Reconfigurable Robots towards the Manufacturing of the Future
Thank you for the comments. To my knowledge there is is not a KBS for reconfigurable robots.
Nikos Aspragathos
There's a lot of talk about modular robotics at the moment, but I haven't read much about applications in manufacturing. Do you think reconfigurable robots can provide a genuine advantage in the near future? What machines do you think that they can replace?
Further into the future, as the modules get smaller, the number of machines that they can replicate should increase...
Thank you for your paper.
There is an extensive body of work on modular robots already. Can you please clarify the differences between a reconfigurable and modular robot?
The reconfigurable robots concept is an advancement of the modular robots towards the factory of the future. Modular robots built up by electromechanical devices (modules) with central control and design methods like the fixed configuration robots. On the other hand the reconfigurable robots are based on the advances of the intelligent control and optimization theory and informatics technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Embedded systems, distributed intelligence and control. The modules are self-contained mechatronic devices with ability to communicate with other modules. Therefore reconfigurable robots can be reconfigured rapidly, and present great autonomy and optimal performance and cost.
The word “reconfigurable” represents better this new trend in robotics and manufacturing systems since characterize the potential of the configuration of the robot or system to be easily and rapidly reconfigured while the word “modular” focus mainly on the module and less to a system approach.
At the present, the applications of the reconfigurable robots in manufacturing are quite limited. However the technology and the research advances are very promising.
The reconfigurable robots would replace mostly current fixed configuration industrial robots.
Thank you for the interesting article. Are there any KBS for configuration of such robots or they are still to be developed?