Automating the cleaning of complex parts in aeronautics.

Visionic designs off-the-shelf optical guidance and control solutions for complex industrial manufacturing processes. As an integrator, they aim for constant improvement of industrial performance. Fuzzy Logic, with its no-code software that allows non-experts to create, simulate and control a robot cell in real time, aims to democratize industrial robotics. Together, Fuzzy Logic and Visionic are removing the technological and financial obstacles to the robotization of applications that were previously unheard of, or perceived as impossible, such as pressure cleaning and the decontamination of engine parts in the aeronautics industry.

Aeronautics is a demanding sector that requires extremely rigorous and standardized industrial processes. For example, machined engine parts must be rendered particle-free before assembly, and are therefore subjected to meticulous cleaning at very high pressure. These noisy and arduous processes are currently performed manually. Operators exposed to high pressure water jets, up to 60 bars, pollution and noise are at high risk of MSD. Aeronautical manufacturers and subcontractors are having difficulty recruiting candidates for these jobs, which are also highly regulated and whose difficulty is closely monitored by the unions.

In order to reduce the difficulty of these tasks, manufacturers are seeking to automate them. Nevertheless, they are confronted with the complexity of robotization, due in particular to the diversity of the parts and their number, to the expert costs and to the lack of availability of roboticists.

In response to these specific and complex problems, Visionic has designed a robotic cell that includes a chassis, a robot, high-pressure hydraulic circuits, a filtration system and a closed-circuit particle recovery system. It is controlled with Fuzzy Studio. Unique in the market, it allows the robotization of these complex tasks, without expertise in robotic programming and at lower costs.

Automatic trajectory generation without programming, a unique feature.
Generating robotic trajectories requires long and complex programming by a roboticist. Automation is even more complicated for applications such as high-pressure cleaning of aeronautical parts that involve a large number of parts with variable geometries. With Fuzzy Studio, these complex trajectories are automatically generated in a few clicks using 3D information from objects placed in a virtual cell. It is possible to add an unlimited number of waypoints to these trajectories. This feature saves users considerable time and frees them from dependence on robotics experts.

Xavier Savin, CEO of Visionic comments: "The key element of Fuzzy Logic's software is its ability to generate automated trajectories, its simplicity and speed of execution. In this complex application, it introduces a radically new paradigm that is a major shift from classical systems that require a robotic operator. Here, the payoff for our customer is the conversion of a tedious, risky, non-value-added task to a basic operator task."

Ryan Lober, CEO of Fuzzy Logic explains, "With Fuzzy Studio, integration specifications are validated in minutes versus days or weeks and at lower costs. Cell sizing information is displayed for easy decision making, before moving on to real-time robot control with Fuzzy RTOS. Parameters can be quickly modified in the simulation. These advantages are unique in the market, and they allow to drastically reduce the investment risks of a robotics project. They offer the possibility to robotize where it seemed impossible."

Xavier Savin adds, "Projects to reuse this cell are underway in the aeronautics sector. We are aiming further ahead and want to extend this solution to other industrial applications, for example welding or control. It is applicable wherever complex robotic trajectories need to be generated quickly." He concludes: "At Visionic, we are fully convinced of the interest of Fuzzy Logic's software for our customers on the one hand but also for our R&D. It gives us a considerable technological advantage."

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See also: Putting robots in the hands of operators.(15/10/2021)

@fuzzylogicrobot  @mepaxIntPR #Visionic #Robotics

Putting robots in the hands of operators.

The Franco-American start-up Fuzzy Logic has announced a €2.5 million seed round of financing from two European DeepTech funds: 42CAP, an industry-specialized German fund based in Munich, and Karista (via the Paris Region Venture Fund), an early-stage VC firm based in Paris.

Fuzzy Logic, which originated in the French start-up ecosystem (Agoranov and Wilco), is developing an "all-in-one" software platform that dramatically simplifies every step of robotization, from robotic cell design to daily reprogramming in the factory by operators. It reproduces a virtual environment in which the robot in the factory can be controlled "on the fly" and as simply as a video game.

Fuzzy Logic Founders Antoine Hoarau CTO and Ryan Lober CEO 

Fuzzy Studio™ (desktop application) and Fuzzy RTOS™ (embedded software) are no-code platforms, allowing users to control any make of industrial robot, without the need for training or complex programming. Non-roboticist users can intuitively design robotic cells and production operators increase their scope of activity: a clearer and simpler software solution for interacting with robots and “crushing” their complexity. It's the new standard for flexible automation.

Robotics in the service of operators
The platform is attracting strong interest from large companies, especially for applications with many different part types to be programmed or which have demanding quality requirements.

But as well as current users of industrial robots, Fuzzy Logic intends to open up a market that is still in its infancy, that of small and medium-sized industrial companies. The platform removes the complexities of robotic integration and eliminates the need for robotics expertise throughout the service life, two obstacles that until now have often been prohibitive barriers for SMEs and SMBs. 

