“Artificial intelligence leads to more efficient, safer, more adaptive interaction in industrial environments”
Human-robot collaboration is rapidly evolving towards more advanced forms of interaction, and playing an increasingly important role in industrial competitiveness
TECNALIA is developing artificial intelligence-based solutions to improve interaction between people and robots, with a direct impact on efficiency and safety. The aim is to push beyond simply sharing space: it is about getting humans and robots to work together in a truly coordinated manner, while adapting to the environments and requirements of each task.
Artificial intelligence for more natural interaction
One of the keys is the integration of artificial intelligence and multimodal communication technologies (visual, gestural and vocal). As a result, robots can get a better understanding of what is happening around them, interpret the actions of operators, adapt their behaviour and even anticipate certain behaviours.
This makes in-plant interaction more fluid and less rigid, reducing friction in day-to-day operations and making it easier to work together. The key lies in adapting technology to people, rather than the other way round.
Efficiency and safety go hand in hand
Another significant development is the ability of these systems to analyse their environment and react in real time. This helps to prevent risks, reduce errors and improve coordination on shared tasks.
In practice, this translates into more agile processes, fewer disruptions and safer working environments. This will be achieved without losing sight of one key aspect: increasing productivity must always go hand in hand with guarantees of safety.
Progress is also being made in validating these capabilities through various pilot projects (construction, infrastructure and manufacturing), with assessments being made of how they perform under operational conditions and how they integrate into real-world industrial processes.
Beyond the manufacturing industry
Although these solutions are specifically designed for industrial environments, sectors such as construction and infrastructure maintenance can also benefit from them, particularly when carrying out complex tasks or tasks involving greater exposure to risk.
TECNALIA is working on bringing intelligent robotics into the day-to-day reality of companies, helping to integrate it into production environments in a more natural way and supporting the shift towards more efficient, safer, people-centred models.
*(FORTIS) European project, coordinated by TECNALIA: progress was recently shared at the 5th meeting of the consortium, held in Porto, where work was also carried out on validating the solutions under development in scenarios close to real-world industrial conditions.