Project

In spring 2020, the ARM Institute issued a special COVID-19 focused project call in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense. This project was funded from that call for proposals.

Objective

Automate the production of cloth masks by building off of the outputs from previous ARM Institute funded projects.

Technical Approach

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has identified cloth masks as playing a vital role in slowing the spread of COVID-19, but the supply has not been able to keep up with the demand. Robotic sewing presents a technical challenge because it requires the manipulation of flexible materials, fine motor control, and precise part recognition. This project will build upon the outputs from other ARM projects to automate the robotic production of cloth face masks for personal protective equipment (PPE). 

Participants

Principal Investigator: Siemens Corporation Corporate Technologies Project Team: Henderson Sewing Machine Corporation, Sewbo Inc, Bluewater Defense, Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC)