Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Eduard Babulak
The Institute of Technology and Business in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
Keynote: The secure manufacturing IT system
Time : 10:00-10:40
Biography:
Eduard Babulak is an International Scholar, Researcher, Consultant, Educator, Professional Engineer and Polyglot with more than thirty years of experience. His academic and engineering work was recognized internationally by the Engineering Council in UK, the European Federation of Engineers and credited by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and APEG in British Columbia in Canada. He was awarded higher Postdoctoral degree DOCENT-Doctor of Science (DSc) in the Czech Republic, PhD, MSc and High National Certificate (HNC) Diplomas in United Kingdom as well as MSc and BSc Diplomas in Electrical Engineering Slovakia.
Abstract:
Given the current and future development of computerization and information communications infrastructures, the manufacturing industries are facing more and more challenges how to secure their production and distribution plants in conjunction with the information flow within the organization and worldwide via Internet. The pervasive access to Internet introduces new challenges how to secure control and management of manufacturing plants and at the same time to provide access to authorized personnel at any-time and from-anywhere. The author discusses the development of Access Control to Manufacturing Information Systems using a secure web system. The proposed system authenticates the authorized users according to their function in the organization allowing them to control specific tasks on site or remotely. The system facilitates alternative ways to distinguish between the user authentication and access hierarchies. It keeps track of access logbook and lists past events performed via web interface. The author further discusses the issues related to user authentication and authorization based on their roles within the organization. The main contribution of this work is to provide solution and secure any large complex manufacturing industrial site that use Web-URL Security from cyber-attacks on site or remotely by unauthorized personnel.
Keynote Forum
Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi
Ryerson University, Canada
Keynote: Visual Servo Control of Robotic Systems: Applications and Challenges
Time : 11:00-11:40
Biography:
Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi received the PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada in 1995. He is a Professor of Mechanical-Industrial Engineering and the Director of Robotics, Mechatronics and Manufacturing Automation Laboratory (RMAL) at Ryerson University, Canada. He has also been Visiting Professor in a few Universities in Korea, Germany and France. His research interests span over image-guided control and planning of robots. He has published more than 190 refereed papers in the journals and conference proceedings, authored/coauthored several book chapters, and edited/co-edited four proceedings in the field. He serves as the Associate Editor of several journals including International Journal of Optomechatronics.
Abstract:
Conventional robotic systems operate on open loop kinematic chain for positioning tasks and hence they are not robust to operate in unstructured environments. Uncertainties in target object’s position, unplanned compensation for object’s motion, bending of the links due to the load and accelerations, and joint slippages are examples of the elements frequently encountered in many industrial operations. Significant effort and expenses are therefore extended to enable robots’ operation in uncertain environments. Reprogramming and calibration of robots for recurrent or new tasks also add to the cost of robots’ operations. In this talk, I will review the fundamentals of direct end-point control of robots using vision sensor, i.e., visual servoing, and will show how this framework could overcome many of the aforementioned practical problems. The main structures and theoretical as well as practical issues in development and integration of visual servo control will be reviewed. Recent results in my laboratory including sensor fusion schemes, uncertainty modeling, and robust control for visual servoing will be shown. Next, I will show how integration of visual servoing would facilitate robots programming. A recently developed novel vision-based programming by demonstration approach (PbD) will also be discussed and its practical implications will be demonstrated.
Keynote Forum
Petter Falkman
Chalmers University of Technology Sweden
Keynote: Virtual engineering and commissioning of automation systems – a way to handle complexity
Time : 11:40-12:20
Biography:
Dr. Petter Falkman received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering in 2005 from Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden. Dr. Falkman is currently Associate Professor at the Department of Signals and Systems, Chalmers University of Technology. He received his Master of Science in Automation and Mechatronics at Chalmers in 1999. Dr. Falkman is program director for the Automation and Mechatronics program at Chalmers. He is also part of the Wingquist Laboratory, a research center for virtual product and production development at Chalmers. Dr. Falkman is a member of the editorial board of the journal Advances in Automobile Engineering. His main research topic concerns information integration, virtual preparation, restart, verification, and optimization of production systems.
