Open Access

This article demonstrates how four distinct technologies converge to create a new design for articulated robotic arms. Each technology has proven its robustness, processability, and use cases. Generative design is a common approach in mechanical engineering, while additive manufacturing is proven and accepted, even in military applications. Printable conductive materials are used in PCBs and electronics, and wireless technology is indispensable and ubiquitous. A key challenge is that these technologies can interfere with each other. For example, in 3D printing with Fused Filament Fabrication, the curing temperature of conductive ink must be compatible with the plastic's welding temperature. Conductive traces must not interfere with the wireless technology's wavelength to ensure proper function. These factors must be considered in generative design or when using AI in design phases. Despite the challenges, initial tests show promising results. This approach allows for custom-made robotic arms, reduces weight and cabling, and provides flexibility in production processes and materials, paving the way for new robotic applications.

The demand of wireless solutions in industrial applications increases since the early nineties. This trend is not only ongoing, it is further pushed by developments in the area of software stacks like the latest Bluetooth Low Energy Stack. It is also pushed by new chip-designs and powerful and highly integrated electronic hardware. The acceptance of wireless technologies as a possible solution for industrial applications, has overcome the entry barrier [1]. The first step to see wireless as standard for many industrial applications is almost accomplished. Nevertheless there is nearly none acceptance of wireless technology for Safety applications. One highly challenging and demanding requirement is still unsolved: The aspect safety and robustness. Those topics have been addressed in many cases but always in a similar manner. WirelessHART as an example addresses this topic with redundant so called multiple propagation paths and frequency hopping to handle with interferences and loss of network participants. So far the pure peer to peer link is rarely investigated and there are less safety solutions available. One product called LoRa™ can be seen as one possible solution to address this lack of safety within wireless links. This paper focuses on the safety performance evaluation of a modem-chip-design. The use of diverse and redundant wireless technologies like LoRa can lead to an increase acceptance of wireless in safety applications. Many measurements in real industrial application have been carried out to be able to benchmark the new chip in terms of the safety aspects. The content of this research results can help to raise the level of confidence in wireless. In this paper, the term “safety” is used for data transmission reliability.

A method for 3D printing of a robot element, more particularly a finger for use in robotics. At least one sensor is concomitantly printed by means of multi-material printing during the printing of the robot element. A gripping element produced by a method of this kind includes a number of printed layers of robot element material and a concomitantly printed sensor.

Human-robot collaboration is being used more and more in industry applications and is finding its way into medical applications. Industrial robots that are used for human-robot collaboration, cannot detect obstacles from a distance. This paper introduced the idea of using wireless technology to connect a Time-of-Flight camera to off-the-shelf industrial robots. This way, the robot can detect obstacles up to a distance of five meters. Connecting Time-of-Flight cameras to robots increases the safety in human-robot collaboration by detecting obstacles before a collision. After looking at the state of the art, the authors elaborated the different requirements for such a system. The Time-of-Flight camera from Heptagon is able to work in a range of up to five meters and can connect to the control unit of the robot via a wireless connection.