UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has awarded grants to 11 late-stage robotics and automation projects as part of its Made Smarter Innovation (MSI) Challenge.
Delivered by Innovate UK, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council, the projects focused on developing solutions to improve productivity, sustainability and resilience within factory production areas.
The projects span across areas such as process control, machine vision and end-gripper technology secured between £107,000 and £535,000 in funding. In total, the MSI challenge has awarded £3.7m.
Some £500,000 was awarded each to two of the winners. These were Brom-Bot, which aims to optimise bicycle production through the development and demonstration of industrial-grade robotic solutions, and Campfire, who produce certified AM Parts finished with an Intelligent Robotics Engine.
Each project will last nine to 15 months and will be tested across sectors including food and drink, electronics and fast-moving consumer goods.
The funding opportunity required each project to deploy an in-factory demonstration to test operation in real-life conditions. The technology development partners will then use the learnings from across the cohort of projects to further develop commercial solutions.