Abstract:
Vehicle manufacturing companies are today forced to handle and respond to a rapidly growing variety of vehicles, due to the environmental restriction on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. An additional requirement is also that these new innovative and environmentally friendly products are produced in already existing factories. A clear trend today is also that production volume has to be changed with short notice to meet market changes. Today´s manufacturing systems therefore have to be both energy- and time efficient, safe, as well as flexible to manage this complexity. The challenge is to reduce the production preparation time by bringing together mechanical and electrical engineers into a common virtual environment achieving a more efficient cooperation, enabling automatic generation of verified control programs. Another challenge is reducing energy consumption by embedding detailed robot energy optimization into early scheduling. A third challenge is to increase production efficiency, increase human and machine safety and decrease the number of discarded parts by performing virtual commissioning of entire manufacturing stations, including complete robot programs, control logic and safety equipment including HMIs. rnrnA required step in order to handle the above described problems is to extend early process design and mechanical simulation with control logics to ensure an intended behavior. It has been shown that possible savings could be achieved if PLC programming and optimization is included in earlier production preparation phases together with new functionality based on formal methods.rn
- Track 1: Industrial Automation Track 2: Automation Tools and Technologies Track 3: Control and Mechatronic Systems Track 5: Manufacturing Automation
Chair
Petter Falkman
Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Co-Chair
Asim ur Rehman Khan
National University of Computer & Emerging Sciences, Pakistan
Session Introduction
Lisa Falkson
CloudCar, USA
Title: Optimizing multimodal interfaces for speech systems in the automobile
Time : 12:20-12:50
Biography:
Lisa Falkson is Senior VUI/UX Designer at CloudCar, designing the next generation of voice user interfaces for connected cars. Previously, she worked on Amazon’s first speech-enabled products: Fire TV, Fire Phone and Echo. She has over 15 years of industry experience, specializing in design of natural speech and multimodal interfaces. She has an MS in Electrical Engineering from UCLA, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Abstract:
Current car infotainment systems are notoriously out-of-date and don’t meet their user needs. With fixed hardware and software in these systems, users turn to their mobile phones for the latest content in navigation, media and communication. Recent data (from Distraction.gov) shows that since 2010, at any given moment, approximately 660K drivers are using cell phones or electronic devices while driving. By improving in-car infotainment systems, we can draw user attention back to the larger built-in display, as well as encourage users to use a handsfree, voice-driven interface. In this presentation, we will discuss the challenges of designing a multimodal interface for speech systems in the automobile. NHTSA guidelines require a glance time of 2s or less (12s total for a task), which is a challenging requirement. However, interaction with the screen can be minimized by ensuring that speech input and TTS output are the primary modes of interaction. When users are interfacing with the touch screen, the fonts and touch targets should be large, and the screens should be free of confusing graphics. In short, both modes of interaction (speech and touch) should be utilized to their best advantage in order to make the most usable interface.
John Carey
Avanceon – Exton, USA
Title: AmeriGas - Rethinking the status quo: Addressing safety, ergonomics, and productivity through integrated automation
Time : 12:50-13:20
Biography:
John Carey has over 40 years’ experience in machine and process control. He has held position in engineering, operations, and project management. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Spring Garden College and did his graduate work at Penn State University. He holds patents in process control and sensor development. He was a Senior Principal Development Engineer at Honeywell, Group Manager for a Dupont/Xerox joint venture, and has held various positions at Avanceon over the past 10 years. He was the Project Manager/Construction Manager on the AmeriGas project.
