Challenges & topics

4 Challenges and 50 + topics

Challenge 1

Factory-level optimization

Factory floor optimization in manufacturing focuses on leveraging advanced technologies and process improvements to streamline operations. It aims to enhance efficiency, minimize waste, and boost productivity by integrating automation, data analytics, and real-time monitoring, ensuring a seamless and optimized production workflow.

Topics include:

  • Flexible production
  • Rapid prototyping
  • AI for autonomous decision making
  • Self-adaptive manufacturing processes
  • Logistics management support 
  • Process, planning, monitoring
  • Intelligent material handling systems
  • Palettising
  • Automatic assembly/disassemly

Challenge 2

Human-robot interaction

In a manufacturing environment, human-robot interaction (HRI) focuses on creating efficient, safe collaborations between workers and robots. Effective HRI in manufacturing leads to increased productivity, reduced error rates, and improved worker safety, fostering an environment where humans and robots can coexist and complement each other’s capabilities.

Topics include:

  • AI-powered robot control
  • Safety and security management
  • AI-powered Teaching and programming
  • Task sharing and planning
  • Localisation
  • Force/compliance control
  • Intelligent grasping & object manipulation
  • Natural language processing
  • Teaching by demonstration
  • Self-configuration
  • Self-tuning

Challenge 3

Circular Economy

The circular economy in the manufacturing industry focuses on minimizing waste and making the most of resources. This approach involves designing products for longevity, reuse, and recyclability, promoting sustainable production processes. It aims to create a closed-loop system where materials are continuously repurposed, reducing environmental impact and fostering innovation and efficiency.

Topics include:

  • Resource consumption
  • Disassembly
  • Tracing
  • Recycling
  • Supply chain optimization
  • Substitute material
  • Block chain
  • Secondary raw materials management
  • Maximise extraction of value
  • Reverse logistics
  • Remanufacturing

Challenge 4

Other emerging and enabling technologies

Innovative tools and systems that support and enhance manufacturing processes and facilitate smarter production, supply chain efficiency, and product innovation, driving the industry towards more integrated, sustainable, and customized manufacturing solutions.

Topics include:

  • Bio-informatics
  • Multi-agent systems
  • Game theory
  • Complex systems
  • Machine learning
  • Computer vision
  • Formal methods
  • HPC
  • Edge to cloud
  • Benchmarking
  • Neural network
  • Deep learning
  • Reinforced DL
  • Diagnostics, change detection