Robotnik Automation

Robotnik Automation is a company specialized in robot product development and robotics R&D projects. The company's main specialities are:

• Autonomous indoor transport robots and field service robotics applications.
• Robotics products (mobile robots, mobile manipulators, robot arms, robotic hands and humanoids).
• R&D Robotics projects and special robot systems design.

History

Robotnik was founded in 2002 as a company focused on industry and service robots. In 2004, Robotnik began a line of collaboration with Universities, Research Centers and European companies by means of the participation in the VI European Framework Program. The European projects MASMICRO and RESCUER allowed the development of some of the first mobile platforms of the company.

In 2005, Robotnik signed partnership agreements with international companies in the robotic sector as Barrett Technology ^[1] and Schunk. Subsequently, these agreements have been extended to companies like Kinova, Shadow and Aldebaran Robotics. ^[2]

Robotnik has developed and manufactured service robots for:

• Indoor Hospital Logistics
• Nuclear industry
• Security and military

Robotnik is involved in several projects in the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union.

Research & development

Robotnik has taken part in several FP6 & FP7 EU Projects:

• MASMICRO ^[3](FP6): “Integration of manufacturing systems for mass-manufacture of miniature/micro products” ^[4][5]
• RESCUER ^[6] (FP6): “Improvement of emergency risk management through secure mobile mechatronic support to bomb disposal” ^{[7][8][9][10]}
• GUARDIANS ^[11] (FP6): “Group of Unmanned Assistant Robots Deployed In Aggregative Navigation supported by Scent detection” ^[12][13][14]
• ACROBOTER ^[15] (FP6): “Autonomous Collaborative Robots to Swing and Work in Everyday EnviRonment”.
• PV-Servitor ^[16](FP7): “Autonomous cleaning robot for large scale photovoltaic power plants in Europe resulting in 5% cost reduction of electricity”
• SRS ^[17](FP7): “Multi-Role Shadow Robotic System for Independent Living” ^[18]
• Rubicon ^[19] (FP7): “Robotic UBIquitous COgnitive Network” ^[20][21]
• Flexitool ^[22] (FP7): "Flexible Tooling for the manufacture of free-form architectural cladding and façades" ^[23][24]
• MoorInspect ^[25] (FP7): “Development of an advanced medium range ultrasonic technique for mooring chains inspection in water”
• Robofoot ^[26] (FP7):”Smart Robotics for High Added Value Footwear Industry”

Other researches:

• Hybrid Robot - UGV-UAV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)
• Logistic and indoor robot transport through autonomous AGVs navigation
• Thermal metal spray process improvement and optimization

Patents:

• Methods and device for regenerating the interior surfaces of conduits by means of thermal spraying metals.

Work groups

Robotnik takes part of the following collaboration groups:

• CEA:^[27] "Spanish Robotics Network"
• CEEI:^[28] "European Centre of Innovation Companies"
• AER-ATP:^[29] "Spanish Association of Robotics and Automation Technologies of Production"
• EURON:^[30] "European Robotics Research Network"
• EUROP:^[31] "European Robotic Platform"
• OSRF :^[32] "Open Source Robotics Foundation"

