Here you can find all the information related to the projects we are working on. We started with our first project back in 2006, and since then we worked on some really interesting projects.
Projects we are currently working on:
- INSIGHT – Intelligent data models for battery cell manufacturing
- Research and development of an intelligent modular platform for end-to-end logistics process
- ASAP – Autonomous System for Assessment and Prediction of Infrastructure Integrity
- IamRONNA – Intelligent autonomous mobile RONNA
- IHRA - Innovative Croatian solutions for the global automotive industry
- CRTA - Regional Center of Excellence for Robotic Technology
- NERO - Neurosurgical Robot
Finished projects:
- CRTA - Regional Centre of Excellence for Robotic Technology: the preparation of documentation
- RONNA - Robotic Neuronavigation
- Application of Robots in Neurosurgery - RONNA
- Locating and billing system in relation to time spent in a particular activity
- WE PLAY - Improving grasping methods based on observations
- Automatic assembly with two-hand robot
- Autonomous multiagent automatic assembly
INSIGHT: Intelligent Data Models for Battery Cell Production
INSIGHT: Cooperation project between BMW Group and University of Zagreb CRTA - FSB. The official start of the project is January 1, 2024. and is estimated to last at least three years.
The BMW battery cell production depends on multiple thousands of parameters. A more precise understanding of the interrelationships between these product and process parameters is a major challenge and an indispensable basis for increasing quality, reducing costs, and ensuring the competitiveness of battery cell production.
The aim of the INSIGHT research project is to investigate the relationships between the product and process parameters and to model them causally. Machine learning, statistical, or AI-based prediction models will be tested to map the production process interrelation of major parameters. All three phases of the production process: electrode manufacturing, cell assembly, formation and aging, are planned to be investigated.
Research and development of an intelligent modular platform for end-to-end logistics process
| Project name Research and development of an intelligent modular platform for end-to-end logistics process Project location Zagreb Project duration 08/2020 – 08/2023 Responsible person - role Assoc. Ph.D. Marko Švaco | Financial value of the project (HRK) 16.645.846,33 Part of financial resources for the FMENA 6.043.623,45 Funding origin (name of donor organisation) Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts of the Republic of Croatia, "Increasing the Development of New Products and Services Arising from Research and Development Activities - Phase II" |
Project objectives and results
The goal of the project is to develop an intelligent modular platform for managing logistic processes, consisting of two key modules:
- real-time analysis and management system for logistic processes based on artificial intelligence,
- a system for coordination and management of autonomous robots in a warehouse using a swarming model.
ASAP – Autonomous System for Assessment and Prediction of Infrastructure Integrity
| Project name Autonomous System for Assessment and Prediction of Infrastructure Integrity Project location Zagreb Project duration 20.12.2019 – 19.12.2022. Official website asap-project.com | Total value of the project (HRK) 7.199.141,25 Responsible person - role doc. dr. sc. Marijana Serdar – project leader Assoc. Ph.D. Marko Švaco – head of the research group at the FSB Funding origin (name of donor organisation) European Regional Development Fund |
Project objectives and results
In order to ensure more rational, planned maintenance of transport infrastructure and to minimize the risk of catastrophic consequences of demolition of buildings, the development of innovative solutions in the field of maintenance of transport infrastructure buildings is necessary. The goal of the ASAP project is to develop a system for autonomous review and prediction of the integrity of transport infrastructure, as part of intelligent transport systems and logistics (PTPP 3) for road and rail infrastructure maintenance, monitoring and management. The system includes autonomous conducting of experimental tests of materials and structures with the help of robots and unmanned aerial vehicles, wireless real-time data collection, and then linking the results of experimental testing and numerical models to assess the service life and residual bearing capacity of structures, and storing data in a large database for end users.
According to the Technical Regulation for Construction Structures, the time interval between regular inspections must not exceed 5 years for bridges and other engineering buildings, which is carried out by visual inspection, measurements, tests and insight into the documentation of the building, appliances and equipment. The classic method of conducting regular inspections is:
- unsafe for examiners – increased safety risk for inspectors and increased safety risk for users of transport infrastructure buildings, assessor discomfort due to traffic which is taking place on the bridge during inspection, illumination of the area under inspection, unavailability of parts of the building and impact of wind, rain and other factors;
- inconsistent among the different examiners – since there is no protocol for reviewing and using the experimental parameters obtained, the assessment of service life and load capacity depends on the qualifications and knowledge of the person conducting the examinations, with examiners often changing due to public procurement rules;
- economically inefficient – requires expensive machinery or installation of auxiliary scaffolding for inspection of hard-to-reach places, large amount of working hours, closure of lanes or entire roads, which leads to large indirect costs;
- environmentally unsustainable – the use of heavy trucks and cranes, wood cutting for the purpose of accessing the elements, drilling of concrete rollers.
