Cellios is a young company that has its roots at the Fraunhofer IPA and was supported by EXIST when it was founded. They have set themselves the goal of strengthening local production sites in Europe and relieving employees of monotonous work. Together they want to change the way work and production is done. This is achieved through a flexible automation solution. As a system integrator, Cellios offers its customers a complete solution that can be used straight away - from hardware and software to integration and support.

The concept presented by Cellios for the Robotics Challenge includes an integrated system solution that combines the strengths of tactile force control and visual vision. Cellios uses two cameras. One camera is used to separate components using the Merlic software, which is based on the matching process. The other camera enables precise positioning in the sub-millimeter range and determines the contact orientation. A gripping station orients the cable. Forces are controlled and monitored when plugging in. This allows the system to easily set up new contact types: parameterization instead of programming is the mantra. The combination of image processing and force control leads to shorter cycle times and a robust process execution. Thanks to flexible standardization and innovative software, individual customer requirements can be met without major adjustments. The solution is already being used successfully for the assembly of ribbon cables and serves a wide range of applications in cable assembly and cable assembly. The flexibility of the system means that various cable processing machines can be connected, resulting in a versatile solution. Cellios is therefore also able to meet future requirements.

Micropsi Industries specializes in AI vision software for industrial robots and is at the forefront of this technology sector with its product MIRAI. MIRAI enables robots to learn from training data and adapt to variances in real time. This innovation enables more efficient and robust operations in dynamic factory environments.

Given the complexity involved in integrating advanced technologies, Micropsi offers not only a state-of-the-art software solution but also the extensive expertise of its service teams and system integration partners. These specialized teams work closely with customers to ensure that each solution is seamlessly integrated into their processes. With locations in Berlin and San Francisco, Micropsi is committed to expanding the possibilities of industrial automation.

The concept for the Robotics Challenge presented by Micropsi Industries and Fanuc Germany is based on Micropsi's MIRAI AI vision software as a central component of the solution strategy. By using MIRAI, it is not necessary to build fixed mounts or holders to solve the task of the Robotics Challenge. MIRAI makes it possible to grasp both the connector and the individual cables from a flat surface and insert them correctly into the housing or connector. By using MIRAI, it is possible to reduce the use of hardware to a minimum. A 3D-printed camera holder and 3D-printed gripper jaws are the only components that were specially manufactured for this application. All other parts, such as the gripper or the force-torque sensor, are standard components and can be purchased. Micropsi Industries has implemented its solution with the Fanuc CRX 10iA collaborative robot. In order to take advantage of this robot, they have presented a collaborative solution that does not require any additional protective devices.

The Center for Robotics (CERI) is an institute of the Technical University of Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) that conducts teaching and application-oriented research in the field of modern robotics. The CERI conducts research into intelligent robot systems that are becoming increasingly present not only in industry but also in public spaces. In the context of the "Smart Factory", pioneering projects are being carried out in the areas of robot-supported workplaces of the future and intralogistics.

The concept presented by THWS combines various technological approaches of traditional camera image processing with artificial intelligence and uses the cobot's force-torque sensor as an additional sensor.

The THWS has divided the tasks of the challenge into two sub-problems:

1) Correctly gripping and inserting the socket into the holder and

2) Detection and correction of cable orientation.

The exact translation and rotation of the socket in space is determined by edge detection and a perspective-n-point algorithm based on reference images. The robot adjusts its gripping position accordingly and places the socket securely in the holder. An individual gripper finger design supports the correct alignment of the socket in the gripper.

The orientation of each cable is then determined using camera images and a combination of artificial intelligence and mathematical transformation rules. The robot then corrects the insertion position of the cable and places it in the designated slot. The robot's force-torque sensor can be used to correct minor deviations during placement and to determine the final position of the cable in the connector.

The entire process is designed dynamically so that the robot system can detect errors independently and react accordingly. For example, the system sorts out severely bent cables whose position the robot could not correct, or uses a camera to check whether the cables have been hidden in the correct slot.

KUKA is an international automation group with a turnover of around EUR 4 billion and around 15.000 employees. The company's headquarters are in Augsburg. As one of the world's leading providers of intelligent automation solutions, KUKA offers its customers everything from a single source. From robots to cells to fully automated systems and their networking - especially in markets such as automotive with a focus on e-mobility & batteries, electronics, metal & plastic, consumer goods, general industry, e-commerce, retail and healthcare.

The concept presented by KUKA for the Robotics Challenge includes an automated process for assembling connectors in which the component handling is carried out by a KUKA lightweight robot LBR iiwa, which is equipped with three grippers for the respective components: socket housing, blue wire and black wire.

First, the crimp contacts of the strands are pre-positioned in the correct position, while the socket housing is placed on a backlight plate. A Cognex camera identifies the socket housing and transmits its position to the robot. The robot grips the housing with a passive gripper that holds the workpiece securely by force. The robot then inserts the socket housing into a corresponding holder, comparing the target and actual TCP positions to check that the final joining position has been reached.

The robot then picks up the blue wire with a 2-finger electric gripper and guides the crimp contact in front of another Cognex camera. This checks the contact for twisting and transmits correction values ​​to the robot. Using these values, the robot inserts the crimp contact into the socket housing while also monitoring the mating position and performing a pull test to ensure that both the socket housing and the crimp contact are properly engaged. Similar steps are performed for two more black wires, including picking, measuring, mating and testing.

The Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Systems (ISW) at the University of Stuttgart is one of the leading research institutes in the field of control engineering. It focuses on interdisciplinary research in production technologies and automation and covers a wide range of application areas, including the development and application of control and computer-aided methods for solving automation tasks. The main research areas include drive control, engineering, communication and virtual production. The ISW is equally committed to basic research and application-oriented development and maintains close cooperation with both public sponsors and industry.

The ISW's participation in the Robotics Challenge was carried out within the RoboCable project of the InnovationsCampus Mobility of the Future. In this project, the ISW is working on novel AI methods for the robot-assisted manipulation of flexible components.

Inores GmbH is a technology company that specializes in the development and application of automation solutions and quality assurance systems. The company was founded in Switzerland in 2011 and has focused in particular on bin picking technologies for industrial applications. Inores offers comprehensive solutions that range from simple automation to complex quality assurance systems. This portfolio was combined with the automated insertion of flexible components in the Robotics Challenge.

TruPhysics offers a platform for intelligent robotics and automation on which users can put together their individual solution from over 100 hardware, electronics and software modules and operate it with the self-developed robot operating system TruOS. For industries ranging from aerospace to logistics and manufacturing to healthcare, the company offers holistic solutions for intralogistics, material supply and production and assembly processes with its hardware products such as mobile robots, AMR add-ons and workspace extensions for cobots. The result is complete solutions that are perfectly tailored to the needs of customers.