With a hectic schedule and a busy daily life, we are forced to force ourselves to relax our minds by drinking coffee or tea. As a result, takeaway coffee cups, particularly those sold by Starbucks, have made us reliant on this way of life.
According to recent reports, the large amount of mull generated by the widespread use of such takeaway cups led to the conclusion that using sustainable or reusable cups for everyday life to get that extra boost during your downtime can handle the cause.
So how about AI-built reusable coffee cups?
Well, yes, the Smart Factory OWL—a real-world laboratory for artificial intelligence—starts the production of an intelligent cup.
Fraunhofer IOSB-INA is the real mastermind behind the real-world laboratory with Kuka and other partners.
The central question of the smart factory OWL is: how can the industry make better use of AI technologies?
The goal prompted the AI real-world laboratory to collect data streams from plants and process them so that they could be made freely available to AI developers and businesses on a platform.
The new experimental field of the Smart Factory is a fully networked and AI-supported production of a reusable cup made of bio-based plastic that does not require the use of petroleum. Not just the renewable raw materials are sustainable, but also the recycling cycles, especially those organised by Cuna Products GmbH.
The process includes the KR Cybertech KUKA robot removing the cups from the injection moulding machine and holding them to a laser for labeling. The robot places the reusable cups on a conveyor belt.
Bernd Besserer, Global Key Account Manager at Kuka, about the project: “Technological use cases provide us with valuable experience in driving Industry 4.0 forward.” And on the other hand, AI providers receive real data with which they can develop and improve tailor-made solutions for the industry.
Bernd Besserer, Global Key Account Manager at Kuka, about the project: “Technological use cases provide us with valuable experience in driving Industry 4.0 forward.” And on the other hand, AI providers receive real data with which they can develop and improve tailor-made solutions for the industry.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is funding the AI-Real World Laboratory with two million euros.