Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2

The purpose of this project is to develop a smart robotic assembly system that automatically assembles pieces of duct. A team from Sheridan College will use an integrated approach of robotics, smart systems and cloud computing to develop the robotic assembly system required for fully automated operation of this production process. Given the rising cost of labour and the increase in demand for product and services, the creation of this fully automated smart assembler is essential to finding a cost-effective way for the industry partner to stay profitable and continue to expand to fulfill the increase in demand. As such, this system offers the potential for significant change in the labour distribution savings and enhancement in the productivity, particularly if the technology can be scaled to offer the possibility of multiple automated robotic production lines supervised by a single human operator. This increases the productivity through running the industry partner facility for 24 hours/7 days a week using a smaller number of technicians and a larger number of packaging labour. For the faculty and students involved in the project, this represents the chance to gain firsthand experience working in the development of smart robotic assembly system, with the potential for crossover skills that could be applied to the development of commercial robotic systems. For the faculty, this experience can be brought back into the curriculum and incorporated into classes to provide learning opportunities for more students and developing a future workforce with knowledge of smart robotic systems. Similarly, for the students involved, this represents a chance to develop next-generation skills that will significantly increase their employability and put them in a good position to participate in what should be a fast-growing segment of the economy. Ultimately, this project will help to drive forward the development and adoption of smart robotics systems technology in Canada and continue to establish the GTA and Ontario as hubs for these emerging technologies.