Cloud robotic simulation platform: applications in vocational education and training in industry 4.0 technologies

• Grant number: 21/06609-3
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: November 01, 2021
• End date: April 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science
• Agreement: FINEP - PIPE/PAPPE Grant
• Principal Investigator: Flavio Shigeo Yamamoto
• Grantee: Flavio Shigeo Yamamoto
• Company: NTU Software Technology Ltda
• CNAE: Desenvolvimento de programas de computador sob encomenda ; Suporte técnico, manutenção e outros serviços em tecnologia da informação ; Portais, provedores de conteúdo e outros serviços de informação na internet
• City: São Paulo
• Associated research grant: 18/04306-0 - Cloud environment to creating and co-creating personal humanoid robots behaviors: applications for education and entertainment, AP.PIPE

Abstract

The STEM skilled labour shortage is a global issue, 67% of U.S. jobs and 69% of the nation's GDP are supported by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The analysis conducted by FTI Consulting, [1], on behalf of 10 leading U.S. scientific, engineering and industry organizations including IEEE-USA, found that STEM supports an outsized share of the U.S. economy and produces $2.3 trillion in Federal Tax Revenue annually. Key findings of the analysis include: (1) of the 195.8 million jobs identified across 819 occupations, 64 million or 33% were direct high-skilled STEM professions; and (2) 59% of direct U.S. STEM professionals do not hold a bachelor's degree. In Brazil, studies by SOFTEX and MCTIC confirm this need for qualified professionals. According to SOFTEX, it is estimated that the shortage of qualified IT professionals will cause a loss of almost R$ 140 billion in business, at the end of the period in 2022, in the Brazilian Industry of Software and IT Services (shortage of 400 thousand until 2022). According to the MCTIC, 83% of entrepreneurs in the industrial production sector point out the shortage of qualified labour as one of the greatest barriers for the country to advance in the scenario of Industry 4.0; this shortage is more critical for MSMEs. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated changes in the demand for STEM skilled in labour market around the world. In particular, labors with knowledge and skills needed in Industry 4.0. The pandemic also highlighted the technologies and processes considered essential for the Educational and Vocational Training (VET) scenario: (A) create new course models to cope with this unique specific situation; (B) growing interest in Microcredentialing offered through non-academic online learning providers due to the flexibility and just-in-time forms of VET that can accelerate students' entry into the labor market; (C) growing interest for Open Educational Resources available free of charge with the possibility of access from any place and device and (D) growing demands for Quality Online Learning - quality - "the relationship between quality assurance processes and learning outcomes, and 'quality assurance fit for purpose': meeting the goals of education in a digital age." To fulfill these demands for essential technologies and practices for the VET sector, NTU provides a web simulation robotic platform (called DropS) as an innovative digital pathway to make it easier for learners and professionals to gain new knowledge and to develop skills and abilities recognized by employers for the jobs of the future. DropS enables universal access to virtualized robots to engage a wide and diverse audience in STEM and TVET. DropS works as a proving ground to explore ways of building content that improves the learners' experience for the professional transformation journey. In this scenario, the proposal of this project aims to develop a robust framework to support intuitive Graphical User Interfaces to improve the immersive experience of the user when using applications provided by DropS. The challenges of this project involve the development of solutions for coupling GUI applications with the CoppeliaSim robotic simulator, GUI to facilitate simulation control and improve the User Experience, and backend/frontend integration layer. The technological solutions aim to (I) ensure the product's technical feasibility for scale production (of DropS-Based applications); (II) ensure product suitability for technical certifications and performance proofs and (III) create new knowledge with goals that effectively address key training needs in the Industry 4.0 technologies and related fields.[1]: www.fticonsulting.com/insights/reports/stem-american-workforce. (AU)