Robotics and Automation –
What’s next?
Gunnar Bolmsjö
2014-10-31
Background
• Efficient manufacturing provides products at low cost for people
• Developments during WWII generated important technologies
• Servo control
• Computers
• Computer controlled machines and robots scale up
• Capacity, productivity
• Power exerted during operations
• Demographics
• Productivity increase vs. demand increase?
• What’s Next?
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What does a childbearing below the
replacement fertility rate mean?
• Fertility rate of approx. 1.9 child per woman
• The population decreases to approx. 80 percent after 100 years
• Fertility rate of approx. 1.3 child per woman
• The population decreases to approx. 25 percent after 100 years
• Fertility rate of 1.5 child per woman
• Critical level to sustain population balance through immigration and society ass a
whole (Source: Mc Donald P. (2000) Gender equity, social institutions and the future of fertility)
• BUT: what about consumption, way of life, trust in society and welfare?
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What’s next?
• Robot soldiers
• Robot hands
• Power, control and cognitive capabilities
• Collaboration human – robot and safe operation  work scenarios
• Explore the unknown: Flagship projects like “Graphene” and “The
Human Brain”
• Produce on demand, anywhere, low waste, controlled quality, low
cost
• Examples from Automatics: two arms, high speed examples, Justin,
iCube, schunk hand, robot soldier  one movie
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Automation and
autonomy
–
some examples
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Man vs. Machine – developments over time
34 km drive in 2 days
7.3 and 11.6 km in
3.5 years
The first geologist and scientist brought home
superior samples from the moon
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Apollo 17, 1972
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Spirit and Opportunity, Mars, 2004
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Autonomy, adaptive control, drones…
• Audi drive in automatic mode at
Hockenheim Oct 2014
• Autonomous control provides
tremendous opportunities
• Can drone technology be part of
production?
• What are the limits?
• How will this technology change
society, market, behavior?
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Drones and services…
• DHL and Deutsche Post
test fast delivery to an
island 12 km in the sea
• Idea: Can this be
implemented in a factory
to transport goods
between machines or
robots?
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R&D in many areas “Join
Forces” in Automation and
Robotics
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From mass production to mass customization
• Human – machine collaboration
• Smart robots, or robots as a coworker
• Additive manufacturing
• Internet of Things – know your
goods
• Big data – know what happens
with you goods
• Cyber Physical Systems – take
control over your goods
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Collaboration mode
Photo: GB
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Standardization
Öresund bridge at sunset
Photo: GB
• Deploy in a harmonized
way
• “Best practice”
• Global reach
• Everything can be made
everywhere – in theory
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New materials – new opportunities
•
•
•
•
•
•
Graphene
The Human Brain Project
Genetics
Hybrid and composite materials
Additive processes
Joining principles – combining
materials
BMW i8
Photo: GB
• Speed in the innovation process
is greater than ever before
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Manufacturing in focus:
What is this? Politics, or what?
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It’s about global competition
•
•
•
•
Protecting the welfare state
Compete in producing goods and services on a globalized market
Attract people – the future will see a demand for skill and competence
Create a sustainable society built on stability, trust and safety
One example:
• Money earned for retirement is in reality just numbers on a paper
• The big question is: What can you actually buy for these numbers in 10, 20,
30 years?
• What are you interested in buying?
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Similar programs elsewhere?
Leadership in Manufacturing:
• Industrie 4.0 (Germany)
• Made in the USA – actions by the Obama administration to address
R&D in manufacturing in the USA
• Horizon 2020 – the largest R&D program in the world. Also addressing
production and related areas
• SIO production and similar initiatives in Sweden
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Trends and reflection
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Fierce and global competition
 Skill and competence – a key to success in the future
 Speed of change is an irritating important factor today and more in
the future
 Sustainable manufacturing, industrial services and mass
customization
 Can demand increase balance increase in productivity?
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From symmetry to asymmetry
• In the past:
• A work or product was valued in relation to the effort (physical or in time) to
make the product or service
• In the near future:
• A work or product will be valued related to functions provided, and no or little
connection to resources spent for producing the product or service
• A few will get all revenue
• how will this affect consumers?
• How will “hard to automate” services survive?
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Conclusions
• R&D from many areas “join forces” into automation and robotics
• Cognitive capabilities multiply the use of future robots
• Collaboration between human and robot(s) combines skill, power and
control
• New materials and processes will provide new and unknown
opportunities
• Automation has a global outreach today – any cost, any market (if
quality matters)
• The local view: buy robots and outcompete others!
• The global view: do we need all products and services provided?
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