Robots in Industry. Past,present and future of a growing collaboration with humans

Robots have been part of automation systems for a very long time, and in public perception, they are often synonymous with automation and industrial revolution perse. Fueled by Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things (IoT) concepts as well as by new software technologies, the field of robotics in industry is currently undergoing a revolution on its own. This article gives an overview of the evolution of robotics from its beginnings to recent trends like collaborative robotics, autonomous robots, and human- robot interaction. Particular attention is devoted to the deep changes of the last decades, from the traditional industrial scenario based on isolated robotic cells up to the most recent coworking and collaborative robots. The role of robotics in the Industry 4.0 framework is analyzed, and the relationships with industrial communications and software technologies are also discussed. Some future directions for robotics are envisaged, focusing on the contributions coming from new materials, sensors, actuators, and technologies. Open issues are highlighted as well as the main barriers that currently limit the deployment of industrial robots in the small and medium enterprise (SME) world

Industrial robotics in factory automation: from the early stage to the Internet of Things

Robotics is a surprisingly old discipline, and robots have shaped industry and the various industrial revolutions for many decades. This paper covers topics relevant to the IES Technical Committee on Factory Automation, focusing in particular on the evolution of industrial robotics. After providing a historical perspective on the topic, the paper addresses current and future trends, revealing the close link between the progress in industrial robotics and the parallel evolution of industrial communication systems, which represent an enabling technology for modern industrial robotics.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

An off-line robot motion planning approach for the reduction of the energy consumption

The paper proposes an off-line robot motion planning approach, aimed at the reduction of the energy consumption, for any trajectory defined on a set of target points including some “fly” ones, i.e., points that must not be exactly reached by the robot. The proposed solution is based on the search for alternative paths close to the fly target points originally defined by the operator, and on the computation of the mechanical and total energy associated to each single possible motion defined for the generated alternative paths. A branch and bound algorithm is employed to scan all the possible motions and find the complete trajectory that corresponds to the minimum energy consumption. The approach has been implemented in a software architecture that exploits some COMAU software modules, but it could be easily adapted to generic, similar modules. The results that have been experimentally obtained for two typical industrial cycles, performed by a COMAU Racer robot, can be considered as very satisfying