Ryan Lober  and Antoine Hoarau, respectively CEO and CTO, co-founders of Fuzzy Logic, state:
“We help SMEs to power up their competitiveness and autonomy, by making robots adapt to them - not the other way around. This round of fundraising will allow us to strengthen our R&D teams and deploy our vision of intuitive and flexible robotics among client ambassadors throughout Europe.”

“Fuzzy Logic will be one of the key enablers of the flexible production paradigm changing the industry as we know it today. We were deeply impressed by Ryan Lober’s and Antoine Hoarau’s deep knowledge of the industrial robotics space, as well as the powerful solution they have built. They were able demonstrate everything we seek in entrepreneurs and bring their technology into the hands of industry leaders in real-world use cases. We are more than excited for what lies ahead and are proud to back the team on this journey.” declared Julian von Fischer from 42CAP.

“Fuzzy Logic arrives on the market with a perfect timing given the mass-adoption of industrial robotics and underlying applications. Yet projects remain complex, pricy, and lengthy to implement. We immediately shared Ryan Lober and Antoine Hoarau ’s vision: make robotics accessible for everyone, not only for experts, and revolutionize the way people interact and use industrial robotics. In addition, we have identified a stellar team of entrepreneurs with impressive tech expertise around software and robotics. We are very proud to back them in this new phase” commented Benjamin Zerbib, Investment Director and Yvan-Michel Ehkirch, Managing Partner at Karista.

A scalable software platform
Fuzzy Studio™ and Fuzzy RTOS™ are currently being deployed at customers in France and Germany, who were specifically chosen for their flexibility and precision requirements. Thanks to awards and support from the French public investment bank, Bpifrance, as well as the European Union, the company has accumulated more than 600,000 euros in pre-seed financing. The current round of fundraising will help them strengthen the technical team in order to deploy to new customers, "Platform Ambassadors", throughout Europe. 

The Fuzzy Logic mission: unlock flexible production for any manufacturer, by making the robot a simple tool - accessible to any operator.

@fuzzylogicrobot @42Cap1 @KaristaVC #PAuto #Robotics #France

From cad to control with one software.

Fuzzy Logic Robotics is to announce the first release of Fuzzy Studio™ during Hannover Messe Industry 2021(12 - 16/3/2021). This is heralded as a game changer for unlocking flexible robotic production

Both industrial and collaborative robotics are too costly at present for truly flexible production due to the complexity of software and integration. Today, only a few handling applications, such as pick-and-place, have been made truly accessible to non-experts and thus cost-effective for flexible production. The vast majority of robotic and cobotic applications, however, require complex and heterogeneous software tools and brand experts.

These tools require significant training and expertise. As a result, more than 75% of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a robot are related to software training and services in standard mass production. In flexible production, this number can skyrocket to over 90% of the TCO and kill the potential return on investment of the robotic system.

Fuzzy Studio™, just launched, is an easy-to-use and universal software platform which reduces robotics programming costs by 10!

With Fuzzy Studio™ any factory can automate with robotics quickly, simply and cost-effectively - even for complex applications in processing, dispensing and welding.

➔ Intuitive and simple like a video game. ➔ One standard interface for all brands of robots. ➔ Industrial grade precision and performance for real time control of the robot.

It covers all of the steps in the integration of a robotic workcell: from pre-project, design, and commissioning to real-time production control, inline reprogramming and maintenance. Designed to accelerate robotic uptake and usage for all stakeholders, from major manufacturers to small and medium-sized businesses, to systems integrators and even robot OEMs.

A comprehensive collection of robot models from the supported brands and filter by specification is available. Quickly construct a robotic system with high fidelity and interactive CAD and 3D objects. Formats supported: 40+ formats including industrial CAD STEP and IGES.

Customers may select from multiple tooling options from top manufacturers or import custom designed tools.
All supported tools are plug and play compatible.
No more confusing lines of code or coordinate systems.
Visually construct tool trajectories.
Modify trajectories in real-time, see the changes in 3D, and execute them directly on the real robot.

They may drag and drop 3D CAD objects into the design and proprietary algorithms automatically generate tool trajectories, which avoid collisions, save time, enhance performance, and reinforce safety. Turn hours of meticulous labor into a few easy clicks.

Thanks to proprietary algorithms, users can easily swap any robot with two clicks in their design to find the right one for the job. All trajectories and processes are automatically re-computed and incompatibilities can be fixed easily.

Thanks to deterministic real-time control algorithms: “what you see in simulation is what you get in reality”. Deploy an entire application with one click to the production robot and bridge the gap between simulation and reality. Monitor and adjust processes directly and in real-time.

@fuzzylogicrobot @hannover_messe @mepaxIntPR #Pauto #Robotics