SMART FLOCKS FOR URBAN MAINTENANCE

The SMARTFLOCK consortium will address the shift in using robots from structured and restricted environments (e.g. testing laboratories, automated manufacturing) to real-world dynamic environments, such as public roads and parks where other vehicles, people and animals are present, and thus require (re)designing more robust safety and physical intelligence into these complex socioeconomic environments in a novel way. Previous relevant research and development activities have contributed knowledge to applicability of robotics to e.g. manufacturing production lines1, mobility2 and remote maintenance tasks3, but there is a dearth of evidence from real-world usage of robotics in urban inspection and maintenance operations. State of the art robotics and AI applications in public spaces also raise technical, social, ethical and legal challenges which require an interdisciplinary approach. The transnational SMARTFLOCK consortium combines world-class research and development expertise of seven European universities with three organisations specialized in implementing new technology to realworld applications. The consortium focuses on solving the problem of safety and efficiency of using multiple robots to maintain public parks. The pilot use case in Helsinki, Finland provides a realworld dynamic environment with significant public visibility. The expected outcome and learning from the project will be applicable to other urban inspection, sanitation and maintenance activities with the final goal of achieving a high standard of sanitation, comfort and healthy environments in cities.