In the future digital reality, automated solutions are not just fed sensor-based input, but also continuously generate potentially valuable sensoric data. By Morten Andersen
Professor Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard of Syddansk Universitet (SDU) is on a mission:
“There is a wealth of opportunities waiting to be grasped as automated systems generate large amounts of data during operation. However, it will take a new kind of collaboration to get there.” More specifically, the aim of this new type of collaboration will be joining the skills of robotic specialist with software specialist in Internet-of-Things (IoT), which is Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard’s own field. “Hopefully, the robotics session at Digital Tech Summit can be a first step to establish this type of collaboration. As far as I am aware, we have not seen an initiative of this kind before in Denmark.”
Use case: facility management
To illustrate the potential, think of IoT sensors capturing human activities and a robot for cleaning. The sensors produce data on which surfaces have been used and while performing its task, the robot can easily generate data about the state of the surfaces. This data can be used for facility management in many ways. Firstly, the cleaning can be adjusted according to the actual need to minimize the cost of robots. Another use is to assess the general wear of the floors and possibly other parts of the building to schedule due repair works rather than waiting for damage to appear. However, while the potential is easily understood, there is more to the story, Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard explains: “There is quite a bit of way from being able to generate a lot of data to making it useful. We need to find the best way to handle these data.”
Closing the gap to IoT
Some processing should take place very locally, possibly integrated in the functionality of the robot, while other data should be transmitted, for instance via IoT solutions to local or central units. Some data is processed automatically while other is the foundation for user collaboration. “This system needs to be optimized, and we also need to consider issues such as data privacy etc. Only through input from both software developers and robot specialists can we address these questions. However, they seem to live in separate worlds. This is the gap, which we have to close.” At the time of writing, three companies involved in IoT and robotics – UbiqiSense, Enabled Robotics, and Universal Robots – have announced their participation in the session. They all have ongoing collaboration with Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard’s group within software and the robotics community at the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute at SDU “We will probably present some industrial use cases. However, I would like to underscore that the main focus at the session will not so much be specific domains. This is a very general type of challenge. An application might well be inside an industrial plant, but the solutions that we strive to develop will be equally relevant in entirely different environments like, say, a hospital using sensors to optimize its logistics.”
Denmark is well positioned
It may not sound obvious that a small country should be among the first movers in a field that surely has the attention of all industrialized countries? “Actually, we are well positioned to take on this challenge in Denmark,” Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard comments. “What we are talking about here is the integration of a range of different technologies where we have strong communities. This is something we have done successfully in many other contexts. To succeed, you do not necessarily need to develop each technology yourself. Some things can be taken off a shelf, while more critical elements will have to be developed in-house.”Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard posing behind a robotic arm in his lab
