Scientific Area: Engineering and Technology.

EXPR: Production Technology.

Name of the service: Flexible Automation.

Main responsible: Fredrik Danielsson – Professor.

Category of the service: Research group.

Target group: Industry.

Scientific refence:

The research group specializes in advanced automation systems with several key focuses: 1. Plug & Produce: Modular systems that allow for seamless integration of new products and resources into existing setups without significant downtime. 2. Smartness: Incorporating AI systems with multi-agent technology, machine learning, and optimized decision-making for enhanced efficiency. 3. Circularity: Developing automation systems that facilitate the reuse of resources such as robots, machines, and tools. 4. Human-Centric: Designing systems centered around human interaction for production planning and collaborative features for safe human-machine engagement. 5. Flexibility: Creating systems that can quickly adapt to changing requirements without extensive reprogramming. The group envisions a future of sustainable smart automation that integrates human perspectives, responding to the limited focus on human-centric design in Industry 4.0 (I4.0). The emergence of Industry 5.0 (I5.0) aims to balance technology with sustainability and resilience. At University West, research on self-adaptive systems enhances the agility and interoperability of automated manufacturing, supporting equipment life extension. This interoperability relies on adaptable agents that collaborate using tailored Large Language Models (LLMs). The group explores AI-driven automation techniques such as deep learning, reinforcement learning, and generative adversarial networks to tackle real-world challenges. The ultimate goal is to create automation systems that understand user intentions without requiring programming, leveraging AI performance to advance automation capabilities.

Offer description:

The research group have an edge within this field and emphasize: Plug & Produce: Modular automation systems, where new products and resources can be seamlessly incorporated into an existing system without significant downtime or complex setup. Smartness: AI systems, incorporating multi-agent technology, machine learning, and optimised decision-making. Circularity: Automation systems that enable the reuse of resources (robots, machines, tools etc.) and products. Human-Centric: Automation systems that are centred around (i) human interaction for production planning and (ii) collaborative features for smart and safe human-machine interaction. Flexibility: Automation systems that quickly adapt to changing requirements, product variations, or external factors without the need for extensive reprogramming. The human-centric smart automation envisions the development of sustainable smart automation systems that integrate human perspectives. As a response to the lack of human-centric perspectives in I4.0, Industry 5.0 (I5.0) has recently arisen to balance and complement the dominating emphasis on technology by focusing on sustainability, human-centric, and resilience. At University West we work on self-adaptive systems that enhance the agility and interoperability of automated manufacturing to support equipment life extension. The interoperability will be based on adaptable agents that collaborate by leveraging tailored Large Language Models (LLMs) to devise comprehensive solutions. Our research in AI-driven automation explores techniques such as deep learning, reinforcement learning, and generative adversarial networks to address real-world challenges in diverse industrial settings. We focus on AI based planning; AI planning involves the process of generating sequences of actions to achieve specific goals. The final goal is automation systems that require no programming but understanding of what the user wants. We utilize the performance of AI to reach the next level of automation.