Innovation Outlook for Industrial Robotics
Alexander CZINKI, Hartmut BRUHM
Abstract: Based on publications of major robotic organizations and individual assessments of the authors, the paper focuses on the innovation necessities and perspectives of robotics nowadays. It also treats the main innovation drivers as well as the classification and explanation of the major fields of innovations in robotics. This can serve as a helpful tool for the identification of relevant research and development areas in the future and can also help component and system suppliers to get a clearer picture of future robot systems.
Keywords: industrial robotics, innovation in robotics, innovation drivers in robotics, applications of robotics, future trends in robotics
■ 1 Introduction
Robotics has - with regard to its first serious application in industrial environments in the early 70's of the last century - no longer the typical characteristics of an emerging technology. In fact, robots have become standard equipment in modern manufacturing sites, providing fast and reliable routine operations. The technology required for standard tasks such as pick-and-place operations and the like has been well known for decades and is - more or less - available to all robot manufacturers alike.
Hence, the classical robot manufacturers are facing an increasing number of competitors in the market, forcing them to set themselves apart by addressing new markets and by applying new technologies.
Obviously, innovation will play a key role in the attempt of robotics industry to gain an advantageous position in an increasingly globalized market.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Czinki, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hartmut Bruhm, both University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg, Germany
Major innovation drivers are represented by the increasingly diverse application scenarios covered by modern robotics. The enlarged scope of applications provide niches for specialized companies and also growth potential for the major market players.
The objective of the following article [see also:[10]] is twofold: Firstly, it will focus on key innovation drivers in robotics. Secondly, it will present a classification and explanation of the major fields of innovations from the author's point of view.
■ 2 Key Innovation Drivers
As stated before, a retrospective view on robotics covering the last few years reveals substantial changes in terms of market and technology drivers. Recently, manifold trends have changed the shape, the performance and the fields of application of modern robotic systems. Prior to an investigation of these current fields of innovations, it seems advisable to illuminate the main driving forces behind these trends - the innovation drivers. Subsequently, a set of innovation drivers is introduced, which will - from the author's point of view - signifi-
cantly influence the developments of robotics in the near and midterm future.
2.1 Fast Performance Growth
Although industrial robots have reached a high degree of maturity by now, robotics systems nevertheless achieve a steadily increasing level of overall performance. This is partly due to improvements of robot systems themselves, but additionally it is also strongly driven by improvements of peripheral devices and equipment such as improved gripper systems, tooling, and the like.
While in the past, robotic companies had to develop most of their hardware by themselves, they will more and more benefit from developments driven by other high-tech areas such as mobile communication, game consoles and the like in the future. Even though an adaptation of these components will often be necessary before they are applicable to industrial robot systems, the overall costs for implementing new technologies into robot systems will be in many cases considerably reduced compared to pure in-house developments as they were standard in the past.
2.2	Applications: Classical Fields Alter, New Fields Emerge
Many of the classical application fields for industrial robots are rapidly changing. For example, the automotive industry - still being the biggest customer of industrial robots - will soon be facing a transition from classical combustion engine driven vehicles towards vehicles that implement - in one way or the other - electrical drives. As a result, robot systems will have to adapt to these new applications, by contributing to a higher automation level in the production lines for electrical drives, batteries, transformers and the like.
Besides changes in classical fields of application, numerous new application areas have recently been emerging. The automation of solar cell production, the increasing number of wind energy plants and the production of large carbon fiber structures for automotive and aeronautical applications provide promising perspectives for the robotics industry already in the near future.
2.3	Enhanced Product Diversity combined with Reduced Product Life Cycles
Many traditional markets are mature and not few of them are even faltering nowadays. Many companies respond to this situation by an increasingly diverse product portfolio. While this is reasonable from a strategic standpoint, it generally puts significant strain on production processes due to the reduced lot sizes and an increased number of product variants that usually come along with product diversifications.
With new technologies emerging in an ever decreasing time, product life cycles (PLC) are becoming extremely short and there is no serious evidence that this development will stop or reverse anytime soon.
Both, the increasing product diversity and the reduced product life
cycles will - in the long run - challenge robot manufacturers and automation companies alike and will force them to develop systems with a significantly higher flexibility than we experience today.
