The Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) and Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) announced today the recipient of their first Manufacturing Extension Partnership grant.
The funding, from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is intended to focus on program development and sector analysis for small and medium manufacturers in Illinois.
“I am thrilled that we have launched this new program with IMEC,” U of I System Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation Jay Walsh said. “Pairing researchers from our state’s public universities with IMEC, a top planning and optimization organization, will provide an even greater benefit to our state’s manufacturing industry and overall economy.”
The funded project, led by Northern Illinois University assistant professor Niechen Chen, will combine manufacturing and inspection processes into a single collaborative robot platform to reduce setup and maintenance complexity, as well as the amount of workforce training needed to implement and operate the robots.
“We're excited to launch this new initiative with the Illinois Innovation Network,” IMEC President David Boulay said. “This partnership underscores the importance of fueling innovation in Illinois' manufacturing sector through technology and automation. By merging our strengths, we're primed to uplift small and medium manufacturers through the access to resources they need to compete globally.”
IIN is a network of 15 hubs across the state working to boost Illinois’ economy through entrepreneurship, research and workforce development. Most hubs are at public universities. IMEC is a team of improvement specialists and technicians dedicated to providing organizations in Illinois with the tools and techniques to create sustainable competitive futures.
Proposals for seed grants were required to include researchers from at least one IIN hub or IMEC-affiliated institution and must be completed within one year of receiving funding. Proposals were evaluated on their potential impact and scalability for small and medium manufacturers.
The newly funded project and the researchers behind it:
Integrated manufacturing and in-situ computer vision-based inspection for robotically automated production
Niechen Chen, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering, Northern Illinois University (NIU); Christine Nguyen, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, NIU; Purushothaman Damodaran, professor of industrial and systems engineering, NIU.
