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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4
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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3
1 2
5 4 6
1
Institute
2
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)