2.4 Altering Global Market
In the course of a global market shift, the robotics and automation industry has not only the opportunity to address new fields of application but it also has the chance to enter new regions of the global market. Increasing incomes in many of the formerly low wage countries place an increasing automation pressure to these countries and therefore open new sales opportunities for the robotics and automation industry.
Additionally, robots will more and more be applied not only for the sake of labour cost savings but also in order to meet the high quality demands of modern production.
All these considerations suggest, that sales of robot systems to newly industrialized countries as well as to less developed countries will continue to grow.
■ 3 Major Fields of Innovation
The key innovation drivers described in the previous chapter manifest themselves in specific innovation trends. Some major trends in industrial robotics are described subsequently.
3.1 Increased Adaptability of Robot Cells and Robot Periphery
Reduced lot sizes and an increasing number of product variants will force manufacturers to adapt their production equipment to new products more frequently in the future. While robot systems themselves can - due to their free programmability - be easily adapted to new tasks, complete robot cells with their peripheral equipment usually only have limited flexibility.
Figure 1 illustrates a concept for a highly flexible robot cell, which avoids many of the flexibility flaws of classical robot cells. The flexible robot cell concept was developed and patented by the University of Applied Sciences, Aschaffenburg.
Instead of having the peripheral equipment individually adapted to a specific product range and being permanently fixed within the robot cell, the flexible robot cell concept integrates the robot periphery into task-specific modules (e.g. welding modules, grinding modules, measuring modules, ...). These modules have a detachable mechanical connection to the cell floor. Furthermore all electrical, network and fluidic connections of a module are combined in a single, standardized connector. If a production change requires a reconfiguration of the robot cell, modules can easily be detached and removed from the robot cell. New modules can be configured and tested outside the robot cell. The installation of a pre-configured module in the robot cell takes only a few minutes, thus reducing production down-time to almost zero. The locking of the modules within the cell is achieved by a centralized, pneumatically-driven locking mechanism. The connectors which are used to link the modules with the cell are electrically coded. By this means the overall system controller permanently has all relevant information about the cell such as the type of modules inserted, the number of modules loaded in the cell and their location within the cell grid.
The modularized cell concept offers some significant advantages, such as:
•	easy setup
•	easy reconfiguration
•	ultra-fast adaption to new products(reduced change-over time)
•	minimal downtimes for maintenance
•	standardization of components
•	easy upgrade for cells
The concept described here is an example for the innovations necessary
Figure 1. Modularized Robot Cell [Univ. Applied Sciences Aschaffen burg]
to master a transition from robot-based mass volume production to robot-based low volume production.
3.2 Vanishing Boarders between Simulation and Reality
While robot simulation itself is everything but new, the extent to which simulation tools are used within robotics is rapidly growing.
While in the past many robot simulations were limited to simple representations and visualisations of ro-
bots, future systems will provide a considerably higher functionality. As simulation and robot control systems will more and more merge, powerful features will become available, such as: real time dynamic simulations covering the robot and its entire working environment, ex ante singularity warnings, real time path and workspace surveillance and the like. Even an inclusion of flexible body simulations of the rnbot's structure into path planning algorithms is conceivable. It is obvious that these new capabilities will make robot systems safer, more reliable and more efficient in the future.
3.3 Smart Robot Controllers
The increasing computing power of modern robot controllers will allow them to assimilate control tasks that are nowadays still generated off-line or in separate controllers.
Figure 3 illustrates an example for such a task integration which was achieved in the framework of the LARISSA research project [6]. The project consortium - consisting of the robot manufacturer Reis Robotics, a manufacturer of laser deflection systems (Raylase) and the University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg-developed concepts forthe integration of the formerly separate control of the laser deflection unit into the main controller of a robot system. As a result, the separate controller became obsolete, saving significant system costs. Furthermore, the integrated control of the robot arm and the laser deflection unit allowed for a significantly better coordination of the robot and deflection mirror movements, increasing the per-formanee of the overali rystem - in a typical application - by the factor of five [6].
However, robot controllers are not only likely to become more powerful
Figure 2. ProVisSimulation environment[Rels Robotics] 116
Figure 3. LARISSA-Project: Robot, Algorithms and the Laser Deflection Unit [Univ. Applied Scisnces Aschaffenburg, Reis Robotics, Raylase]
in the future. They will also become more user-friendly and smarter in the way how they handle standard and exceptional situations. Based on the increased computational power, robot controllers will include more self-calibrating and self-tuning capabilities, allowing them to adapt to changes in their setup, work load and the like. Also fault detection and fault tolerance of future systems will be significantly high er compared to current systems.