Abstract:
AmeriGas, the nation’s largest propane company, serves millions of customers across all 50 states. Residential, industrial and commercial customers count on AmeriGas propane for heating, cooking, motor fuel, and other essentials. AmeriGas Propane Exchange plants also refurbish and fill millions of propane exchange cylinders a year. Servicing a business that grew up overnight dictated a very labor-intensive process requiring significant manpower and human touches. Heavy cylinders are typically physically forced through a manual sorting, refurbishing and filling process with a few semi-automated stations. This process wasted time, taxed workers and raised many ergonomic and safety concerns. In the interest to be innovative and solve their business problem, AmeriGas selected Avanceon of Exton, PA to address the issue by introducing an integrated and automated work center concept. Avanceon’s team devised a solution that reduced safety issues and significantly diminished ergonomic issues while increasing productivity, all with less than half the staff. The streamlined automated system reduced the manufacturing floor footprint by 50% while allowing the plant to more than double its capacity, with less handling and operator “touches†at each step. From design to implementation and support, Avanceon collaborated with AmeriGas to create a customized solution that was vetted every step of the way by an AmeriGas process owner team. An agile execution approach was used to gain staff buy-in regarding the look and feel of the system while cutting the normal schedule in half. This project included a full turnkey approach will all engineering disciplines, including site planning, building design, line layout, equipment selection, machine design, controls, instrumentation, integration and reporting. This large-scale success demonstrates how a holistic and innovative approach can overcome multiple interrelated and complex challenges. In this session, Avanceon will share their innovative approach, technology solutions and unique approach to the project execution that allowed this challenging project and initiative to be a success.
Jerry Vinther
Lillebaelt Academy University of Applied Sciences, Denmark
Title: Knowledge is the greatest obstacle to development and innovation
Time : 14:05-14:40
Biography:
Jerry Vinther is an Expert in Innovation and Business Analytical Processes. He has more than 20 years of experience in top management of major international projects, with a focus on commercial business and creating value. He is CEO of international business development projects.
Abstract:
Denmark is known for being the first mover in relation to getting robotic technology into everyday life for ordinary people with special needs. A major task in this regard is to create certainty use of robots in everyday tasks. The use of robots is an advantage for people who want to live a normal life and be able to handle many common tasks unaided again. Technology and robots becomes a bigger and bigger part of daily life for people in Denmark. Our big challenge is how we develop the use of robots in our daily life and how do we perform even more confidently in using robots. Denmark has developed new and exciting solutions worldwide; Universal Robots is a very big player on the market as most know today. Another very large Danish company which develops robots for a completely different customer target group is LEGO which is also a very well-known company. Additionally, Danish Technological Institute (DTI) is the leading robot innovator in Denmark with both industrial and care related robotic R&D&I. I follow and study all of these companies and their user businesses as a reference to my experiences and ideas. One future challenge will be how we ensure the necessary power of innovation to develop and create new technology. How do we ensure that we do not “go in the circle†and just invent solutions moving society into very small pieces? In order to satisfy the world's challenges, we must find new and completely different technological solutions, it takes courage and efficient act and important of all, very great creativity. How do we avoid that our knowledge is the biggest obstacle for innovative development?
Asim ur Rehman Khan
National University of Computer & Emerging Sciences, Pakistan
Title: Predictive controller design using ANOVA
Time : 14:40-15:10
Biography:
Asim ur Rehman Khan has received his BSc in Electrical Engineering from University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan in 1981, MS in Electrical Engineering from South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota in 1987 and PhD degree from Polytechnic University, now New York University, NY, USA in 1993. From 1993 to 1996, he has worked in the Space Agency of Pakistan, SUPARCO, where he has worked on the design & development of a small satellite. During 1996, he taught undergraduate courses at Sir Syed University, Karachi, Pakistan. He also taught at Karachi University and NED as a Visiting Faculty. During 1997 to 2001 he was assicaited with a software house, Cressoft, where he was involved in the automation of MCI, USA fiber optic nation wide link. He is currently teaching undergraduate & graduate level courses at National University of Computer & Emerging Sciences (NU-FAST) since 2002. His principal interests are in the areas of image processing, nework protocols and network security. He is a Member of IEEE and Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC).
