Eighty-five percent of repetitive tasks in industry and logistics could be automated with technology that is already available. However, many companies still rely on manual processes that limit their productivity and ability to adapt.
The new generation of industrial robotics integrates collaboration with people and intelligent mobility within industrial plants. Cobots (collaborative robots) are capable of working side by side with operators, without physical safety fences, thanks to vision systems, force control and presence detection. At the same time, mobile robots move autonomously using technologies such as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), the same technologies used by the smart vacuum cleaners that have conquered our homes, to create real-time maps and avoid obstacles.
These robots act as intelligent companions: they work alongside humans, move safely through shared environments and make real-time decisions thanks to advanced sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms.
Integrating them into our environment helps reduce errors, increase efficiency and respond more agilely to industrial demand, which is increasingly defined by flexibility, sustainability and a shortage of specialized labour.
In this context, Eurecat’s Robotics and Automation Unit develops solutions that take industrial robotics into a new, more intelligent, adaptable and human-centred stage.
Adaptive robots for a new industrial era
Eurecat’s team specialized in robotic manipulation designs adaptable solutions that improve productivity in sectors such as manufacturing, logistics and food processing. These robotic systems are capable of learning and making decisions in real time, enabling dynamic and autonomous task execution. This results in improved precision, cost reductions and a level of flexibility that traditional robotics could not offer.
In manufacturing, robots can change tasks without complex reprogramming, automatically adapting to new parts or production conditions. Along these lines, the IntelliMan project is developing an advanced robotic system capable of handling a wide variety of objects with high performance, using a heterogeneous set of sensors and continuous learning capabilities. This robotic solution can adapt to environmental characteristics, autonomously decide how to execute a task, detect failures in real time and, if necessary, request additional information through interaction in order to replan and continue working without downtime.
Its technologies are being evaluated in use cases that include flexible connector assembly and fresh food handling, demonstrating a level of adaptability and manipulation dexterity that expands the limits of industrial robotics.
Collaborative robotics: augmented intelligence
The new generation of robotics is based on collaboration between humans and machines. Cobots are revolutionizing the way manual and repetitive tasks are performed. Thanks to force control, integrated vision and AI, robots detect operators and adjust their movements to ensure safety and ergonomics.
At Eurecat, we design systems that enable natural interaction, where robots not only assist but also learn from humans, improving process performance without replacing human value. Collaborative robotics not only increases efficiency but also transforms the role of workers, shifting them from repetitive or dangerous tasks to supervisory and idea-generating roles.
Safety is crucial when robots and people share the same space. The European project Sharework, coordinated by Eurecat, developed an advanced collaborative robotics solution that combines AI and sensor technologies to enable safe cooperation between people and robots without the need for physical barriers. The system increases safety, prioritizes ergonomics and improves the efficiency of manual operations, adapting to changing industrial scenarios while learning from operators’ movements and intentions.
In the field of the circular economy, within the Battereverse project, Eurecat is implementing a collaborative robotic line for the automated disassembly and sorting of electric battery modules and cells. Robots work safely alongside operators, reducing risks and increasing component traceability as a prerequisite for reuse or recycling.
In addition, the use of generative AI equips robots with the ability to reason and make decisions in real time, responding to unforeseen events and improving system autonomy. This applied intelligence opens up new opportunities to extend human-robot collaboration to sectors where it was previously not feasible.
Mobile robotics: intelligence on the move
Mobile robotics plays a key role in the revolution of logistics and manufacturing. At Eurecat, we develop systems that enable robots to move with millimetre-level precision, even in changing environments. We combine advanced sensors with AI to create real-time maps, detect obstacles and adapt routes without collisions or interruptions.
The Cobolleague project illustrates this vision through the development of an autonomous collaborative robot capable of transporting materials outdoors, in industrial facilities or construction sites. The system combines GPS navigation, LIDARs and vision to move accurately in open and dynamic environments while ensuring the safety of people and equipment.
Along the same lines, the ADAPTA project takes these advances a step further with the development of an autonomous system capable of loading and unloading packages on pallets inside trucks. Based on environmental perception and without the need for pre-existing maps, the robot operates reactively using AI-based perception and control modules that allow it to identify available space, adapt manoeuvres and optimize loading and unloading operations in complex logistics scenarios.
By combining real-time mapping, obstacle detection and fleet coordination, these mobile robots work in an orchestrated manner with the rest of the plant. This approach enables fleets of robots to collaborate in real time, optimizing productivity, streamlining logistics flows and reducing operating costs.
Towards a more human and competitive industry
The benefits of collaborative and mobile industrial robotics go far beyond efficiency and productivity. These technologies improve job quality by freeing people from repetitive tasks and allowing them to take on more creative and strategic roles, while also reducing injuries.
The flexibility of new systems makes it possible to automate processes that traditional robotics could not address and makes industry more resilient to changes in demand, opening new pathways to competitiveness and industrial sustainability.
Industrial robotics is entering a new stage: closer, smarter and more collaborative. With real-time data visibility, error detection, collision prevention and safe interaction with people, Eurecat is driving safe, adaptive, people-centred robotics focused on delivering results.