These shortcomings of the current, classic inspection of transport infrastructure are a challenge and motivation for the development of an autonomous system for inspecting transport infrastructure buildings. In order to develop the system as a product of high added value and knowledge-based services, the pooling of three interdisciplinary expert groups is needed, as well as the development of three aspects of ASAP:
- Protocol for rapid and efficient assessment of material and structures status with prediction of service life and assessment of the bearing capacity of structures, developed by the Faculty of Civil Engineering (GF), which will become a certified ASAP training program for training traffic infrastructure building examiners,
- Conceptual prototype of autonomous robotic system for testing materials and structures, based on robot and unmanned aerial vehicle, developed in cooperation between the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (FSB) and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER),
- Collection of test data and connections with models and storage in the form available to traffic infrastructure managers, developed by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), with the concept of alarming systems of national security authorities, if during a certain period of time the reaction of the traffic infrastructure manager is absent, which leads to endangerment of the safety of road users.
IamRONNA – Intelligent autonomous mobile RONNA
| Project name IamRONNA – Intelligent autonomous mobile RONNA Project location Zagreb Project duration 15.10.2019 – 31.7.2021 | Total value of the project (HRK) 400.000 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project leader Funding origin (name of donor organisation) Adris Foundation, "Knowledge and Discoveries" program |
Project objectives and results
The goal of the project is to develop an autonomous mobile platform with navigational capabilities to move the RONNA medical robot within the surgical department, in a safe way with regard to hospital staff who can come into direct contact with the mobile platform. Mobile platform navigation will rely on a variety of 2D and 3D sensors and a control computer integrated into the mobile platform. In this way, the mobile platform does not require additional landmarks such as lines or laser-reflective markings for movement.
The primary purpose of the autonomous mobile platform is the increased autonomy of the robotic neurosurgical system RONNA in non-medical routine jobs. The addition of autonomous functions will enable autonomous initialization and preoperative diagnostics of the system in the storage space, and autonomous movement through operating room spaces and positioning in a position where the robot can easilly start the operation according to the previously defined plan or instruction of medical personnel. In addition to preparation, autonomous functions will include autonomous system driving into storage space, automatic battery monitoring and automatic charging on the intended unit. The application of the autonomous mobile platform will eliminate the need for manual transport of the robotic system, opening the possibility for aligning the operation and movement of the platform with the plans of the surgical procedures, without the need for medical personnel to take additional care of the robotic system outside the operating room.
Except for the primary purpose of application on the RONNA neurosurgical system, such an autonomous mobile platform can be easily adapted for other applications in medical settings or other premises with special hygienic requirements or requirements for sterility.
IHRA - Innovative Croatian solutions for the global automotive industry
| Project name Innovative Croatian solutions for the global automotive industry Project location Zagreb Project duration 09.03.2018. – 09.03.2021. Program ERDF - Increasing the development of new products and services arising from research and development activities | Total value of the project (HRK) 53.932.261,39 Share of the EU in project financing (HRK) 22.992.245,35 Responsible person - role Zoran Legac Applicant name Feroimpex Automotive Technology Ltd. Identity of project partners Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture |
Project objectives and results
The project was created as a result of the need for improvement of the production process at Feroimpex automotive technology d.o.o. due to the constant market pressures of company's customers on the one hand and suppliers of metal rods on the other. In order to optimize the production process and thus enable more competitive production, two basic problems in the production process have been identified that prevent further progress of the company and strengthening the price and qualitative competitiveness of the company on the market:
- fracturing and manipulating steel chips that significantly affect the shortened lifespan of CNC machines and the high maintenance cost of the technology
- slowness and high share of human labor in the production process due to quality control of each individual product, since in the metal automotive parts production (in the case of Feroimpex automotive technology d.o.o. bearings), a 100% accuracy is required in measure of made metal workpieces.
