Sen3Bot Net: a meta-sensors network to enable smart factories implementation

Abstract

In the near future, an increasing number of mobile agents working closely with human operators is envisaged in smart factories. In industrial human-shared environments that employ traditional Automated Guided Vehicles, safety can be ensured thanks to the support provided by Autonomous Mobile Robots, acting as a net of meta-sensors. The localization and perception information of each meta-sensor is shared among all mobile platforms. In particular, the information about the dynamic detection of human presence is combined and uploaded in a shared map, increasing the awareness of the mobile robots about their surroundings in a specific working area. This paper proposes an architecture that integrates the meta-sensors with an existing net of Automated Guided Vehicles, with the aim of enhancing systems based on outdated mobile agents that seek for Industry 4.0 solutions without the necessity of a complete renewal. Simulations of test scenarios are provided in order to confirm the validity of the proposed architecture model