SYMBIO-TIC · Project

Safe Robots That Work Alongside Your Factory Workers Without Stopping the Line

manufacturingPilotedTRL 7

Imagine a factory where robots and people work side by side — the robot handles the heavy, repetitive stuff while the human does the tricky parts that need judgment and dexterity. Right now, most factories keep robots locked behind safety cages because they can't safely share space with people. SYMBIO-TIC built the sensors, collision avoidance, and planning software that lets robots and humans collaborate on the same assembly tasks in real time. They proved it works in three real industries: food packaging, aircraft parts, and car components.

By the numbers

EUR 6,451,703

EU funding for development and demonstration

consortium partners across 8 EU countries

completed industrial demonstrators (food, aerospace, automotive)

48 months

development and testing period

industry partners in the consortium

SMEs involved in development

The business problem

What needed solving

Many manufacturers still keep robots locked behind safety cages because they cannot safely work alongside humans. This forces companies to choose between expensive full automation or staying fully manual — especially in industries like food packaging, aerospace, and automotive where tasks require both robot precision and human adaptability. The result is higher labor costs, lower flexibility, and lost competitiveness against factories that figure out human-robot collaboration first.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered three working demonstrators — one for food packaging, one for aeronautic component assembly, and one for automotive component assembly. Supporting these are a collision avoidance subsystem for active worker safety, an integrated sensor suite for tracking mobile workers, and a planning and control cockpit for coordinating human-robot tasks in real time.

Audience

Who needs this

Food packaging companies with high product variability that prevents full automationAerospace component manufacturers doing complex manual assemblyAutomotive tier-1 suppliers looking to boost throughput on mixed assembly linesContract manufacturers handling frequent production changeoversAny manufacturer in a 'robot-reluctant' industry where tasks seem too complex to automate

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Food Packaging & Processing

mid-size

Target: Mid-size food packaging companies with mixed manual/automated lines

If you are a food packaging company dealing with high labor costs and product variability that makes full automation impossible — this project developed and demonstrated a human-robot collaborative system specifically for food packaging operations. The system lets robots handle repetitive packaging tasks while workers manage product changeovers and quality checks, proven in a completed food packaging demonstrator with collision avoidance and multimodal sensors.

Aerospace Manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Aerospace component assemblers and MRO providers

If you are an aerospace manufacturer struggling with the precision and safety demands of component assembly where full automation is too rigid — this project completed a demonstrator for aeronautic component assembly. The integrated planning and control cockpit coordinates human-robot tasks in real time, while the collision avoidance subsystem ensures worker safety during close-proximity assembly of complex parts.

Automotive Assembly

mid-size

Target: Automotive tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers with mixed assembly operations

If you are an automotive component supplier facing pressure to increase throughput without replacing your skilled workforce — this project delivered a working demonstrator for automotive component assembly. The system includes multimodal sensors for mobile workers and active collision avoidance, allowing robots to assist in assembly tasks that were previously considered too complex to automate.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this kind of human-robot collaboration system?

The project received EUR 6,451,703 in EU funding across 16 partners over 48 months to develop and demonstrate the technology. Individual deployment costs would depend on your factory setup, but the system was designed specifically for cost-effectiveness — targeting industries that found traditional full automation too expensive or complex for their processes.

Has this been tested at industrial scale or just in a lab?

This was tested beyond the lab. Three completed demonstrators covered real industrial scenarios: food packaging, aeronautic component assembly, and automotive component assembly. The consortium included 7 industry partners (44% of the team), meaning the technology was developed with and tested by actual manufacturers.

What about IP and licensing — can I actually use this technology?

The project involved 16 partners from 8 countries, with 4 SMEs in the consortium. IP arrangements would need to be discussed with the consortium, coordinated by KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. Given the Innovation Action funding type, the technology was developed with commercial deployment in mind.

How does the collision avoidance actually work in practice?

The project delivered a dedicated collision avoidance subsystem for active safety, combined with an integrated suite of multimodal sensors for mobile workers. This means the system continuously tracks both the robot and nearby workers, adjusting robot movements in real time to prevent contact.

Can this work with my existing robots and factory layout?

The project built a planning and control cockpit designed for integration into existing manufacturing environments. The system was tested across three very different industries (food, aerospace, automotive), suggesting adaptability to different factory configurations and robot types.

What is the timeline to get this running in my facility?

The core technology has been demonstrated in three industrial settings over a 48-month development cycle that ended in March 2019. Based on available project data, the system reached demonstrator level, meaning further engineering and customization would be needed for a specific deployment.

Does this replace workers or help them?

This is explicitly designed to augment workers, not replace them. The project targeted 'robot-reluctant industries' where tasks are too complex for full automation. The integrated sensor suite for mobile workers and the planning cockpit are built around human-robot teamwork, keeping humans in the loop for complex judgment calls.

Consortium

Who built it

The 16-partner consortium across 8 countries is heavily tilted toward practical deployment: 7 industry partners and 4 SMEs make up 44% of the team, which is strong for a robotics project. The balance of 3 universities and 6 research organizations provided the scientific foundation, while the industry side ensured the technology was grounded in real manufacturing needs. Coordinated by KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), with partners spanning Austria, Germany, Greece, Spain, Finland, Hungary, Romania, and Sweden — this gives broad European manufacturing coverage. The fact that three distinct demonstrators were completed suggests the industry partners actively shaped and validated the results in their own operational contexts.

KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLANCoordinator · SE
HITACHI ENERGY SWEDEN ABparticipant · SE
VOLVO PERSONVAGNAR ABparticipant · SE
TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYparticipant · FI
FUNDACION IDONIALparticipant · ES
IDEKO S COOPparticipant · ES
AMORPH SYSTEMS GMBHparticipant · DE
HUN-REN SZAMITASTECHNIKAI ES AUTOMATIZALASI KUTATOINTEZETparticipant · HU
PROFACTOR GMBHparticipant · AT
ACITURRI ENGINEERING SLparticipant · ES
HOGSKOLAN I SKOVDEparticipant · SE
PANEPISTIMIO PATRONparticipant · EL
AMORPH SYSTEMS SRLthirdparty · RO

How to reach the team

Coordinated by KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. SciTransfer can facilitate introductions to the project team.

Order a report on this consortium See KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how SYMBIO-TIC's human-robot collaboration technology could work in your factory? Contact SciTransfer for a tailored brief and introduction to the right consortium partner for your industry.

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