Abstract:
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) provides a new direction for the design of predictive controllers. These controllers are robust and efficient. Besides, they are able to somewhat counter the effect of parametric variations and the effect of sporadic noise of short duration. By appropriately selecting the parameters, these controllers are able to provide dynamic behavior of a system. The final result is made by testing the hypotheses. Traditionally, there are two approaches for design of a controller. These are deterministic and the probabilistic approaches. The deterministic controllers are commonly based on PID (proportional-integrate-derivative) and its variations. The design can be an open-loop or a closed-loop. An alternate approach is using ARMA (auto-regressive moving average) and its variations. In probabilistic approaches, the Bayesian model is quite known. The other approaches are LS (Least Square) and MMS (Minimum Mean Square) approaches. The LS Wiener-Hopf approach has been successfully implemented in several real life problems. An extension of LS controller is RLS (Recursive Least Square) method which performs better in slowly converting controller design. The ANOVA based approach uses statistical approach to predict the parameters of a controller. With sufficiently large number of parameters, the controller performs well close to the above more sophisticated approaches. This work reviews the pros and cons of using ANOVA based controller design with other more established approaches. These controllers are simple to implement and they are faster in execution
Mehran Mehrandezh
University of Regina, Canada
Title: Design and Development of Human-Analogous Control Systems via Real-Time Human-in-the-Loop (RTHL) Simulation
Biography:
Mehran Mehrandezh has received his PhD and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto and the Queens University in 1999 and 1995, respectively. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Industrial Systems Engineering program at the University of Regina, Canada. His research revolves around robotics, machine vision and control. A pipe crawling robot co-invented by him was highlighted in the Popular Mechanics magazine as one of the 5 high-tech fixes to infrastructures in 2009. He also holds a patent on “Design and development of an adaptable climbing machineâ€. He is a Member of IEEE and served as the Vice-President of the IEEE (south Saskatchewan section) for two consecutive terms. He is also a Registered Professional Engineer in Canada.
Abstract:
In the animal kingdom, humans learn by acting on their environment, observing the consequence or effect of their acts and learning to adjust their actions accordingly over time to improve the output generated by their actions. They also learn to optimize their actions through reinforced learning. The ability of humans to optimize their behavior in natural systems can be expanded to that in man-made engineered systems as well. There is a world-wide effort towards developing control systems that are inspired from human intellect. Dr. Mehrandezh’s research revolves around the development of new algorithms to control systems with unknown dynamics. He has applied his algorithms on scenarios such as: Model-free control of an inverted pendulum, as a test-bench control systems and control of an adaptable and re-configurable climbing robot.
Eduard Babulak
The Institute of Technology and Business in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
Title: Futuristic Computing, Automation and Robotics and its Impact on Society Today and Tomorrow
Time : 15:10-15:45
Biography:
Eduard Babulak is an International Scholar, Researcher, Consultant, Educator, Professional Engineer and Polyglot with more than thirty years of experience. His academic and engineering work was recognized internationally by the Engineering Council in UK, the European Federation of Engineers and credited by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and APEG in British Columbia in Canada. He was awarded higher Postdoctoral degree DOCENT-Doctor of Science (DSc) in the Czech Republic, PhD, MSc and High National Certificate (HNC) Diplomas in United Kingdom as well as MSc and BSc Diplomas in Electrical Engineering Slovakia.
Abstract:
“Prof Babulak will talk about the ways future computing, automation, robotics impacts economy, industry, business, academia and daily life for everyone… The purpose of the talk is to make people appreciate how the process of computerization has become essential part of all that we do, use and depend on 24/7 all over the world, while looking in the future, “What’s Beyond the Internetâ€? It is also to incite genuine interest, questions and to create interactive discussion to make sure that everyone regardless of their own field of studies or specializations may contribute to the discussion while appreciating the importance of computerization and its direct impact on society today and tomorrow.â€
Herbert Pichlik
SYSTEC GmbH, Germany
Title: CyberFLEX – Robot based product flexible cyber physical EOL test systems
Time : 16:05-16:35
Biography:
Herbert Pichlik studied Hard and Software Engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) at the University of Applied Sciences in Nuremberg where he is Lecturer since 1997 (best rating from students in Bavaria) . He started his professional career in 1985 when he joined Philips Kommunikations Industrie AG (PKI) as a Software and Hardware Development Engineer. After a short period at LGA, and 10 years as Quality Manager at Quelle AG, he joined SYSTEC GmbH in 2000 as CTO. He has written and co-authored several books and dozens of papers and articles. He holds several patents in the field of analog and digital integrated circuit technologies and is an internationally awarded keynote speaker.