Finally, it is likely that the trend towards the integration of more powm erful and versatile communication protocols and interfaces will continue. This will include new and open standards, many of them allowing future systems to link themselves with a multitude of different components from varying suppliers in a "plug and produce" fashion.
Besides classical bus interfaces, future systems will presumably support mpen and non-industay communication standards (such as: GSM/UMTS/ WLAN/...) allowing remote operation and diagnosis via local or telematics interfaces [7].
3.4 Advanced HMI
Human machine interBacus have recently changed rapidly. Although this development is mainly driven by consumer products such as mobile communication, game staiimns and tablet computers, it is more than likely that t Cese new technologies will be introduced to industrial au-
tomation and robot applications as well. As a consequence, future robot interfaces will allow intuitive interaction via touch, speech or gestural information. In the long run also elements from augmented reality will find their way from research laboratories into industrial robotic devices.
3.5 Redundant Kinematics and Cooperative Robots
In many industrial applications the capabilities of standard robots are extended by the use of one or more additional axes. As a result, many of these robots have a set of redundant axes. While in the past this has often only Ue used in orderto provide a variable offset to the workspace of the eobot, presently thv specific characteristics of redundant robot kinemntics are moving more into Che focus of robot developers and robot users alike. Redundant axes (redundant degrees-of-freedom, respectively) allow a reconfiguration of the robot posec without change of the C osition and orientation of the tool uentec point. This can be a significant advantage in case or complex or limited work space constella- Figure 4. Human tions, e.g. with man]
obstacles that - in case of a kinematic redundancy - can be avoided. A further advantage of redundant robot kinematics is their enhanced capability in terms of interaction with the environment. Based on position controlled standard axes, the redundant axis of a robot can be operated in force-control mode, allowing the operatorto dvfine a pose and a reav-tion force at the same time.
Cooperative robots offer interesting opportunities Cor Uuture robot av-plications. They enable systems to hold a work piece with one arm and process it with the other. In such a configuration, both location and orientation of the work piece can be frenly chosen within the workspace, even allowing the work piece being moved durinn poocessing. Robots with multiple arms also have the capability to handle large objects cooperatively (see [9] for current exampler and [12] for early work).
■like Cooperative Robot Arms [Moto-
Figure 5. Handling of large Objects with Cooperative Ro bot Arms [12]
Favourably the multiple robot arms are controlled by a single robot controller, ensuring a coordinated and collision-free motion of the robots involved. Dual robot arms share major characteristics with human labourers and might therefore offer opportunities to replace or assist human workers.
3.6 Advanced Sensor Performance and Sensor tusion
elassiaal industrial robots are equipped with a limited number of sensoss. However, increased sensor capabilities along with a significant seduction in rensor prices veil I pave the way for a higher level of sensor equipment within robot systems in the future. Increasing numbers of inatalled force-/torque sensors will e.g. extend the fields of application for robots from simple position control tasks to force-sensitive interactions. Hybcid sensors will allcw for grealer flexibility as well as for an increased overall sensitivity of future robot systems. Multisensory perception still means a big challenge in tecms of data processing and interpretation but it also offers interesting perspectives towards sensitive robot systems with a higher level of autonomy. Combinations of vision, laser and photoelectric sensors will provide a reliable mapping of the robot's environment and will - by this means -allow for more precise, more flexible and safer robot operations.
3.7 Energy Efficiency
In the past, only little attention has been spent by the robotics community on the aspect of energy consumption. However, as the global manufacturing industry progressively adopts environmental-friendly manufacturing techniques, robots will be more and more judged by their energy consumption and energy efficiency (see e.g. [13]).
Optimisations will address the following measures/areas:
•	Motion trajectory
•	Work piece position / Cell layout
•	Tuning of operation speed and accelerations
•	Standby strategies
•	Individual component optimisation
•	Onerg y recu peration
Howpver, some oS th e optimisations will have task sp ecific aspects which will require the specific knowledge of the operator. It seams obvious that robot suppliers will have to develop
intelligent assistance functions that allow robot operators to optimize the energy consumption of their system, with respect to their specific demands and diverse knowledge levels of robot operators.