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of metal workpiece manufacturers in the auto industry, while the specific objectives are:
- prototyping of new metal chip breaking technology in automated production of metal workpieces as a result of research and development processes carried out
- prototyping of new technology and a new process of precise measurement of metal workpieces as a result of conducted research and development procedures.
Accordingly, the purpose of the project is to conduct research and development with the aim of constructing, developing and prototyping two innovative technological solutions:
- Innovative metal chip fracturing technology generated by the steel processing process for automotive purposes (especially for metal types 100CrMnSi6-4 and 100Cr6)
- Innovative technology of precise measurement of metal workpieces created as a result of the production process in the metalworking industry.
Research and development will be conducted jointly over three years by the experts from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture and user employees.
With the realization of this project, there is a potential for the emergence of a new economic branch which will result from the existing common industrial elements, i.e. the integration of research and development, engineering and production capacity building that will support the development of innovative technology.
CRTA - Regional Center of Excellence for Robotic Technology
| Project name Regional Center of Excellence for Robotic Technology Project location Zagreb Project duration 1.6.2018 – 1.12.2021. Operational programme Competitiveness and cohesion Total value of the project (HRK) 37.954.365,00 | Amount co-financed by the EU (HRK) 36.994.416,32 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project leader Project/consortium manager or leading partner Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture / Bojan Jerbić Funding origin (name of donor organisation) European Regional Development Fund |
Project objectives and results
The main goal of the CRTA project is to arrange space, equip and establish a Regional Center of Excellence for Robotic Technology, which will be a reference center for research, development and implementation of robotic systems on the territory of the Republic of Croatia.
The general goal of the CRTA project is to provide superior working and educational conditions for scientists, mechanical engineering students, engineers and medical personnel, while also serving as a training ground for the development, testing and upskilling of robotic applications, including the following:
- improving the conditions for technology and knowledge transfer to the economy
- improving the conditions for cooperation between the economy and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture
- modernization and development of scientific research infrastructure
- improving the conditions of study at the Higher Education Institution
- modernization and expansion of infrastructure and curriculum of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture
The Center's activities will be directed towards research and development of advanced robotic applications in manufacturing and medicine, where traditional automation and human labor need to be replaced by flexible, versatile and adaptive robotic systems.
Contact for more information – function:
Filip Šuligoj – Assistant Project Manager at Regional Centre of Excellence for Robotic Technology
Marko Švaco – Assistant Project Manager at Regional Centre of Excellence for Robotic Technology
Page of the operational programme from which the project was co-financed::
https://europski-fondovi.eu/program/europski-fond-za-regionalni-razvoj
NERO - Neurosurgical Robot
| Project name NERO - Neurosurgical Robot Project location Zagreb Project duration 1.10.2017. – 30.09.2021. Program Increasing the development of new products and services arising from research and development activities Total value of the project (HRK) HRK 20,986,521.54 | Grant amount 15.486.641,92 Responsible person - role INETEC doo, Sandra Perica Cvjetko, mag. electrical engineer Head of research group at the Faculty prof. Ph.D. Bojan Jerbić Funding origin (name of donor organisation) European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) |
Project objectives and results
The main goal of the project is to contribute to the increase of innovation competitiveness of Croatian robotics and the development of medical technology on a global scale – among other things, the development of an innovative robotic system NERO for performing neurosurgical procedures.
Expected results include:
- Demonstrated technological concept in laboratory environment
- Prototype of NERO robotic system which will be ready for commercial use
- Research and development results disseminated and presented to business, scientific and general interested public.
The project manager is the company INETEC doo, and the project partners are KBD and FSB.
