July 16, 2019 – Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) today issued a formal solicitation for a call for proposals for eight topic areas relative to advancing robotics technology for manufacturing. ARM is the nation’s leading collaborative in robotics and workforce innovation, focused on increasing U.S. global manufacturing competitiveness by progressing robotics innovation and the availability of skilled workers. This is the fifth project call since ARM’s formation in January 2017. ARM’s 200+ members are able to participate in project calls.
ARM is soliciting proposals that respond to specific needs of the manufacturing industry and the Department of Defense. The specific topics of the call are focus area subcategories that were: 1) found by the ARM community to be both urgent and important, and 2) identified through marketing analysis because their development and use in a manufacturing process would contribute in a disruptive fashion to a significant economic opportunity.
The topic areas are briefly described below. More information can be found in the full project call document. Click here to view the full project call details.
- Topic Area 1 (TA1) Methods and Tools for Successful Robotics Adoption and Expansion
The development of decision-making methods and tools that can be used to assess the risk associated with implementing robots in a manufacturing system. - Topic Area 2 (TA2) User-friendly Interfaces for Programming, Operation, and Maintenance
The development of robotic systems with human-robot interfaces and sufficient artificial intelligence that reduce the burden of learning, operating, maintaining or programming a robotic system applied to a manufacturing environment. - Topic Area 3 (TA3) Bi-directional Communication on the Shop Floor
The development of robotic systems with human robot interfaces and sufficient artificial intelligence that enable humans and robots to communicate in a manufacturing environment more effectively including via devices and software, information formats, and protocols for information transfer and interpretation. - Topic Area 4 (TA4) Human-Robot Trust and Safety
The development of robotic systems with human robot interfaces and sufficient artificial intelligence that improve workers’ trust in robots when engaging in collaborative and co-located robotic manufacturing activities. - Topic Area 5 (TA5) Modular Robotic Designs
The development of modular, reconfigurable, agile, and flexible robotic work cells for manufacturing processes that can be deconstructed and reassembled to achieve a new operational objective. - Topic Area 6 (TA6) Smart, Flexible Sensors and Integration
The integration of smart reconfigurable, agile, and flexible sensors for robotic work cells for manufacturing processes that can be varied in their scope and purpose, applying to a variety of roles and functions, while helping to enable easier integration between different robots, components, and hardware elements. - Topic Area 7 (TA7) Automated Path Planning and Robot Instruction Generation
The development of reconfigurable, agile, and flexible robotic work cells for manufacturing processes with the ability to provide automated path planning and robot instruction generation to safely and efficiently navigate their environment to complete tasks. This could include navigation using pre- tailored planning, mapping, and response as well as in-situ planning in response to unforeseen changes in the environment and situations. - Topic Area 8 (TA8) Advisor Robot
The development of robotic systems with the ability to sense, interpret, and make decisions under unanticipated conditions, by observing, identifying and detecting the faults and spec compliance of the manufacturing systems, processes, and environment.
ARM expects awarding up to $5M to fund multiple projects under Technology Project Call ARM-TEC-19-02. Individual project budgets must not exceed $500K requested from ARM. All projects require, at a minimum, a 2:1 cost share ratio by each proposer team for all projects. The period of performance is expected to be no longer than 12 months. For example, a proposed project budget of $300K in ARM funding over 12 months would require, at a minimum, an additional $600K of project cost share, resulting in a total project budget of $900K.
Click here for more details and to download the full project call document.
ABOUT ARM
Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) is the nation’s leading collaborative in robotics and workforce innovation. Structured as a public-private partnership, we accelerate transformative robotic technologies and education to increase U.S. global manufacturing competitiveness. Founded in January 2017 in Pittsburgh, PA by Carnegie Mellon University, and funded by the Department of Defense, ARM is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. Learn more at www.arminstitute.org. Note: The ARM headquarters has relocated to Mill 19 A. Our updated main phone number is (412) 785-0444. Our address is: Mill 19 A Suite 200, 4501 Lytle St. Pittsburgh, PA 15207