Readiness Assessment of Engineering Practices for Designing Autonomous Industrial Mobile Machinery
Vuorimaa, Valtteri (2019)
2019
Konetekniikan DI-tutkinto-ohjelma
Tekniikan ja luonnontieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2019-10-21
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-201909303605
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-201909303605
Tiivistelmä
Autonomous industrial mobile machines have emerged as proof-of-concept demonstrations in various industries in the past years and commercialized in some industries as well. Advances in automation engineering has developed to a stage where the automated machines are called as autonomous machines with varying degrees of autonomy from semi-automated functions to full autonomy. Advances in maturity of technologies providing autonomous functions have enabled new developments in designing autonomous mobile machines. In addition to the advances in technologies providing autonomous functions, advances in maturity of engineering practices has enabled development in the autonomous technologies.
This thesis aims to assess readiness factors of engineering practices for designing autonomous industrial mobile machinery. The readiness factors consider elements that are required of engineering practices to design autonomous mobile machinery. Such assessment includes presenting focal challenges in autonomous systems design, solutions and methods for over-coming those challenges and important considerations for design. The research objectives are based on a hypothesis that the new technologies which provide autonomous functions result in new design requirements for engineering practices. The research objective is to discover what does the increasing autonomy produce for the design of the machine. The methods include a literature research, which presents design considerations found from varying fields of autonomous systems development (aerial, maritime, road vehicle and mobile machines), and an inter-view research, which presents an anonymized interpretation of eight thematic interviews find-ings. Interviews were conducted with mobile machine original equipment manufacturers and system integrator companies interested in the development of autonomous mobile machines.
Based on the literature and interview researches, a set of readiness elements and factors are assessed as a summary. It can be concluded, that the engineering practices should consider a new operational principle of an autonomous system that must include clear benefits compared to the operation principle of a regular machine. The benefits can be gained from varying levels of autonomy. Readiness factors include considerations for a new set of competences, managing an interdisciplinary design process, importance of partnerships and ecosystems with longevity, and advanced use of digital design practices and physical test environments that complement each other and the design process of autonomous functions.
This thesis aims to assess readiness factors of engineering practices for designing autonomous industrial mobile machinery. The readiness factors consider elements that are required of engineering practices to design autonomous mobile machinery. Such assessment includes presenting focal challenges in autonomous systems design, solutions and methods for over-coming those challenges and important considerations for design. The research objectives are based on a hypothesis that the new technologies which provide autonomous functions result in new design requirements for engineering practices. The research objective is to discover what does the increasing autonomy produce for the design of the machine. The methods include a literature research, which presents design considerations found from varying fields of autonomous systems development (aerial, maritime, road vehicle and mobile machines), and an inter-view research, which presents an anonymized interpretation of eight thematic interviews find-ings. Interviews were conducted with mobile machine original equipment manufacturers and system integrator companies interested in the development of autonomous mobile machines.
Based on the literature and interview researches, a set of readiness elements and factors are assessed as a summary. It can be concluded, that the engineering practices should consider a new operational principle of an autonomous system that must include clear benefits compared to the operation principle of a regular machine. The benefits can be gained from varying levels of autonomy. Readiness factors include considerations for a new set of competences, managing an interdisciplinary design process, importance of partnerships and ecosystems with longevity, and advanced use of digital design practices and physical test environments that complement each other and the design process of autonomous functions.