sensors Article OMNIVIL—An Autonomous Mobile Manipulator for Flexible Production Heiko Engemann 1,2,*, Shengzhi Du 2,* , Stephan Kallweit 1, Patrick Cönen 1 and Harshal Dawar 1 1 IaAM Institute, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, University of Applied Sciences Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany;
[email protected] (S.K.);
[email protected] (P.C.);
[email protected] (H.D.) 2 Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria 0001, South Africa * Correspondence:
[email protected] (H.E.);
[email protected] (S.D.) Received: 10 November 2020; Accepted: 15 December 2020; Published: 17 December 2020 Abstract: Flexible production is a key element in modern industrial manufacturing. Autonomous mobile manipulators can be used to execute various tasks: from logistics, to pick and place, or handling. Therefore, autonomous robotic systems can even increase the flexibility of existing production environments. However, the application of robotic systems is challenging due to their complexity and safety concerns. This paper addresses the design and implementation of the autonomous mobile manipulator OMNIVIL. A holonomic kinematic design provides high maneuverability and the implemented sensor setup with the underlying localization strategies are robust against typical static and dynamic uncertainties in industrial environments. For a safe and efficient human–robot collaboration (HRC), a novel workspace monitoring system (WMS) is developed to detect human co-workers and other objects in the workspace. The multilayer sensor setup and the parallel data analyzing capability provide superior accuracy and reliability. An intuitive zone-based navigation concept is implemented, based on the workspace monitoring system. Preventive behaviors are predefined for a conflict-free interaction with human co-workers.