Robotic bagging of insoles
Jesús Arregui, M. Dolores Fabregat, José Francisco Gómez and Eduardo Calabuig, INESCOP, Spain
The European APRIL project (multi-purpose robotics for mAniPulation of defoRmable materIaLs in manufacturing process) aims to develop a new generation of robotic cells to innovate the handling of flexible and deformable materials for the manufacture of different products by European industry, in sectors as diverse as meat, small household appliances or the manufacture of viscoelastic elements. Its aim is to create prototypes of autonomous, dexterous and market-oriented robots that provide new ways of automating, assembling or processing different soft materials that are widely involved in most industrial processes but which, until now, have been a major handicap for their robotic treatment on the production line.
INESCOP is specifically working within the footwear sector to resolve the challenge of robotic bagging of insoles. It is tackling the problem with a twofold objective. On the one hand, the aim is to free the operator from repetitive and tedious tasks which, without requiring much strength, can cause injuries due to muscule fatigue. On the other hand, it is intended to achieve an improvement in the technological level of the workplace, moving from a low-profile operator to an operator supervising a robotic system.
Creating a robotic cell
In order to achieve this double objective, it has been necessary to first analyse the elements to be handled and the restrictions imposed on the process itself. Here, we are faced with insoles that not only have different sizes and colours but which, depending on their intended use, are made of different materials or combinations of them. These include pieces of rubber or gel, which implies a great variability in thickness or even the way in which their weight is distributed over their surface. All these conditions make them difficult to grip and handle. Furthermore, the bags in which they are packed are also a major challenge due to their tight dimensions and very light substance, plus the fact that they are made of acetate and are mostly transparent.
Based on these assumptions, the INESCOP team has developed and implemented the components that make up the robotic cell. These include an insole conveyor, a bag dispenser that fixes and opens the bags and, finally, a sealing machine to carry out the final process of closing the bags with the insoles inside them.
From this point on, INESCOP is working closely with the other project partners to ensure that a robotic hand, developed by Prensilia, is able to correctly grasp the insoles, a task led by Scuola Superiore Santa Anna (SSSA). The robot performs the precise movements necessary to insert a pair of insoles into a bag which has been previously placed and opened. It then grasps the bag and transfers it for its final heat sealing. For these procedures INESCOP has been assisted by Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenzhttps (DFKI) and Polands Przemyslowy Instytut Automatyki iPomiarów (PIAP), which has supplied the sensorisation needed to operate the different parts of the robotic cell.
Finally, all of this is supervised by an intelligent artificial vision system, developed by TREELogic of Italy that does not only identify and locate the different elements involved in the process, but also monitors the environment and identifies possible interference by human operators with the support of Istituto Italiano di Tecnología (IIT). Whether accidental or as part of the process itself, it can even identify gestures that anticipate actions related to the safety of a collaborative human-robot environment, for which we are supported by KONTOR46.
A holistic solution
The essence of the APRIL project, coordinated by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), is that the system that has been developed is intended to be a holistic solution that can be feasible for six different usage cases. These are ASINCAR for the meat sector, OSAI for electronic components, PEMU for viscoelastic pillows, SILVERLINE for small household appliances, INCM for passports and INESCOP for the footwear sector. All are industrial sectors where complex handling of flexible and deformable elements is coupled with a necessary collaboration with human operators.
The project on which INESCOP is working, the bagging of insoles as described, is intended to be only one example of possible applications in the footwear sector and expectations for the project are much more ambitious. The creation of an ‘APRIL System’, capable of adapting to different robotic cells where special dexterity is required in the manipulation of flexible elements, opens the door to the robotisation of industrial processes that have been vetoed until now.
The possibility of having a suitable sensorisation protocol, with a configurable artificial vision system, in charge of supervising the process and monitoring the environment, including interaction with human operators, would be a highly valuable tool for the incorporation of robotics in manufacturing sectors where the participation of the operator is particularly relevant. The aim is to free operators in these industries from tedious or potentially harmful tasks that do not provide any value, while maintaining their dedication to specific jobs and incorporating training and monitoring functions of the robotic system.
In short, the APRIL project represents an ambitious challenge for automation in industries that, like the footwear industry, play an important part in Europe’s industrial fabric, but which must make use of new technologies to improve their competitiveness using solutions adapted to their special characteristics and at an affordable cost. These autonomous robots must be capable of working with different materials which are generally flexible and deformable and which must not suffer any damage. Robots need to interact with the industrial environment and, above all, guarantee safety in their collaboration with human operators, recognising their intentions and even foreseeing their movements to improve the conditions of the working environment.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 870142
A robotic hand is central to the bagging process.
All Credits: INESCOP
