A Distributed Computational/physical System for Micromanufacturing

该项目正在创建一种新的模块化、分布式和高度可扩展的计算/物理系统，用于微制造中的多学科研究和应用。这种方法是一种基于机器人代理的分布式信息体系结构，这种类型的体系结构在当今的工业中并不存在。基于代理的系统的分布式性质既不需要集中控制，也不需要中央数据库来进行操作，从而避免了通信和代码复杂性瓶颈。其目标是：1)与最先进的系统相比，大大减少设计、编程和部署时间；2)大大提高现有方法的机械精度；3)大大减少占地面积要求。智能优点该体系结构具有很高的通用性，适用于小型零件的微制造、中微规模产品的组装、离散化学品的合成和生物材料分析等领域的多步式流水作业生产系统。该系统解决了几个棘手的人机界面问题，使研究人员和学生更容易使用该系统，与传统方法相比，使用起来也容易得多。在这项工作中，通过在空间注册并在时间上与实际微制造系统同步的虚拟3D表示来设计和编程计算/物理代理的集合。该系统包括几个自动程序，如校准和多代理协调，从而减少了编程的单调乏味。我们希望开发的系统能够成为一个合适的研究平台，在这里可以由教职员工和学生进行多个并行的实验。这样做的目的也是为了提供一个可以作为工业界榜样的工作系统。该团队在这一领域拥有丰富的专业知识，他们的研究将通过开发新的制造技术使研究界受益，但也将通过扩大其应用范围为该领域做出贡献。广泛影响该项目提供了可编译工厂的愿景，如果广泛实现，将代表自动化组装方面的革命性突破。这包括光学系统、质谱仪、金属部件形成的3D设备的自动化组装，以及用于环境监测的智能微型机器人的大规模复制。此外，教育是拟议项目的重要组成部分。增强型微型工厂为多机器人编程和协作机器人提供了新的学习环境。此外，还与华盛顿州沃拉瓦拉大学的制造工程教职员工和学生进行了密切的互动。我们还继续与慕尼黑工业大学和瑞士联邦理工学院的微型制造实验室进行卓有成效的学生交流。本科生一如既往地投入到这项研究中，为这项工作增添了宝贵的、至关重要的贡献。

This project is creating a novel modular, distributed, and highly scalable computational/physical system for multi-disciplinary research and applications in micro-manufacturing. The approach is a robotic-agent-based distributed information architecture of a type not found in industry today. The distributed nature of the agent-based system requires neither centralized control nor a centralized database for its operation, thereby avoiding communication and code complexity bottlenecks. The goals are to 1) dramatically reduce design, program, and deployment times compared with state-of-the-art systems, 2) greatly increase mechanical precision over existing methods, and 3) greatly reduce floor space requirements. Intellectual MeritThe architecture is highly generic, and is applicable to multi-step flow-through production systems for domains such as micro-fabrication of small parts, assembly of meso- and micro-scale products, synthesis of discrete amounts of chemicals, and analysis of biological materials. The system addresses several difficult human-computer interface issues making the system more accessible to researchers and students and much easier to use compared with conventional approaches. In this work, collections of computational/physical agents are designed and programmed through a virtual 3D representation that is registered in space and synchronized in time with the actual micromanufacturing system. The system includes several automatic procedures such as calibration and multi-agent coordination which reduces programming tedium. We expect the developed system to be a suitable research platform where multiple, concurrent experiments can be run by faculty and students. The intention is also to provide a working system which can serve as an example for industry. The team has great expertise in this area, and their research will benefit both the research community through the development of new manufacturing techniques, but will also contribute to the field by expanding its scope of applicability.Broader ImpactsThis project provides a vision of compilable factories, and if broadly realized, represents a transformative breakthrough in automated assembly. This includes automated assembly of optical systems, mass spectrometers, 3D devices formed from metal parts, and mass replication of intelligent micro-robots for environmental monitoring. Moreover, education is a vital component of the proposed project. The enhanced minifactory provides a new learning environment for multi-robot programming and cooperative robotics. There is also a close interaction closely with manufacturing engineering faculty and students at Walla Walla University in Washington State. We also continue the fruitfulstudent exchanges with micro-manufacturing laboratories at Technical University of Munich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. As always, undergraduate students engage in the research and add a valuable and vital contribution to the work.