Evolution of field roboticsautomation.tkk.fi/attach/AS-84-3144/Evolution of field robotics.pdf · •Mobile working machines •Market •Differencies between indoor and field robots

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Evolution of field robotics

Prof. Jussi Suomela

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Contents

• Why field robotics (off-road workingmachines)

• Mobile working machines

• Market

• Differencies between indoor and field robots

• Evolution in field robotics

• Commercial SoA, Automine

• Conclusions

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Why field robotics

Manufacturing of mobile work machines is

remarkable industry in Finland

Turnover ~ 6 Beur, 18 000 employees (2008)

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Mobile off-road work machines

• Huge amount of different type of machines

• Typically classified according to the application:– Construction (and mining) machines or earth-

moving machines

– Transportation of goods or material handling equipment

– The municipal or janitorial machines

– Agricultural (and forestry) machines

• Overlapping exists in all groups

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Construction and mining

• Large variety

• Both manipulative

(excavators) and

transporting

(dumpers)

• Loaders can be both

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Material handling

• Mainly transporting

• Forklifts

• AGVs (mainly indoors)

• Terminal machines– RTGs

– Straddle carriers

– Reach stackers

– Terminal tractors

– Etc.

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Janitorial

• Partly overlapping

with construction and

agriculture

• A lot of on-road

vehicles also

• Small sized tractors,

loaders, dumpers

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Agricultural• Tractor is the core of

agriculture machines

• Acessories make the

work

• Typically continuous

load or transporting

• Forestry machines

– Both manipulative and

transporting

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Worldwide market ~300BUSDMarket 2008

Construction and mining 120 BUSD

Agricultural 95 BUSD

Transportation and Janitorial 100 BUSD

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Evolution / trends

• Productivity and machine safety– Decreasing emissions and fuel consumption

– Operator comfort

– Smooth and easy traction/actuator control

– Enhanced automation• Load sensing

• Actuator positioning

• HMI/Data transfer/operator information

• Fully autonomous operation / teleoperation

• Two-way trend1. Very task specific machines

2. Multipurpose machines with several add-ons

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Service vs. field robotics

• Same subsystems, differentenvironmentalrequirements

• Field machines are typicallybigger and often operate in groups

• Service robots typicallynew type of machines (and new market)

• Field robots mainly existingmachines with extendedautomation existingmarket

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Automine

”The aim of GIM is to become the leading research group of its kind in the world.”

Conclusions

• Off-road working machines are a

remakable market

• Autonomous solutions have quietly

sneaked to the market

• Fully autonomous solutions only in few

application areas but the trend is clear