Boosting improvements and maximising societal impression. Function of Digital Innovation Hubs in Inspection & Upkeep robotics

By Jovita Tautkevičiūtė

Robotics4EU is a 3-years-long EU-funded challenge which advocates for the broader adoption of AI-based robots in 4 sectors: healthcare, inspection and upkeep of infrastructure, agri-food, and agile manufacturing. Thus, one of many methods wherein Robotics4EU raises consciousness about non-technological points in robotics is delivering a collection of workshops to contain the analysis group, trade representatives and residents.

The workshop “Boosting improvements and maximising societal impression. Function of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) in I&M Robotics” which occurred on the twenty third of February, 2022 analysed the function and contribution of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) to the widespread adoption of robotics in society. How can they improve the implementation of robotics by SMEs and startups into their each day operations? How can they assist to shut the data hole of non-technological problems with robotics in Inspection & Upkeep (I&M)?

These questions had been analysed by 5 consultants: Ebert von Vonderen, Ladislav Vargovcik, Maria Roca, Roi Rodriguez de Bernardo and Christophe Leroux, throughout the displays and panel discussions of the workshop.

Digital Innovation Hubs

What’s Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) and what function does it play? Ebert van Vonderen & Ladislav Vargovcik from DIH Robotics Hub Košice defined what DIH is and the way it works with varied stakeholders: universities, DIH community, SMEs. Generally, DIH serves as a bridge between analysis organizations and trade – expertise and providers suppliers, end-users and SMEs. Within the case of DIH Robotics Hub Košice, technical colleges of Košice College, Prototyping and Innovation Middle established the DIH.

Construction of DIH Robotics Hub Košice

A DIH serves as a one-stop-shop for SMEs to carry their questions. DIHs want to make sure that SMEs have quick access to expertise innovation, are supplied with related providers and coaching for expertise adoption. Because of the efforts of the RIMA community, DIHs are unfold over Europe and work together for I&M prospects, competencies, and share the out there alternatives throughout Europe.

Why are Robotics DIHs necessary for SMEs? They deal with many challenges that come up for firms, aiming to spice up innovation, improve and contribute to robotics implementation. A few of the challenges talked about by Ebert van Vonderen:

• Excessive expertise ranges wanted, advanced duties in I&M
• Excessive Investments wanted
• Competitors, profitability, ROI (profitability is in lots of instances an issue)
• Ecosystem maturity, variations throughout Europe
• Resistances from communities
• Creation of sustainable options

An instance of DIH Robotics Hub Košice’s cooperation with INETEC, excessive tech firm that specialises in robotics, devices and software program was introduced. Magic Lancer II – a robotic for nuclear inspection, was developed below the cooperation of DIH Robotics Hub Košice.

Screenshot of the Magic Lancer II presentation

How one can improve the uptake of expertise?

Christophe Leroux, representing RIMA (Robotics for Inspection & Maintainance) Community defined that RIMA Community connects and conjures up key stakeholders in I&M robotics and goals to speed up innovation and uptake of robotics between these stakeholders. Its essential objective is to assist digitalise European Business. Although the market is estimated with an enormous potential for innovation (450 bn EUR/yr), the bottleneck is the adoption of robotics to market – no actual connection between trade and analysis organisations.

RIMA Community directs its efforts to determine a community of DIHs (presently, it connects 13 DIHs), focussing on robotics in I&M, fund SEMs to assist experimentation, arrange programs to facilitate the uptake of applied sciences and develop new expertise, and inform folks of funding alternatives for enterprise growth.

RIMA community helps SMEs by organising open calls. 15 progressive options had been supported, with the goal to have a social-economic impression win EU with new merchandise, providers, enterprise, established jobs, together with the discount of prices and dangers. RIMA Community gives the next providers to SMEs and analysis organisations:

• Advising (on funds, expertise)
• Proof of Idea
• Help for tech switch
• Help for testing
• Entry to Incubator’s
• Entry to worth chain actors
• Coaching and training
• The market research, offering info to community companions

RIMA Community Targets

ICT innovation for manufacturing SMEs

Maria Roca, I4MS Challenge Supervisor, introduced I4MS (ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs). It’s the initiative promoted by the European Fee to foster the digital innovation of producing SMEs in Europe as a way to enhance their competitiveness within the digital period. The I4MS aim is to contribute to the variation of European SMEs to the present digital transformation challenges by funding & mentorship, coaching and entry to bodily and digital expertise platforms. I4MS connects a group of 1700 members, 42% of them – SMEs. Based on Maria Roca, the organisation has recognized that geographical protection of Europe is uneven and Japanese European international locations must be represented higher within the community. Additionally, there’s a hole in SMEs ’ understanding of expertise benefits and community potential to contemplate SMEs’ pursuits.

