VOJEXT Project

VOJEXT is a 42-months project, started in July 1st 2020, aiming at providing a favourable business and technological framework for cognitive autonomous systems supporting human-robot interaction.

Under the vision Value Of Joint EXperimenttion (VOJEXT) in digital technologies, the project dynamizes science-driven industry approaches engaging human and Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) in the same loop; thus amplifying the cognitive capabilities needed to achieve more effective sociotechnical and business ecosystems. For this purpose, VOJEXT will design, develop, and demonstrate affordable, market-oriented, multipurpose and easy-to-repurpose robotic systems; to be developed as one of the main components of a smart and scalable CPS ecosystem for the manufacturing and construction industry.

VOJEXT demonstrates its value through 5 different experimental pilots; which will be evaluated in 5 different sectors (plastic textile, electronics, automotive, construction and creative architecture for urban regeneration); covering the construction and manufacturing sectors at large in 4 different EU locations (Spain, Hungary, Italy and Turkey). VOJEXT covers traditional and non-traditional areas for AI-robotics and cognitive ICT developments, extending its activities to new 15 demonstrators through open calls.
The VOJEXT project experimental path and effective implementation, is supported by the S+T+ARTS approach, using art-driven innovation. For this purpose, VOJEXT will engage artistic research and innovation methodologies by hosting two S+T+ARTS Residencies that will be selected through open calls in S+T+ARTS format and will invite artists, as art-science partners, to collaborate with VOJEXT technology, robotic, academic and industrial partners.

Led by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), VOJEXT brings together a multidisciplinary and complementary consortium team consisting of 20 partners from 14 EU and associated countries. VOJEXT partners comprise 8 SMEs (Shadow, Robotnik, Tree Technologies, Technovation Solutions, Kontor 46, F6S Network Limited, Oficina Keller Napoles, OSAI Automation Systems), a mid-cap (PEMU) and 2 large companies (Acciona, Mercedes Benz), 2 universities (UPM, NEBRIJA), 4 research centres (Fortiss GmbH, Sieć Badawcza Łukasiewicz – Przemysłowy Instytut Automatyki i Pomiarów PIAP, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt-DLR-) and 3 non-profit organisations (Pôle EMC2, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, Stichting Waag Society). VOJEXT brings new scenarios to the Project, fostering scientific and business driven innovation under the umbrella of the Digital Innovation Hubs in Spain, Germany, Poland and France that specialize in robotics, artificial intelligence, automation and manufacturing; which will be linked to other seven DIHs in Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Italy and United Kingdom through the advisory board.

VOJEXT, using the DIHs and S+T+ARTS approaches, provides great opportunities to Small- and medium-sized businesses to be part of innovative and cross-border human-robot collaboration demonstrative experiments.

Contract number: 952197

Implementation timeframe: 01/07/2020 – 30/06/2024

Budget allocated to PIAP: EUR 489 330,00 

Coordinator:
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain

Partners:
Fortiss GmbH, Niemcy
Łukasiewicz Research Network – Industrial Research Institute for Automations and Measurements PIAP, Poland
Pôle EMC2, France
The Shadow Robot Company Limited, Great Britain
Robotnik Automation SLL, Spain
Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy
Tree Technology S.A., Spane
Technovative Solutions LTD, Great Britain
Universitas Nebrissensis S.A., Spain
Kontor46 s.a.s., Italy
F6S Network Ireland LTD, Ireland
Sdruzhenie Bulgarska Targovsko-Promishlena Palata, Bulgaria
Stichting Waag Society, Netherlands
Officina Keller Lanificio Napoli S.R.L., Italy
PEMÜ Plastic Processing Co. Ltd., Hungary
Acciona Construcción SA, Spain
Osai Automation System SpA, Italy
Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V, Germany
Mercedes-Benz Turk AS, Turkey

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 952197