Today, service robots provide services in various environments: Whether as helpers in production and logistics or in private households when vacuuming or mowing the lawn - robots relieve the burden on humans and are often intuitive to operate. Despite their undisputed potential, however, service robots are still not very widespread in the professional environment. There are several reasons for this: Even though robotics hardware is now less expensive, programming and customization often involve a great deal of effort and high costs. In addition, the integration of robot software into existing IT networks is a further challenge. These barriers are a particular deterrent for German SMEs, even though they can benefit considerably from service robotics.

This is where the open platform of the SeRoNet research project comes in. In order to help professional service robot solutions achieve a breakthrough and thus sustainably improve the competitiveness of various industries in Germany, the platform is intended to enable the automated, flexible and therefore economical configuration of service robotics solutions. The funded project is one of the 17 projects of the PAiCE technology program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).

From the value chain to the value network

Medium-sized production companies in Germany are currently barely utilizing the potential of modern service robotics. The SeRoNet funding project therefore aims to connect users, system integration service providers, robotics and component manufacturers in the field of service robotics with the help of an IT platform. On the platform, production companies and other potential users of service robots can find out about existing solutions and find partners for their own customized solutions. The platform connects suitable providers according to individual requirements and supports the entire process for manufacturers, service providers and users, from task specification to development and delivery. Different providers can develop software based on a division of labor and in dialog with the customer and combine it across the board between manufacturers and service providers. The classic linear value chain is broken and replaced by a value network in which all players cooperate dynamically according to their competencies. At a technical level, the software components can be combined and reused across manufacturers so that existing solution elements can be used as required. Once a component has been developed, it can be used for several tasks and in conjunction with components from other manufacturers. This reduces software development costs.

Insight into the future

In order to get to the heart of the current state of service robotics and the resulting necessary improvements, it is useful to take a look at the situation and the objectives of SeRoNet.

Currently, the effort and therefore the costs involved in adapting and programming a service robot for a given task are still very high, which is why such solutions rarely become established in the business environment. The software integration of a robot system into the user's existing IT network is also complicated and involves a great deal of effort, which is why the development of application-specific software and robot solutions currently only pays off from quantities of 20 to 30 systems. Furthermore, the service robotics market is characterized by a lack of transparency: To date, there has been a lack of infrastructure that provides customers with an overview of different offerings. There has been little or no exchange between users, manufacturers and system integrators along the supply chain.

This information and communication gap on the German and international market motivates the objective of the SeRoNet project. The open platform and the division of labor between users, manufacturers and service providers in all phases of development can avoid cost-intensive errors and changes. The platform is intended to reduce the acquisition and integration costs for service robotics solutions to such an extent that they will also become affordable for SMEs, thus relieving employees of repetitive tasks and increasing the competitiveness of companies. Investment security in the form of good adaptability of the robot system to changing business requirements and the long-term availability of expansions and development services is a decisive factor here. Complex control software can be created individually from reusable modules with little effort, and the robot system can be modularly constructed and expanded; this ensures profitability from the very first robot. The platform connects potential service robotics users with the right system integrator and the right components (manufacturers) according to their requirements profile. The various market participants can offer and request their products via the platform, which ensures a high level of transparency of the suppliers and components available on the market. To ensure that these components can also be used in different systems across manufacturers and can therefore be reused, they must comply with uniform interface standards based on OPC UA and other industry-driven standards. The platform supports the development and maintenance of these standards based on a division of labor.

In order to achieve these goals, SeRoNet is testing solutions in various areas of professional service robotics. Three pilot demonstrators that can be transferred to variable service robotics fields of application are being realized: One demonstrator performs the precise counting and packaging of pharmaceutical products in the intralogistics of a pharmaceutical supplier, while another provides services for hospital staff by transporting care utensils from the warehouse to the room as required. The third provides support in the assembly of the automotive industry by performing assistance tasks and screwing at a manual workstation. In parallel, existing software frameworks for robotics were examined for their strengths and weaknesses as a basis for open, modular and model-driven software development in service robotics. The initial results of the still young project can be viewed on the project homepage(http://www.seronet-projekt.de).

Not just theory, but practice

In the coming year, the platform will undergo an open practical test before going live in around two years' time. From summer 2019, the project will invite component manufacturers and system integrators to present themselves and their products and services on the SeRoNet market platform in a financially supported open call. The first service robotics users will then be able to have solutions developed for their automation tasks from the beginning of 2020. The online platform for the sale and development of software components for service robotics should be successfully established on the German market by the beginning of 2021 at the latest and will then contribute its share to the implementation of Industry 4.0. Modern service robotics solutions should then no longer be a dream of the future, even for SMEs, but should present realistic, affordable and feasible opportunities.

Dr. Björn Kahl, Project Manager SeRoNet, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA /ag