ACRON – A new concept of Applied Cognitive RObotics in clinical Neuroscience
| Project name A new concept of Applied Cognitive RObotics in clinical Neuroscience Project location Zagreb Project duration 1.9.2014. – 31.8.2018. Official website www.acron.fsb.hr Program HRZZ research project | Project value (HRK) 814.827,77 Amount provided by donor organisation 814.827,77 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project leader Project/consortium manager or leading partner Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture / Bojan Jerbić Funding origin (name of donor organisation) Croatian Science Foundation |
CRTA - Regional Centre of Excellence for Robotic Technology: the preparation of documentation
| Project name Regional center of excellence for robotic technologies - documentation preparation Project location Zagreb Program ERDF - European Regional Development Fund Project value (HRK) 210.000,00 | Amount provided by donor organisation 210.000,00 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project leader Project/consortium manager or leading partner Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture / Bojan Jerbić Funding origin (name of donor organisation) ERDF - European Regional Development Fund |
RONNA - Robotic Neuronavigation
| Project name RONNA - Robotic Neuronavigation Project location Zagreb Project duration 1.12.2014. – 1.4.2016. Official website www.ronna-eu.fsb.hr Program ERDF - European Regional Development Fund Project value (HRK) 3.698.461 | Co-financing by the applicant (HRK) 3.143.691 Project code RC.2.2.08-0012 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project leader Project/consortium manager or leading partner Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture / Bojan Jerbić Funding origin (name of donor organisation) European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); own resources; Ministry of Science, Education and Sport of the Republic of Croatia |
Project objectives and results
The main goal of the RONNA project is to develop a modern system of robotic neuronavigation from an experimental research robotic station into a highly technologically commercialized product for performing neurosurgical operations.
The general goal of the RONNA project is to increase the added value and competitiveness of the robotic system for application in neurosurgery through cooperation between the public higher education institution and the business sector and to encourage the commercialization of research results.
The RONNA robotic system for use in neurosurgery, developed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in cooperation with the Clinical Hospital Dubrava, consists of two robotic arms with a total of 13 degrees of freedom. Robots are able to perform various surgical procedures with the accuracy in accordance with the requirements of neurosurgical practice or better. RONNA's two-hand neurosurgical system enables flexible and reliable application, based on an intelligent control system that ensures intuitive interaction with the surgical team and new practical capabilities in relation to existing surgical robot solutions. The result of the project is a product brought to a commercial level through the improvement of equipment necessary for further research, design and production services of the external appearance of the robotic station, optimization of the program part, conducted clinical trials and promotion of products. The project contributed positively to the most medical staff, to the users of the public health system, scientists and experts participating in the project, and employees of partner entrepreneurs.
The objectives of this research and development project were directed towards modern requirements in manufacturing, where traditional automation and human work need to be replaced by flexible, versatile and adaptive robotic systems. The result of the project are developed agents which continuously apply active perception, learning, planning and collaboration, constantly redefining knowledge and implicitly programmed algorithms, implementing a kind of cognitive characteristics. The cognitive framework is based on perception (cameras, sensors, force and moments sensors, touch sensors, etc.), learning and agent architecture.
Application of Robots in Neurosurgery - RONNA
| Project name Application of Robots in Neurosurgery - RONNA Project location Zagreb Project duration 1.4.2011. – 31.12.2013. Program TEST Project value (HRK) 3.000.000,00 | Amount provided by donor organisation 3.000.000,00 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project leader Project/consortium manager or leading partner Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture / Bojan Jerbic Funding origin (name of donor organisation) Croatian Institute of Technology |
Project objectives and results
The goal of the project was to conduct research and development of a pre-commercial prototype of a robotic station for use in neurosurgery. The project was successfully completed, and the required precision, functionality and reliability were achieved and proven through preclinical examinations. Innovative contributions of the project are:
- development of new control models for interactive operation of robots in the operating room
- development of robotic neuronavigation system (for precise patient localization)
- design of specific instruments for robotic application in neurosurgery
- research about new procedures in neurosurgical practice based on the robot applications
RONNA is an exceptional technological interdisciplinary project based on the highest achievements of modern science and technology. Compared to other neurosurgical robotic projects, RONNA is generally different in that it uses two standard robotic arms that collaborate with each other (most existing neurosurgical robots, which are still in experimental application, rely on their own specific and expensive robotic solutions mainly based on conventional control principles). RONNA is special because it uses advanced intelligent control methods and achieves simple and intuitive communication with the surgeon. That's why a surgeon doesn't need to know much about robotics or worry about technical details. Communication with the robot is done through visual or physical interaction, or wirelessly. For example, when modifying instruments on a robot, it is enough to easilly press the robot's hand to let the robot know that an alteration is to be made and it will automatically release the instrument and accept the new one in the same way. Any unwanted collision with the environment will stop the robot without consequences.
