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Engineering and technology
- Automation and control systems
- Robotics and automatic control
Vehicles with a working function are common in agriculture, logistics and the manufacturing industry. Examples in agriculture are a tractor with implement (front loader, mowing arm), while a typical example for the logistic and manufacturing industry consists of an automated guided vehicle with robot arm used for spraying, drilling, picking or visual inspection. In these industries, there is a need to automate these vehicles and their working function. Current solutions for automated work and drive architectures lack (1) collaborative motion, where the vehicle and working function optimally move together, and (2) modularity to allow interchanging multiple working functions and the corresponding modular safety architecture. The goal of this project is to deliver a validated modular, cost-effective and safe architecture for a variety of autonomous working functions on different vehicles, capable of maximum collaboration between work and drive functions for a set of use cases in agriculture and the manufacturing and logistic industry.