Self-Organization and Collaboration in Robotic Manufacturing Systems

The flexibility and adaptability of smart production systems are achieved through the use of autonomous and collaborating production assets. However, these systems still heavily rely on a central control unit to supervise and coordinate assets, as well as adapt to new demands. Additionally, these systems require reliable wireless connectivity to function effectively. This paper summarizes three contributions to autonomous manufacturing systems. Firstly, a system architecture that co-designs communication control for collaborating production assets is proposed, enabling dynamic trade-off negotiations between the control application and the communication network. Secondly, a novel approach for the self-organization of assets that can adapt in real-time is introduced. Finally, we present a collaborating strategy that facilitates close collaboration between robots while considering the performance of the wireless communication system in use.