Survey on human–robot collaboration in industrial settings: Safety, intuitive interfaces and applications

Although the concept of industrial cobots dates back to 1999, most present day hybrid human-machine assembly systems are merely weight compensators. Here, we present results on the development of a collaborative human-robot manufacturing cell for homokinetic joint assembly. The robot alternates active and passive behaviours during assembly, to lighten the burden on the operator in the first case, and to comply to his/her needs in the latter. Our approach can successfully manage direct physical contact between robot and human, and between robot and environment. Furthermore, it can be applied to standard position (and not torque) controlled robots, common in the industry. The approach is validated in a series of assembly experiments. The human workload is reduced, diminishing the risk of strain injuries. Besides, a complete risk analysis indicates that the proposed setup is compatible with the safety standards, and could be certified.

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Collaborative manufacturing with physical human–robot interaction

Symbiotic human-robot collaborative assembly

Design Considerations for Safe Human-robot Collaborative Workplaces

Currently, a large number of industrial robots have been deployed to replace or assist humans to perform various repetitive and dangerous manufacturing tasks. However, based on current technologica...

Human–robot interaction in industrial collaborative robotics: a literature review of the decade 2008–2017

ROBO-PARTNER: Seamless Human-Robot Cooperation for Intelligent, Flexible and Safe Operations in the Assembly Factories of the Future☆

A multi criteria method, in support of the planning of shared human robot assembly tasks is presented in this paper. CAD models are used for the extraction of a product's assembly sequence, whilst an algorithm is applied for the generation and examination of alternative assignment scenarios. The design algorithm performs the joint planning of task-to-resource assignment and cell layout at the same time. The evaluation of each planning scenario against a set of ergonomics, quality and productivity criteria is made for the identification of the most efficient ones. The method's implementation, in the form of a prototype planning tool (Task Planner), enables its application to a pilot case from the automotive industry. The results indicate that the method can provide high quality solutions with respect to the end users' criteria and has potential applicability as a decision making support tool in the planning stage.

A method for planning human robot shared tasks

A Decision Making Framework for Human Robot Collaborative Workplace Generation

In this paper, a high-speed multi-fingered reconfigurable gripper is presented. The aim is to create a robotic end effector that is capable of handling parts of different geometries and weight. It consists of three fingers, accounting for a total of eight Degrees of Freedom (DoFs). The paper discusses the design, control, and reconfiguration aspects of the gripper, and demonstrates its applicability to different manipulation tasks. The gripper has the ability of high-force movement and its high number of DoFs enables it to grasp a large variety of geometries, while retaining the design simplicity. The preliminary grasping experiments highlight its potential in robotic handling applications in both research and production environments.

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Jason Spiliotopoulos

Papers

ROBO-PARTNER: Seamless Human-Robot Cooperation for Intelligent, Flexible and Safe Operations in the Assembly Factories of the Future☆

A method for planning human robot shared tasks

A Decision Making Framework for Human Robot Collaborative Workplace Generation

A Reconfigurable Gripper for Dexterous Manipulation in Flexible Assembly