FELICE aspires to design the next generation assembly processes required to address urgent needs in manufacturing. It unites multidisciplinary research in robotics, AI, computer vision, data analytics, process optimization and ergonomics to deliver a modular platform capable to integrate and harmonize an array of autonomous and cognitive technologies aiming to increase the agility and productivity of an assembly production system and also ensure the safety and physical and mental well-being of human workers. To achieve these goals, technologies will be developed combining the accuracy and endurance of robots with the cognitive ability and flexibility of humans. Such flexible and configurable technologies will support future manufacturing assembly floors to become agile, and address Industry4.0 adaptation. We consider two layers of operation, control and processing, a local one introducing i) a collaborative assembly robot roaming the shop floor to assist workers in assembly tasks, and ii) adaptive workstations for optimizing worker-specific ergonomic aspects, and a global layer which will sense and operate upon the real world via an actionable digital replica of the physical assembly line. FELICE will i) implement perception and cognition capabilities allowing the system to build context-awareness, ii) advance human-robot collaboration in otherwise manual assembly lines, enabling robots to safely and ergonomically share tasks with humans, allowing the flexible reconfiguration of an assembly production process and, iii) realize a manufacturing digital twin, i.e. a virtual representation tightly coupled with production assets and the actual assembly process to enable the management of operating conditions, the simulation of the assembly process and the optimization of performance aspects and, iv) integrate developments in an industrial assembly line for agile production. FELICE has two pilot environments: one for technology validation and one related to car assembly.

RAMCIP will research and develop a novel domestic service robot, with the aim to proactively and discreetly assist older persons, MCI and AD patients in their every day life. Instead of simply being an obedient servant, the RAMCIP robot will have high-level cognitive functions, driven through advanced human activity and home environment modelling and monitoring, enabling it to optimally decide when and how to assist. The robot will provide subtle physical and cognitive user skills training, by maintaining an optimal balance between physical assistance provision and user stimulation to act. The cognitive functions will orchestrate an ensemble of advanced lower-level mechanisms, enabling the robot to (a) communicate with the user and (b) establish dextrous and safe robotic manipulations. Communication will be based on multimodal interfaces, adapted and fused so as to meet the current user’s needs and interaction context. Apart from touch-screen, speech and gestural modalities, RAMCIP will incorporate an augmented reality display, as well as an underlying empathic communication channel, allowing it to sense user affect and moderate it. In the context of robotic manipulations, RAMCIP will introduce advanced dexterity in service robots for assisted living environments; the robot will employ a sophisticated anthropomorphic hand, manipulated though novel grasping and dexterity algorithms, being capable to grasp and manipulate a variety of objects in realistic user homes, supporting also safe handover. Safety will be a major research focus. By establishing safe and dextrous manipulations, emphasis will be paid on physical HRI, enabling novel assistance scenarios that will involve physical contact between the user and the robot. Through multi-faceted proactive assistance enabled through all the above, RAMCIP will advance user independency and quality of life of its user. The robot will be evaluated in two pilot sites that will be deployed in two countries.