3.8	Service Robotics becomes Innovation Motor for Industrial Robotics
Until recently, mobile robot systems -although being quite frequently discussed and described in the media -had only a minor share in the overall robotics market. Driven by home and military applications, the number of installed systems has dramatically increased during the last few years. Global market outlooks (as shown in Figure 6) predict extreme growth rates for service robots already for the near future. This development proviCes [promising pecrpectives to the field of industrial robots, since all the technology used in service robots will become easily available and r by the economy of scale - low cost. By this means, service robotics may become an important innovation driverfor industrial robotics.
3.9	Human-Robot Collaboration
Rodots are pa rticularly advantar geous in context with recurring tasks. By sontrast, hrman workers have unique cognitive skills when it
Global robot market outlook
120 10060 60 -40 ZOH
(Unit: $ tullior)
Total market
Servtce robots
(85% oí total)
1999 2003 2005 2007 2009 2013 20(5 Source Ministry of Knowledge & Economy - South Korea, Jan. 2011
2016
2019
Figure 6. (Global robot market outlook [Ministry of Knowledge and Economy, South Korea, 2011]
Figure 7. Human-Robotlnteraction [14]
comes to problem solving and situation-related responses. The cooperation of humans and robots will combine these strengths in the future, such that complex and even nonrecurring tasks can be performed in a more economical manner.
As many of the safety-related problems have been solved [8], the human-robot collaboration might soon help industrial robots to gain a higher share in non-typimal applications such as:
•	Food processing industry
•	Medical applications
•	Small and medium sized enterprises and
•	Entertainment applications.
4 Conclusions and Outlook
The ability of industrial robot systems to improve the quality and efficiency of processes has made them an irreplaceable part of modern prodaction.
As a conseuuence, the general perspectives for the robotics industry are promising: napid technological
growth in all relevant areas will significantly foster the advancement of industrial robotics in the near future. Thus, robots will find their way into ever increasing levels of complex manufacturing tasks. In the long run, robot systems are likely to transform from task specific devices to highly flexible, ubiquitous helpers in modern production environments. However, the growing global competition and increasingly strong saturation effects in classical markets, forces robot manufacturers to strengthen their innovation efforts. Even more, the generation of innovations alone will not be sufficient. With respect to the shortening of product development cycles, a structured approach to this innovation challenge is be-cnming more and more essential. In this context, the analysis of innovation drivers as well as the identification of potential fields of innovation - as they are presented in this anticle - nan serve as a helpful tool for the identification of relevant research and development areas. Thus, the considerations presented, can not only support original robot equipment manufacturers but can also help component and system suppliers to get a clearer picture of futu re robot systems and rel ated business opportunities.
Literature/References
[1]	VDMA, Statistics on „Robotik und Automation"
[2]	World Robotics 2011, International Federation of Robotics, IFR
[3]	A Roadmap for US Robotics, University of Southern California et al., May. 2009
[4]	Robotic Visions to 2020 and Beyond, Europ - European Robotics Plattform, July 2009
[5]	Risager, C.; Robot Technology Driven Innovation, Danish Technological Institute
[6]	Markus Lotz; Hartmut Bruhm; Alexander Czinki; Michael Zal-ewski (2011): A real-time motion control strategy for redundant robots improving dynamics and accuracy. In: 3rd International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems (ICUMT 2011 Budapest). Budapest, Hungary.
[7]	M. Sauer, F. Leutert, K. Schilling: An Augmented Reality Supported Control System for Remote Operation and Monitoring of an Industrial Work Cell. In: Proceedings 2nd IFAC Symposium on Telematics Applications, 2010.
[8]	Haddadin, Sami und Albu-Sc häffer, Alin und Hirzinger, Gerd (2009) Requirements for Safe Robots: Measurements, Analysis and New Insights. The International Journal of Robotics Research. DOI: doi:10.1177/ 0278364909343970. ISSN 02783649.
[9]	Spiller, Alexander; Verl, Alexander (2010): Superimposed Force/Torque-Control of Cooperating Robots. In: ISR / ROBOTIK. Proceedings for the joint conference of ISR 2010 (41st International Symposium on Robotics) und ROBOTIK 2010 (6th German Conference on Robotics), 7-9 June 2010. Berlin, Offenbach: VDE VERLAG, S. 531-537.
