Handyman

Project start March 2007. Expected completion March 2011.

The project is completed.

The purpose of Handyman is to improve Denmark’s international competitiveness in the area of robots for advanced item handling in industry. There is a need for extremely flexible robots, which enable an automatic, profitable and competitive production of items in small ranges with complex handling processes. New conditions for value creation in Western production will be introduced.

The Platform organises the research and innovation efforts according to seven fields of technology and four fields of application. The technology fields express the platform’s professional competences and the application fields are the applications with greatest relevance and potential for the industry.

The point of departure has the potential for commercial application, as well as research results on an international level. The selection of partners, the organisation of the effort and the involvement of Danish production companies ensure an optimal exchange between industrial users, robotics companies and research institutions.

Project Objectives
The four fields of application are based on one or more companies’ concrete need for advanced item handling, which creates the basis for industrial application of the platform’s results:

• Pluck items from a pallet, box or conveyor belt.
• Mount items in or on other items.
• Place, pack and hang items in boxes and on hooks, racks, shelves and pallets.
• Specific and promising use of the technology.

The seven fields of technology are based on one or more companies’ concrete need for advanced item handling, which creates the basis for industrial application of the platform’s results:

• Sensors and processing of sensor data in robot based grabbing systems
• Mechanical construction and mobility mechanisms
• Materials with which the robots handle and interact.
• Processes carried out by the robots
• Line planning, collision free and reliable movement.
• Intelligent user-robot and robot-robot interaction
• Integration of the system of components that constitutes the robot and its surroundings.

Participants

• The Danish Technological Institute
• Bila A/S
• Grundfos A/S
• mh Martin Hansen A/S
• RoboCluster
• Scape Technologies A/S
• University of Southern Denmark, Technical Faculty
• TriVision ApS
• Unisensor A/S
• Universal Robots ApS

Activities

• Automatic Rotor holster –Tools for grabbing items in a box.
• Flexible Bin Picking - 3D-vision with only one camera.
• Leak Control – Handling of different pipe types for tightness test.
• Mix trays - Packing of flower pots.
• Ring on Hook – Items are suspended on a conveyor belt system.
• Sensory Griber - Integration of sensors / grabbing hands.
• Separation of laundry - Automatic handling of laundry.