The challenge involves automating a defined assembly process for the cable harness using commercially available components under specified conditions. The processing steps include identifying and correctly feeding a socket housing into a receptacle, inserting various contact parts into the socket housing according to a specified chamber configuration and ensuring that the contacts are correctly locked in the end position.

The full description of the challenge is available Download ready.

Are you interested in taking part in the Robotics Challenge? Unfortunately, the registration phase is now closed, but if you have any further questions about participation or would like additional information, our contact persons, Mr. Reichert and Mr. Rumpelt, will be happy to help.

On November 20, 2023, we offered interested companies a digital information event. This provided an opportunity to find out more about the challenge and to clarify any open questions. For all interested parties who were unable to attend the event, we are now making the presented slides available for Download and the opportunity to watch the recording of the lecture. In addition, all questions asked were recorded and are available in the presentation slides.

The challenge originally ran from December 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024. We would like to inform you that this period has been extended to March 14, 2024. The deadline for registering for this challenge was November 30, 2023. All registered participants have already received a hardware kit by mail at the end of November 2023.

Please note that legal recourse is excluded.

The jury will hold a separate evaluation session with each participant. During this session, the participants will explain the technological approach they have chosen. They will also be asked to address the following aspects:

• Quality assurance (robustness, behavior in case of errors)
• How many repetitions can be performed without errors?
• Cost of construction; Which components are used?; Universality of the gripper etc.,

The jury evaluates the results to determine whether the task has been solved and pays particular attention to the most innovative solution, the most robust solution and the most economical solution. These are presented on the Innovation Forum Cable Set 2024 on April 11th in the ARENA2036.

The members of the jury are: 

• Rainer Bogner - former Head of Development for On-Board Networks at Volkswagen AG / Management of Sumitomo Electric On-Board Networks
• Stefan Glaser - Director New Technologies & Standardization Automotive (TE)
• Frank Gronau - Director EEA, Advanced Vehicle Architecture (Aptiv)
• Marvin Malinowski - Central Production Engineering, Team Leader Automation (Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems) 
• Jürgen Reinert - former Head of the Cable Harness Assembly / On-Board Network Components Division at Coroplast / Schulte / Grote and Hartmann