[10]	Czinki, Alexander; Bruhm Hartmut: Industrial Robotics - Status Qoo and Future Trends, ASIM'11, Übersichtsvortrag, 7th Conference on Automation of Handling and Assembly ASM 2011, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2011
[11]	Markus Lotz; Hartmut Bruhm; Alexander Czinki; Michael Zal-ewski (2011): A real-time motion control strategy for redundant
robots improving dynamics and accuracy. In: 3rd International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems (ICUMT 201). Budapest, Hungary.
[12] Bruhm, Hartmut (1992): Untersuchungen zur Handhabung grosser Objekte durch Roboter mit kraftschlüssig kooperierenden Armen. Düsseldorf:
VDI-Verl. (Fortschritt-Berichte / VDI Reihe 8, Mess-, Steuerungsund Regelungstechnik, Nr. 280).
[13]	„Sparpotenzial: So wird der Robotereinsatz energieeffizient", KUKA Robotics Newsletter 03/12R.
[14]	Bischoff; V. Schmirgel; M. Suppa; The SME Worker's Third Hand, www.smerobot.org
Pomen inovacij v prihodnosti industrijske robotike
Razširjeni povzetek: Prispevek se na podlagi objav večjih robotskih proizvajalcev in lastnih ocen avtorja osredotoča na možnosti in potrebe uvajanja inovacij v današnji in prihodnji razvoj industrijske robotike. Obravnava tudi glavne razloge za uvajanje inovacij v robotiko kakor tudi razvrstitev in razlago glavnih inovacij na področju robotike. Prispevek zato lahko služi kot koristno orodje za identifikacijo ustreznih raziskovalnih in razvojnih področij v prihodnosti robotike in je lahko v pomoč dobaviteljem komponent in sistemov, da bi dobili jasnejšo sliko o prihodnjih robotskih sistemih.
Glede na prvo resno uporabo v industrijskem okolju v zgodnjih 70-ih letih prejšnjega stoletja robotiki ne moremo več prisoditi značilnih lastnosti nastajajoče oz. nove tehnologije. Pravzaprav so roboti postali standardna oprema v sodobnih proizvodnih okoljih, ki zagotavljajo hitro in zanesljivo izvajanje rutinskih operacij, kot so npr. standardne »pick-and-place« naloge v montažnem procesu. Zato se proizvajalci klasičnih robotskih konfiguracij vse bolj soočajo z vedno močnejšo konkurenco na trgu, kar jih sili v osvajanje novih trgov z uvajanjem inovativnih rešitev ter novih tehnologij.
Medtem ko so morali proizvajalci robotov v preteklosti razvijati večji del strojne opreme sami, bodo v prihodnje vse bolj in bolj uporabljali razvojne dosežke drugih visokotehnoloških področij, kot so mobilne komunikacije, igralne konzole in podobne rešitve. Čeprav bo pogosto potrebna prilagoditev teh komponent industrijskim aplikacijam robotskih sistemov, bodo stroški bistveno nižji v primerjavi s stroški polnega financiranja lastnega razvoja. Glavna področja nujnega uvajanja inovacij v robotiki so podrobneje predstavljena v poglavju 3 oz. njegovih podpoglavjih.
Očitno je namreč, da bodo inovacije igrale ključno vlogo v prihodnosti robotike pri osvajanju tehnoloških prednosti na vse bolj globaliziranem trgu. V prispevku so glavni gonilniki oz. možnosti ter potrebe po uvajanju inovacij predstavljeni z vidika različnih aplikacij in scenarijev v sodobni robotiki. Povečan obseg aplikacij zagotavlja niše za specializirana podjetja, pa tudi potencial rasti za glavne akterje na trgu.
Ključne besede: industrijska robotika, inovacije v robotiki, inovativni gonilniki v robotiki, aplikacije v robotiki, trendi v robotiki
\ J
slrDjrisluD.com

s^zsmanr
always in control
Vse v enem
nadzor gibanja napredna logika strojni vid
jLi/g/ omRon
JJiSi ^^ DISTRIBUTOR Elementi in sistemi za industrijsko avtomatizacijo
MIEL Elektronika d.o.o. Efenkova cesta 61 SI-3320 Velenje
T: 03 898 57 50 F: 03 898 57 60
E: info@miel.si	www.miel.si
realizing