Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM
Complex assembly, handling and machining tasks in modern production are often too variable for conventionally programmed robots. Fraunhofer IFAM develops cognitive, AI-based solutions that enable robots to perceive their environment and process state, assess changing situations and adapt their movements during task execution. This allows to respond reliably to dynamic production conditions and unlock new automation potential.
By combining AI and computer vision with standardized interfaces, intelligent and flexible automation solutions are created. Rather than prescribing every movement, the systems learn to make autonomous decisions and solve tasks adaptively. Advanced AI technologies are leveraged, such as vision models for object and scene understanding, large language models for intuitive human-machine interaction and multimodal models that combine visual, textual and sensor data for enhanced decision-making. In addition, work on OPC UA and the Skill Concept enables interoperable, modular and scalable robot integration across various manufacturing systems.
Fraunhofer IFAM supports numerous partners in automating demanding production processes, helping them increase flexibility, efficiency and resilience.
