuators in Industrial Robotics

Current efforts are focused on assembling new constructions while applying non-conventional actuators, for example, artificial pneumatic muscles, in engineering manufacturing processes. The reason is to eliminate stiffness and inflexibility of equipment structures that make sharing the working space of the technological equipment complicated. This article presents the results of experimental measurements of pressures in artificial muscles and rotations of the actuator with artificial muscles at various loads, using a testing device of an antagonistic actuator. The measurement results were used to create the function of the course of the static property of the antagonistic actuator with artificial muscles of the Festo type and to determine a mathematical model of the actuator dynamics, while applying the method of least squares.