KI4Tools – Artificial Intelligence for handheld tools

The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS has developed an intelligent retrofit solution for handheld tools. This includes a sensor module that measures various parameters during work processes that are analyzed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to deliver process insights for worker assistance and quality assurance. The AI algorithms not only detect actions (e.g., the tightening or loosening of screws) but also the location and sequence of operations is assessed. The Fraunhofer IWU ensured the practical relevance of the industrial applications. As the application area of the technology ranges from DIY to industry, three stand-alone demonstrators were developed in the KI4Tools project, each showing the solution in different use cases and thus connecting and explaining the topics AI and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Always know what step comes next

Have you ever assembled a piece of furniture incorrectly and were on the verge of giving up? Our consumer demonstrator shows how to avoid this with a smart DIY screwdriver and interactive instructions via app. Through AI-supported recognition of your actions with the screwdriver, you always know your progress in the instructions and can automatically see which screw goes where next. The demonstrator also shows you which torque and which bit to use at any time. Thus, nothing can go wrong, and frustrated furniture build moments are a thing of the past.

Real-time feedback on the progress of maintenance work

Do you need quality assurance for manual work processes with hand tools? Our industrial demonstrator, developed by the two Institutes Fraunhofer IWU and Fraunhofer IIS, shows the various possibilities of worker assistance and quality assurance with the help of AI. An app provides the operator with real-time feedback on the progress of a maintenance work and informs him immediately if he deviates from the correct process. Thus, this demonstrator shows a vivid example of how artificial intelligence can be used in production, not only optimizing processes but also provide documentation.

Try out our technology with the evaluation kit demonstrator

Do you want to experience IIOT (Industrial Internet of Things) technology for yourself? Then have a look at our evaluation kit demonstrator that contains everything you need to try out our technology yourself. A tablet app will guide you through the construction of an artwork and help you in case you make a mistake. You can also record and save your own work processes and monitor them when executing. The evaluation kit is available online at LZE.Innovation.

The hardware of the developed sensor module including acceleration, gyroscope, magnetic field and audio sensors together with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication will be reused in industrial measurement campaigns and applications. Together with the developed precise QR Code tracking and identification, this combined sensor solutions can be used to further digitize industrial processes in e.g., manufacturing and logistics.

All the use cases were developed using the AutoML solution embeddif.ai by Fraunhofer IIS, which features support for many AI algorithms and embedded hardware platforms. Development time and time-to-POC are greatly reduced. The core technology will be extended to various other application areas like Condition Monitoring and Wearables for Sport and Health. A fast and automated process from data acquisition to the deployment of optimized AI pipelines on embedded devices is the next goal after the project.