Screenshot from Maria’s Roca presentation on I4MS and Open Name Calendar

Roi Rodriguez de Bernardo, Program Supervisor at FundingBox introduced the AI4EU platform and funding alternatives for SMEs. AI4EU is a collaborative H2020 Challenge that goals to:

• mobilize your entire European AI group to make AI guarantees actual for the European Society and Economic system, and
• create a number one collaborative AI European Platform to nurture financial progress.

AI4EU goals to be a catalyst between analysis and trade. The platform presents out there funding alternatives and varied instruments (analysis, schooling, ethics, providers).

Talking of the funding alternatives, Roi set the scene by capturing Europe’s place within the international AI market. The AI Enterprise market is rising worldwide with an estimated progress of the AI market from 40,2% CAGR from 2021 to 2028. The rising deal with AI can be evident within the EU technique. AI technique, set by EC gives yearly 1bn EUR funding for a interval of 2021-2028, anticipating to leverage 20bn EUR investments. The funding is concentrated on SMEs adopting AI with some instances of funding for startups or expertise suppliers growing AI options that may very well be adopted by SMEs.

Screenshot from Roi Rodriguez de Bernardo presentation presenting Funding alternatives and open calls

Panel dialogue

The dialogue began with the query of whether or not the EU is usually a powerhouse of robotics in I&M and paved the way within the race with the USA and China, additionally adhering to our values? It was recognized that record-high funding within the trade in 2021 reveals that it’s attainable. Although the USA and China didn’t bear in mind the moral points EU holds, they’re beginning to develop regulation as nicely. It appears that evidently the trail set by the EU is adopted now by different huge markets.

Contemplating moral or socio-economic points of most significance within the area, Maria Roca recognized the administration of knowledge for SMEs as a bottleneck. The problem lies within the hindrances to sharing information with different firms. Additional, within the case of AI, moral points are evaluated in all EU funded initiatives. From the attitude of DIH’s offered providers, RIMA’s consultant Christophe Leroux defined that moral and security points are taken under consideration in facilitated experimentation. In observe, moral evaluation is carried out for every experimentation, involving consultants within the area of ethics. Every day, RIMA’s work contains mentorship on moral points and pointers.

The methods of enlarging the networks had been additionally mentioned. Maria Roca recognized coaching as a essential instrument to draw members and showcase what they’ll obtain in collaboration and participation of their open calls. Networking, as a core enterprise of DIHs, additionally covers the organisation of native occasions with consultants. Additionally, collaboration with social scientists was emphasised as essential within the area of AI. Annelli Rose, consultant of the Robotics4EU challenge famous that interdisciplinary collaboration is in step with the EU priorities, the place the change is foreseen to have a breeding floor.

Zooming in to the subject of robotics in I&M the social side of adoption was analysed. Christophe Leroux defined that there’s attractiveness for robotics adoption to assist sure operations as a result of there may be not a lot concern of dropping jobs. Robots are seen as supporting their work, for instance as deploying robotics in explosive, harmful and unsafe environments. Robots aren’t taking away jobs, however taking away the hazard. Christophe Leroux additionally emphasised that there’s a progress within the area of AI robotics in I&M and the primary points are associated to belief and security.

Upcoming workshop

The upcoming workshop on the twenty third of March 2022, 11-14 CET “How to ensure regulation helps and never hinders I&M robotics? Coverage points in Robotics for Inspection & Upkeep”. We’ll focus on how cooperation amongst regulators and the robotics group may be fostered and what are probably the most urgent authorized challenges for the I&M utility space of robotics. We will probably be investigating how to make sure the accessibility of goal info and improve the capability of regulators to understand technical points, dangers and alternatives of robotics in I&M. We hope to go away the workshop with trade insights and particular areas for enchancment for the longer term, which as a challenge we’ll proceed to discover in our actions. Register right here.

tags: c-Industrial-Automation