References

1. Barrett's Partners
2. Robotnik partners
3. MASMICRO Project
4. Rafael Lopez, “CHAPTER 19: Robotics in Micro-manufacturing and Micro-Robotics”, Elsevier Book “Micro-manufacturing engineering and technology”
5. A.J.Sánchez-Salmerón, Rafael López-Tarazón, Roberto Guzmán-Diana, C.Ricolfe-Viala, “Recent development of micro handling systems for micro-manufacturing”, Reference: PROTEC9409, Journal title: Journal of Materials Processing Tech., Special issue: 2005 International Forum on the Advances in materials Processing Technology - Edited by Professor Y. Qin, Professor W. B. Lee.
6. RESCUER Project
7. C.Beltrán, A.Gasteratos, A.Amanatiadis, D.Chrysostomou, Roberto Guzmán, A.Toth, L.Szollosi, A.Juhasz, P.Galambos, “Methods and techniques for intelligent navigation and manipulation for bomb disposal and rescue operations", IEEE International Workshop on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR2007), Rome, Italy, 27–29 September 2007
8. G.Arz, A.Tóth, D.Bratanov, N.Zlatov, Roberto Guzmán, S.Burdzhiev, A.Gasteratos, D.Pereira, C.Beltran, U.Delprato: “EU FP6 Project RESCUER: the development of a dexterous robot and intelligent information technologies for EOD/IEDD/rescue missions”, Bolyai Szemle, Vol. 15., No. 1., (2006), pp:21-27
9. G.Arz, A.Tóth, D.Bratanov, N.Zlatov, Roberto Guzmán, S.Burdzhiev, A.Gasteratos, D.Pereira, C.Beltran, U.Delprato, “EU FP6 Project RESCUER: the development of a dexterous robot and intelligent information technologies for EOD/IEDD/rescue missions” 5th Conference on Robotwarfare (Bolyai Szemle - Hungarian military journal)
10. G.Arz, A.Tóth, D.Bratanov, N.Zlatov, Roberto Guzmán, S.Burdzhiev, A.Gasteratos, D.Pereira, C.Beltran, U.Delprato: "EU FP6 Project RESCUER Develops Intelligent Robot and Information Technologies for EOD/IEDD/Rescue Mission", 1st Middle-East European Conference on Military Technology, 19–20 October 2005, Budapest, Hungary
11. GUARDIANS Project
12. Nomdedeu, L.; Sales, J.; Cervera, E.; Alemany, J.; Sebastia, R.; Penders, J.; Gazi, V.; An Experiment on Squad Navigation of Human and Robots. at: 10th International Conference on Control, Automation, Robotics and Vision, Hanoi, Vietnam, December 2008
13. J.Penders, E.Cervera,U.Witkowski, L.Marques, J.Gancet, P.Bureau, V.Gazi, R.Guzman, “Guardians: a Swarm of Autonomous Robots for Emergencies”
14. E. Cervera, U. Witkowski, L. Marques, J. Gancet, P. Bureau, V. Gazi, Roberto Guzman, J.Penders. “GUARDIANS: Robot Assistants in Hazardous Emergencies”. ICRA 2007 Workshop on Robotics in challenging and hazardous environments, pp. 3-8, Rome,Italy. April 10, 2007
15. ACROBOTER Project
16. PV-SERVITOR Project
17. SRS Project
18. R. Qiu, Z. Ji, A. Noyvirt, A. Soroka, R. Setchi, D.T. Pham, S. Xu, N. Shivarov, L. Pigini, G. Arbeiter, F. Weisshardt, B. Graf, M. Mast, L. Blasi, D. Facal, M. Rooker, Rafael Lopez, D. Li, B. Liu, G. Kronreif, P. Smrz, “Towards Robust Personal Assistant Robots: Experience Gained In the SRS Project”, IROS 2012
19. RUBICON Project
20. S.Adbdel Naby, G.Amato, D.Bacciu, M.Broxval,S.Chessa, S.Coleman, M.Di Rocco, M.Dragone, C.Gallicchio, C.Gennaro, Roberto Guzman, Rafael Lopez, H.Lozano, L.Maguire, T.M.McGinnity, A.Micheli, G.M.P.O'Hare, F.Pecora, A.Ray, A.Renteria, A.Saffiotti, D.Swords, C.Vairo "Robotic UBIquitous COgnitive Networks". Poster at 5th International Conference on Cognitive Systems - CogSys2012
21. Giuseppe Amato, Mathias Broxvall, Stefano Chessa, Mauro Dragone, Rafael Lopez, Martin McGinnity, Alessio Micheli, Arantxa Renteria, Gregory M.P. O’Hare, Federico Pecora “Robotic UBIquitous COgnitive Network”, ISAmI 2012 proceedings in the Advances in Intelligent and Soft Computing series of Springer Verlag
22. FLEXITOOL Project
23. S.Z. Su, M. Z. Li, C. G. Liu, C.Q. Ji,R. Setchi, J. Larkiola, I. Panteleev, I. Stead and Rafael Lopez, “Flexible Tooling System Using Reconfigurable Multi-Point Thermoforming Technology for Manufacturing Freeform Panels”, 2012 Key Engineering Materials Vols. 504-506 (2012) pp 839-844
24. D. Bacciu , M. Broxvall , S. Coleman , M. Dragone , C. Gallicchio , C. Gennaro , Robero Guzman , Rafael Lopez , H. Lozano-Peiteado , A. Ray , A. Renteria , A. Saffiotti , C. Vairo, “Self-Sustaining Learning for Robotic Ecologies ” - SENSORNETS 2012 -1st International Conference on Sensor Networks, 24–26 February 2012
25. MOORINSPECT Project
26. ROBOFOOT Project
27. CEA
28. CEEI
29. AER-ATP
30. EURON
31. EUROP
32. OSRF

External links

• Official website