Teaching a robot by demonstrating what it should do. Currently, this is quite complicated. In the future, it will bring new opportunities for automation. Engineers from RoboHouse, TNO, TU Delft and Do IoT Fieldlab are analysing different applications, to evolve the remote robot teaching standards.
Labor shortage, economic factors and technological developments urge scientists and businesses to rethink how employers will be working in the future. Robots will perform more and more tasks to assist humans. Think of repetitive tasks, heavy tasks, extremely precise tasks or working in a hazardous environment. Currently, robots are programmed manually to perform a task. The task description must be highly detailed and precise, to get the right result – and with every variation, new programming is needed.
This approach has limitations: the more varied the environment and task, the less suitable it is for this kind of automation, because it’s difficult to cover all possible cases. New ways are explored to teach a robot to perform a task, with the ability to generalize its knowledge and self-adapt to new situations.
With this new approach, a person provides demonstrations, and the robot imitates their way of working. The robot literally learns from its teacher. Through the technology of IMitation Learning and Visual Language Action models, the robot learns to understand the context of what it ‘sees’ through its cameras and sensors.
Human operators and robots interact in a natural way and the robot can learn new tasks, such as picking, packaging, cleaning, assembly, stacking objects, folding and filling a box for shipping, etc. The possibilities will be broad, but there are still many steps to take before this type of flexible automation is reached.
The experiments involve a combination of various technologies. The robot receives its motion directions from an instructor. Physical presence is not always possible for the operator, thus there is a need for remote teleoperation. For a smooth-running teleoperation, 5G is essential to process huge amounts of data with extremely low latency. Furthermore, in the future, mobile robots will perform flexible tasks; they need to be 5G and 6G ready. Currently, the experiments are carried out with VR; tech experts expect that this will be upgraded to AR in the future.
In this project, a proof of concept of robot controlled by an imitation learning policy will be developed, together with intuitive interfaces, such as hand guiding, controllers, voice) to operate the robot. The results will be available in an open, reusable testbed for SMEs, education institutes and research organisations, enabling future advancement of concrete applications.
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The global development of 6G is in full swing. This next-generation mobile technology will reach the market in 2030. With the Future Network Services (FNS) programme, the Netherlands is investing in this development. Do IoT Fieldlab has a key role as a partner in this programme. The development of digital technologies is moving fast and many countries and companies worldwide are investing heavily in these areas. The Netherlands is a forerunner in the development of communication technology and intends to take a leading position in the development of 6G as well.
For many organisations in horticulture, gaining valuable insights into work processes is fundamental to continuous improvement and meeting industry standards. With this goal in mind, Opus Solutions B.V. has developed the OPUS watch, a smart watch specifically for this sector. However, the connectivity required to track activities isn’t always guaranteed in environments dominated by extensive glass and metal structures, such as greenhouses.
The Dutch greenhouse horticulture sector is facing a pressing challenge: while the workload continues to increase, skilled labour is increasingly scarce. There is no shortage of tasks, only of hands to do them. How can we ensure that productivity and sustainability remain safeguarded? The Telegreen project may offer an answer: a collaboration between academia and companies developing an innovative humanoid arm that will support employees and secure the future of the sector.
Applying 5G mobile communications technology in a closed environment such as a greenhouse is relatively new. Numerous studies have examined the effects of electromagnetic fields on flora and fauna. Yet, the novel frequencies used by 5G systems are higher than those used by 2G-4G networks. They potentially have a greater impact on smaller organisms, such as plants and pollinators. The aim of this project is therefore to determine whether a 5G network has any effect on the growth of plants or on the behavior of pollinators in a greenhouse.
Delft based startup PATS is developing insect monitoring and bio-inspired control systems for greenhouse horticulture. Pest insects in a greenhouse can disturb plant growth or even be a threat to crop yields. Yet, in a healthy ecosystem, some insects can specifically be helpful. Therefore, distinguishing one from the other is preferable, to deploy the appropriate control measure. The aim of this project is to investigate how 5G can contribute to establish fast, reliable connections and improvement in data management.
Technological progress in recent years does not yet solve the labour shortage in greenhouse farming. The introduction of 5G is expected to accelerate innovation for sustainable food supply while stimulating more efficient cultivation. For instance, plant health is currently still mainly assessed by the human eye. Delft startup Plense Technologies wants to improve cultivation quality with their ultrasound sensors.
The “Do IoT for greenhouse horticulture” project is accelerating digital innovations in the Dutch Province of Zuid-Holland to ensure sustainable and efficient food production. The use of 5G, sensors and robots is central to the experiments.
How do you supply the right amount of water to a plant in the greenhouse? Sensors can be of valuable assistance. With an ingenious system, you can map out the specific need for water for each plant.