Locating and billing system in relation to time spent in a particular activity
| Project name Locating and billing system in relation to time spent in a particular activity Project location Osijek/Zagreb Project duration 1.12.2009. – 28.2.2012. Program TEST Project value (HRK) 2.301.580,00 | Amount provided by donor organisation 2.301.580,00 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project co-leader Project/consortium manager or leading partner Faculty of Electrical Engineering Osijek / Slavko Rupčić Funding origin (name of donor organisation) Croatian Institute of Technology |
Project objectives and results
The project will develop a system that will allow locating objects in space and efficiently charging for services according to the time spent in certain places or according to the traveled path. The technical basis of the project is video surveillance technologies. Once the GPS position of the parked vehicle has been determined and its registration plate is established, the data is sent via the web server for further processing. Complete network communication between the remote server and other system components is based on network services.
WE PLAY - Improving grasping methods based on observations
| Project name WE PLAY - Improving grasping methods based on observations Project location Stockholm/Zagreb Project duration 1.2.2009. – 1.2.2011. Program Unity through knowledge fund (UKF) Project value (HRK) 458.934,00 | Amount provided by donor organisation 458.934,00 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project co-leader Project/consortium manager or leading partner KTH Royal Institute of Technology / Danica Kragić Funding origin (name of donor organisation) UKF grant |
Project objectives and results
The main goal of the PROJECT IGRAMO (Improving GRAsping Movements by predictions based on Observation) was aimed at designing and developing an autonomous robotic system for handling objects. In such a system, a virtual robotic agent learns how to manipulate different objects by observing a human handling the same set of objects. The project developed new management paradigms, based on multiagent systems (MAS) concepts for the coordination of the robotic arm with a multi-fingered gripper. In the project, fingers and a camera are modeled as independent rational autonomous agents working together to coordinate and plan movements in a discreet state space. Fingers using various coordination and collaborative techniques (e.g. coordination graphs, methods of negotiating and resolving conflicts), cooperate with other gripper fingers and with the camera in the realization of the task: bringing a convex object of manipulation from the starting position to the target position, surrounding it, capturing it and transporting it in a coordinated and collaborative way, and at the same time avoiding obstacles that are on the way. The improvement of the efficiency of the execution of capture tasks is noticable. The developed MAS paradigm promises certain benefits not only when managing multi-fingered grippers, but also entire production systems made up of robots and manipulators.
Automatic assembly with two-hand robot
| Project name Automatic assembly with two-hand robot Project location Zagreb Project duration 2008-2010 Program Technology project Project value (HRK) 3.725.000,00 | Amount provided by donor organisation 3.725.000,00 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project leader Project/consortium manager or leading partner Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture / Bojan Jerbić Funding origin (name of donor organisation) Croatian Institute of Technology |
Project objectives and results
The objectives of this research and development project were directed towards modern requirements in manufacturing, where traditional automation and human work need to be replaced by flexible, versatile and adaptive robotic systems. The result of the project are developed agents which continuously apply active perception, learning, planning and collaboration, constantly redefining knowledge and implicitly programmed algorithms, implementing a kind of cognitive characteristics. The cognitive framework is based on perception (cameras, sensors, force and moments sensors, touch sensors, etc.), learning and agent architecture.
Autonomous multiagent automatic assembly
| Project name Autonomous multiagent automatic assembly Project location Zagreb Project duration 2006 - 2010 Program Scientific project Project value (HRK) 346.328,30 | Amount provided by donor organisation 346.328,30 Responsible person - role Prof. dr. sc. Bojan Jerbić – project leader Project/consortium manager or leading partner Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture / Bojan Jerbić Funding origin (name of donor organisation) MSES – The Ministry of Science, Education and Sport |
Project objectives and results
The objectives of the Autonomous Multiagent Automatic Assembly project are focused on the development of advanced control algorithms and their implementation in solving complex assembly tasks, performing them with multirobot systems organized in an autonomous multigent structure. The results of the project are software solutions for managing a complex multirobot system, based on the most advanced and original control paradigms, namely:
- a method has been devised and implemented to simultaneously plan the movements of two robots sharing a workspace
- a multiagent robot system management model based on the PTP service and local calibration principle has been designed and implemented
- method of spatial localization of objects using laser-assisted machine vision has been improved
- a model of contextual understanding of the working environment based on ontological approach and probabilistic reasoning mechanisms has been proposed
- a number of original structural and technical solutions necessary for trans-platform integration has been derived
The project was co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund
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