Smart Manufacturing and Digitization

UBC's R&D in Manufacturing Automation and Robotics spans machining and additive manufacturing processes, CNC design, computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and 3D laser scanning, manufacturing process monitoring, design and digital control of machines. The research includes deep learning and intelligent decision making, multi-agent systems, and the design and development of mechatronic instruments and control systems.

The goal of these research activities is to develop innovative technologies by:

• partnering with the Fraunhofer Institutes for Experimental Software Engineering (IESE) and Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) to develop a holistic digital twin of a CNC machine including accurate characterization of the machine kinematics, structural dynamics, and motion control settings

• partnering with Google to develop a self-driving laboratory powered by artificial intelligence and robotics, that can optimize properties of thin film materials for use in clean energy applications

• advancing micro-cutting technologies to produce miniature parts with complex and three-dimensional features for a broad range of materials

• exploring deep reinforcement learning (DRL) as a model-free and maintenance-free framework for process control in industrial settings

• developing robust deep reinforcement learning for the optimization of heating setup in thermoforming processes

• exploring parallel-continuum robots in a variety of application areas such as industrial and clean room automation, modular housing construction, intuitive sensorless physical human-robot interactions, nondestructive (in-situ) inspection, and medical and surgical interventions.