Institute for Automation and Robotics Standards

INSTITUTE FOR AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS STANDARDS BORDERS & TERRITORIES Schaan, Liechtenstein

THANAT PRATHNADI

INSTITUTE FOR AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS STANDARDS The Institute for Automation and Robotics Standards (IARS) speculates on the possibility of a more circular and sustainable consumption of industrial robots. Through acting as a major node of technological network in Liechtenstein and its bordering countries, the institute aims to regulate the quality of industrial robots purchased by manufacturing companies in and around the Alpine region. Furthermore, the introduction of a machine leasing scheme also presents a cost-effective option for companies to rent industrial robots through the ownership of the institute.

primary functions Robotics Quality Control Lab

Space for quality testings of machines to ensure they meet certified standards

Innovation Lab

Collaborative facility for companies and individuals to test and experiment with new innovations and technologies

Waste Disassembling Lab

Space for used machines to be disassembled prior to being sent to waste management

Vertical Warehouse

Automated storage tower for products before or after being tested in the laboratories or disassembled in the waste disassembling lab

Research Centre

Space for researching present and future technologies ragarding AI, machine learning and deep learning

Auditorium

Space for companies to trial new machines before purchasing the products or for new technologies to be unveiled to the public

Annual Worldwide Shipments of Industrial Robots 700

forecast

600

,000 of units

500

400

300

200

100

0

2009

9

2010

2011

8

2012

7

2013

2014

6

2015

2016

5

2017

4

2018

2019

3

International Federation of Robotics

source: McKinsey Global Robotics Survey

Top Challenges Indicated by Industrial Robot Customers

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5

6

7

8

9

2020

2

2021

1

BORDERS & TERRITORIES Liechtenstein

N

Germany

0

France

1

5 km

2

Italy

Schaan

Switzerland

Vaduz (capital)

Austria

River Rhine Borders Liechtenstein territories 160 km2 47°10’04.2”N 9°30’33.4”E microstate

tax haven

Landlocked between Switzerland and Austria with a total population of 38,557 in just 160 km2, Liechtenstein is the sixth smallest country in the world.

With a highest tax rate of only 8%, 15 banks with a license in Liechtenstein are involved primarily in asset management. In 2017 they looked after the equivalent of around $300 billion for their clients - almost $8 million per resident.

border

sovereignty

The Rhine River forms a free border of Liechtenstein and Switzerland and runs between the Northsea and the Alps.

Liechtenstein is a constitutional hereditary monarchy on a democratic and parliamentary basis. The Principality is based on the 1921 constitution, with the Monarch as Head of state.

Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein have a strong ambition to maintain this valley as a green belt to strenghten & maintain ecological connectivity.

industrial hub By comparison with population, no country has as many companies (4,600)- equivalent to one company for every eight residents, with major manufacturing companies such as Hilti located in Schaan.

The urban footprint of Liechtenstein is mostly located close to the river Rhine and Swiss border, with linear clusters of villages.

All border crossing stations can be found on the border of Liechtenstein and Austria (non-EU to EU). Meanwhile, there is no physically visible border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

industrial park Schaan, Liechtenstein

free border

waste management Buch, Switzerland

SCHAAN Not only is Schaan the most populated city in Liechtenstein, it is also the industrial capital of the country with a prominent industrial park located north of the Schaan-Vaduz railway station. Being situated next to the Swiss border and the railway line provide Schaan with the ideal location in terms of mobility in order for an industrial hub to sustain itself. Moreover, the industrial park is where a large amount of regional manufacturing companies which will potentially sign robotics leasing deals with the institute are located.

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1 2

5 4 6

1

Institute

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Schaan Train/Bus Station

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Industrial Park

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Rhine River

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Liechtenstein/Swiss Border

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Waste Management, Buchs

MACHINE FOR LEASE

Use more, waste less; a circular model

Data shows that the annual worldwide shipment of industrial robots is exponentially increasing every year. However, one of the main factors stopping companies from transitioning to automated manufacturing systems is the extremely high and at times unattainable cost of the machines themselves.

