TPT September 2020

White paper examines global robot developments

core technologies in robotics, such as AI and cognition; cognitive mechatronics; socially cooperative human-robot interaction, and model-based design and configuration tools. Germany’s High-Tech Strategy, in part, supports the use of new digital technologies within industry and administration. The “PAiCE” program, with a funding budget of $55mn over five years, emphasises the development of digital industry platforms as well as collaboration between companies using these platforms. In particular, the robotics-oriented projects focus on the creation of platforms for service robotics technology in relevant application areas. Germany is the fifth largest robot market in the world and number one in Europe. With the support of the US government the National Robotics Initiative (NRI) was launched for fundamental robotics research and development. The main goals focus on fundamental science, technologies, and the integrated systems needed to achieve collaborative robots assisting humans in every aspect of life. In NRI 2.0 a collaboration between academia, industry, non-profit, and other organisations is encouraged. The NRI budget for 2019 was $35mn, with additional funding for robotics applications in defense and space provided through the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Mars Exploration Program. Research Inflated outlook for shape-morphing devices Researchers from Harvard’s John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed materials capable of controlling and moulding a balloon into pre-programmed shapes. The system uses kirigami sheets (thin sheets of material with periodic cuts) embedded into an inflatable device. As the balloon expands the cuts in the kirigami sheet guide its shape, permitting expansion in some places and constricting it in others and so creating both large-scale shapes and small features. The team has also developed an algorithm that finds the optimum design for a kirigami inflatable device. Katia Bertoldi, the William and Ami Kuan Danoff Professor of Applied Mechanics at SEAS, and senior author of the study published in Advanced Materials, said the work: “Provides a new platform for shape-morphing devices that could support the design of innovative medical tools, actuators and reconfigurable structures.” Each discrete cut in the kirigami sheet contributes to the larger shape of the balloon, much as a pixel helps form an image on a 2D surface. The researchers found they could control and embed complex shapes by tuning the geometric parameters of the cuts. “By only varying two parameters of the pixels, we

A white paper from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) – “World Robotics R and D Programs” – summarised the important contribution of robots to industry and society, and how vital research funding programs will enable and support these developments. “Each country has its own characteristics of robot programs, based on its specific background and history,” said Professor Dr Jong-Oh Park, vice-chair IFR Research Committee and member of the executive board. “We see that robotics programs set up by the most advanced robotics countries have a very different strategic focus.” The strategic “Made in China 2025” plan acts as a blueprint to upgrade the manufacturing capabilities of Chinese industries, placing advanced robotics among the ten core industries. The Robot Industry Development Plan set goals for China that include the development of at least three globally competitive robot manufacturers; creating eight to ten industrial clusters; achieving 45 per cent of domestic market share for China’s high-end robots; and increasing China’s robot density to 100 robots per 10,000 workers. The New Robot Strategy in Japan was a key policy of the Abenomics Growth Strategy, increasing the robot-related budget for 2019 to $351mn. The IFR’s statistical yearbook, “World Robotics”, names Japan as the world’s major industrial robot manufacturer. The Intelligent Robot Development and Supply Promotion Act of Korea is a move to develop robotics as a core industry in the country. The third basic plan for Intelligent Robots, published in 2019, promotes systematic selection and concentration of promising public and private sectors. Focus areas include manufacturing businesses, selected service robot areas (including healthcare and logistics), next- generation key components and key robot software. The robot-related budget for 2020 is $126mn. World Robotics showed a new record stock of around 300,000 operational industrial robots in the Republic of Korea in 2018. Korea doubled its number of industrial robots in operation in five years, ranking third behind Japan and China in 2018. Robotics projects funded by Horizon 2020, the European Union’s 8 th Framework Program, represent a range of research topics from manufacturing, commercial and healthcare use to consumer, transportation, and agri-food robotics. Through this program the European Commission will provide $780mn funding for robotics research and development over its seven-year lifetime. The main topics of the 2018-2020 work programme are the digitisation of industry through robotics; robotics applications in new areas;

57

www.read-tpt.com

SEPTEMBER 2020