The robots will navigate autonomously through the workshop, automa- tically perceiving the coordinates of the manufacturing environment, they will locate the part that must be worked on and will even be capa- ble of handling some of the necessary tools. Furthermore, the system will be con gured in such a way that it can increase its own performance by learning from previous experiences such as movements, tool clamping, the location of parts and the manu- facturing processes. The new robot concept will be of a collaborative nature and will be able to interact with other machines, so it will be possible to work on one workpiece while other machines located in the same manufacturing environment carry out other actions. The safety of the manufacturing environment is achieved through the robot’s ability to react automatically in the presence of human beings or other machines. A single project with diversi ed aims The Coroma project has several objectives, among which are the stren- gthening of the global position of European manufacturing industry and contributing to technological development in the manufacturing and robotics eld. 1.- Towards the creation of collaborative robot-machine environments One of the main goals of this project is to facilitate collaboration bet- ween robots and machine tools or non-cognitive robots. This will bring new market opportunities to the robotics industry, to the machine-tool industry and to the industrial manufacturers that use a new generation of robotic production units. 2.- Positive impact for robot manufacturers The project will have a positive impact on the global market share of European robot manufacturers (currently 32%), by providing additio- nal support that may make their product ranges more competitive. Moreover, the initiative could result in a 20% reduction of setup costs of new production processes or re-setting between two sequential pro- cesses, thus increasing their ef ciency. 3.- Boosting the implementation of robotics in component manufacturers The project also has the purpose of boosting the implementation of robotics in companies that specialise in the manufacture of metal and composite material components for sectors such as aeronautics, light boatbuilding and energy generation. To achieve these objectives, the initiative is supported by the proven experience of the participating entities in manufacturing technologies and in the eld of robotics, as this project merges the two disciplines. The Coroma project scienti c coordinator, Asier Barrios, makes it clear that this initiative is focused on the application of already mature technologies. “It is a research and innovation project. We start from a technology base that is already mature and consists of equipping the intelligent robots with sensors and algorithms so that they can understand the manufacturing processes in which they are going to work” added Barrios. Speci cally, the developed prototypes must be able to carry out drilling, trimming, deburring, polishing, sanding and non-destruc- tive inspection tasks. Furthermore, they will be able to operate as a moving support tool to eliminate vibrations that occur during the machining processes of parts used in the aeronautic sector, these tend to be very thin and are more sensitive to vibrations produced during their manufacture. ROBOTICS >>19