Abstract:
Cyber physical product flexible EOL test systems are useful for testing cockpit components like climate controllers, navigations systems, multifunction panels, and displays that are able to cover all OEM (Porsche, Mercedes Benz, BMW, AUDI, Toyota, GM) requirements in the areas AOI (Luminance, Colour, Shape Matching, Pattern Matching, Black Mura, etc.), Force Feedback, Force Sense, Keyhaptics, Acoustics, Rotary Haptics, Electrical Measurements, Communication (CAN, LIN, FlexRAY, Most, K-Line, Automotive Ethernet) with autocalibration functionality. The SYSTEC calibration standards are unique worldwide and enable customers to minimize downtimes dramatically. The systems comply with Industrie 4.0 challenges and uses servo drives (or robots) to be able to make measurements in different angles (AOI, haptics, etc.). SYSTEC leverages NI´s excellent platforms like LabVIEW, LabVIEW RT, and LabVIEW FPGA to implement a new distributed architecture (framework) to build a backbone for all EOL solutions (Teststands, Roundtable Solutions, Inline Systems, etc.). IMAQ Vision is the basis for AOI implementations, where some parts of the code run on CUDA architectures. Hardware core components include PXI chassis and different plug in boards including like DIO, DAQ, modular instruments, etc. Force feedback and acoustic measurements are based on CompactDAQ techology. Mitsubishi robots and motion systems are building the backbone of the product flexible EOL systems. The roundtables are controlled with customer specific Zync powered sbRIO hardware. The whole implementations are completely 64 bit applications using Microsofts Windows 10 operating system (Linux RT in the embedded area).
Robert J Axtman
Visual Components North America Corp., USA
Title: Predictable manufacturing using 21st century technology
Time : 16:35-17:15
Biography:
Robert J Axtman is a team member for Visual Components OY Finland, serves as CEO and President of Visual Components North America Corporation. His charter is to introduce Visual Components’ 3D Digital Manufacturing solutions into the markets and industries of the Americas, Canada and Mexico. Additionally, his personal mission is to expose the new technologies available to the SMEs and “Mom & Pop†shops to level the playing field between the manufacturing mega enterprises and those with limited capital, regardless of Industry or product. He has 50+ years of experience including international business while assigned as the Asian and Pacific Rim President for a major PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) software provider while residing in Japan. He has authored and published multiple articles relative to Digital Manufacturing, Digital Factory Solutions and LEAN/Six Sigma Manufacturing and has conducted multiple Webinars relative to Robotics, Predictable Manufacturing and Digital Technologies. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master’s degree in Engineering Management and a Doctorate in Engineering Economic Systems. He has been a Keynote Speaker and Presenter at major industrial trade shows ranging from IMTS, The Assembly Show, Mfg4, Fabtech (US, Canada and Mexico, SAE World Congress, Pack Expo to name a few. He is currently authoring a book titled, “The Other Side of the Desk†that provides insight, based on his diversified experience, to “Compel not Sell†to the target on the other side of the desk.
Abstract:
Predictable manufacturing provides the opportunity to completely concept, design and virtually visualize experiencing a manufacturing process that encompasses all the disciplines, aspects and nuances found in production regardless of industry or product. Several methods are currently used to plan your manufacturing environment. Most are rather archaic in practice which includes following the same procedures from the past i.e., “we have always done it this wayâ€, to attempt using less than functional computer tools to evaluate, analyze and record statistics toward an optimized result. While these solutions may get you to part of your goal, they come up drastically short in accurately predicting all of your manufacturing requirements. This has been coined as “bar napkin planning†i.e., to literally sketch the manufacturing process on paper or relying on the inadequate CAD tools known today.