COBOLLEAGUE

COBOLLEAGUE project is based on the development of a highly modular, autonomous and collaborative ground robot for the autonomous transport of materials in the industrial and construction sectors, whose design provides an advanced human-robot collaboration scheme. The robot is focused on autonomous navigation in outdoor industrial environments, which are characterised by uneven terrain and a variety of static and dynamic obstacles.

It is a highly mobile all-terrain modular mobile base designed to transport loads of up to 200 kg. Its design includes features that enable human tracking, human gesture detection and voice-based control. The robot is able to generate a map of its environment and to locate and navigate it reliably and safely, and is capable of performing inter-plant transport tasks or last-mile transport tasks. In addition, this map serves to identify all obstacles, as well as possible cliffs and holes where the robot might fall through or collect data in building environments for use with BIM (Building Information Modeling) building information modelling systems.

COBOLLEAGUE has been supported by the ESMERA (European SMEs Robotics Applications) project, in its call for robotic solutions to industrial challenges. ESMERA is a consortium formed by four technology centres (the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Automation Systems of the University of Patras; the Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives; and the Tekniker Foundation and Technische Universität München), and three industrial partners (Blue Ocean Robotics; COMAU; and R.U. Robots).

COBOLLEAGUE project has been developed in joint collaboration of Robotnik together with the Technology Centre of Catalonia Eurecat.

ROBOTNIK IN THE PROJECT

Within the project, Robotnik has been responsible for providing the mechatronic solution and the development of the conceptual design, safety and human factors, as well as business case validation and industrial engagement. A new kinematic configuration has been developed that provides greater mobility to the RB-VOGUI robot chassis and enables it to perform autonomous transport tasks in urban or unstructured environments with difficult ground conditions. In addition, a 3D laser localisation and navigation system has been developed that has proven to work robustly both indoors and outdoors.