To allow new companies with smaller investment value to increase the productivity and maximise profit using industrial robots, the institute aims to provide a machine leasing service regionally and internationally, with the ultimate aim of a circular model benefiting parties of all sizes.

start Manufacturing Company

Institute

New machine produced by a third party manufacturing company

Machine sent to institute for quality control and inspection

Company

1

Machine leased to company via institute for x years

Machine sent to institute for check ups and firmware updates

Repeat Cycle

Machine sent to institute for hardware upgrades (included in contract)

Company 1

Institute

after x years, old machine sent to institute in exchange of newer models produced by third party

Institute

Updated / upgraded machine sent back to company

Repeat Cycle

end

Old machine sent to another company for affordable leasing deals

Institute

Company 2

after x years, expired machine sent to institute for disassembling

Waste Management

Disassembled machine sent to recycling centre and waste management

Through a selection of subscription options, a variety of machines can be rented for a certain amount of time through the ownership of the institute, before they are disassembled and sent to the waste management zone across the Swiss border in Buchs ,or leased to a different company with a more affordable subscription fee.

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library

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underground warehouse

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distribution

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innovation lab

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robotics quality control lab

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waste disassembly lab

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control room

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meeting rooms

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board room

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research centre

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staff apartment

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auditorium

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outdoor amphitheatre

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automated warehouse

human spaces are located on the upper floors to provide scenery

Due to limited footprint, automated warehouse is erected upwards for larger storage capacity

Ground floor lifted to provide a well lit outdoor public space

Internal void provides spatial connectivity for machine circulation

CIRCULARITY CLT walls and glue laminated timber columns and beams used for the building’s primary structure allow for possible disassembly and reuse at the building’s end of life, while a small amount of internal rammed earth walls can also be recycled.

The reuse of timber structures is possible due to the dry connection methods of the main structure which can be efficiently dismantled.

KIT OF PARTS

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In contrast to traditional institutes, IARS aims to completely expose the logistics of its systems by creating visual and physical connectivity between public and private spheres, ultimately allowing every real-time operation to be observed and acknowledged.

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REIMAGINING AUTOMATED MACHINE STORAGE

By placing larger storage spaces for heavier objects on the lower part of the tower, the total electrical energy required to transport the goods vertically is minimised.

Unlike human-centered lifts which require deceleration while travelling downwards, the rapid movements of the pods in the automated warehouse can turn gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy which can be used to power the pods themselves.

Eg = mg h KE = 1/2mv2

A VERTICAL WAREHOUSE As the institute constantly deals with machines being transported in and out and stored before being tested or handed over to companies, the warehouse is one of the most crucial parts of the building. Due to the limited footprint of the site, a possible method of storing these machines is to build up, rather than out.

height of storage space

wieght limit

1.00 m

1-10 kg

1.25 m

10-20 kg

1.50 m

20-40 kg

drone entrance

2.50 m

40-60 kg

drone entrance 2.50 m

40-60 kg

height of storage space

+89.8 m

weight limit

+84.0 m 1.00 m

1-10 kg

1.25 m

10-20 kg

1.50 m

20-40 kg

drone entrance

2.50 m

+57.8 m

40-60 kg

drone entrance

+35.4 m

+29.8 m public +23.5 m +19.2 m +14.9 m

private

+10.6 m +6.3 m

public

+0.0 m

Controlled by highly advanced and secured automated systems, several pods supported by railing systems on the main core of the building travel horizontally and vertically, transporting boxes of machines to and from different parts of the building.

WASTE DISASSEMBLY

Across the Rhine River and the free Swiss border is where a regional waste management area is situated. This provides opportunities for collaborations between the institute and the waste management companies, where machines could be transported after having been processed at the waste disassembly lab. As recycling technologies advance, a possible expansion of the Buchs waste management area will not only benefit the instute as a node in an interconnected network of waste management but also the whole of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

waste management area, Buchs, Switzerland.

QUALITY CONTROL

Through a selection of subscription options, several industrial robots can be rented for a certain amount of time through the ownership of the institute. Depending on the subscription, different types of software updates and hardware upgrades are performed in the quality control laboratory, as well as check ups and other experiments involving industrial robots. After the task is completed, they are transferred to the distribution room or stored in the vertical warehouse.

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machine arrives on lab floor through void

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machine transported to quality control lab (2) or innovation lab (3), or workshop (4) through integrated floor railings

The Auguste Choisy drawing method allows for the hidden components of the architecture to be exposed while at the same time showing the overall composition, structural features, lighting, and materiality.

HUMAN ENGAGEMENT

By placing the main public functions; the auditorium and the outdoor amphitheatre on the top floor, visitors visually interact with not only the scenic views of the Alps but also the vertical warehouse from a close proximity, while machines are transported by the pods to the auditorium and other floors through the void. (top left) Furthermore, the outdoor amphitheatre also provides a small performance platform as an alternative to the main auditorium for products to be unveiled. (top right)