Humanoid robots for SMEs

Humanoid robots differ from the industrial robots available on the market in terms of their design and mobility. Their appearance is more or less modeled on the human body, so that they could be used in workplaces that were originally designed for humans. In the future, this could open up new automation possibilities, for example in handling, and relieve the burden on companies, especially in times of a shortage of skilled workers. The potential that many associate with the technology is correspondingly high.

This potential was also identified in a study recently published by Fraunhofer IPA as part of the AI Progress Center 'Learning Systems and Cognitive Robotics': 'Humanoid robots: game changer or aberration? The survey of over 100 experts revealed that 45% of the participating small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) see potential in humanoids and are interested in using them.

At the same time, the study highlights the uncertainties associated with the new technology. These lie primarily in realistic application possibilities as well as economic and safety issues.

This is precisely where the 'KMUmanoid' research project comes in. The participating research teams from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA are taking important steps to make the use of humanoid robots accessible to SMEs and thus secure production and jobs in Baden-Württemberg in the long term. To this end, four promising potential applications for humanoid robots at SMEs are being identified and simulated on the basis of extensive research work. In addition to the technical feasibility, the economic viability of the application will be examined in particular. For SMEs, the decisive factor here is not only the acquisition costs but also how time-consuming it is to train the robot for a new task.

A humanoid robot will be set up as a demonstrator for the assembly of a gearbox, and three further application examples will be implemented in simulations. The scientists are also looking at safety challenges and developing proposals for supplementing safety standards. The simulated application possibilities are projected into real working environments using augmented reality, so that applications are intuitively accessible even if no experience has yet been gained with humanoids. The simulation will also provide information on critical points such as accessibility, space requirements and necessary safety distances.

Project results for practical use

Both the real and the simulated demonstrators will show companies possible applications for humanoid robots. In addition, two guidelines are being developed in KMUmanoid: one for the economic use and a second for the safe use of humanoid robots. With these results, the project aims to pave the way for SMEs to test humanoids. At the same time, it provides a basis for further research projects to advance the technology in SMEs. Companies interested in the use of humanoid robots are invited to submit their application ideas.