In this paper, a novel human-robot collaborative framework for mixed case palletizing is presented. The framework addresses several challenges associated with the detection and localisation of boxes and pallets through visual perception algorithms, high-level optimisation of the collaborative effort through effective role-allocation principles, and maximisation of packing density. A graphical user interface (GUI) is additionally developed to ensure an intuitive allocation of roles and the optimal placement of the boxes on target pallets. The framework is evaluated in two conditions where humans operate with and without the support of a Mobile COllaborative robotic Assistant (MOCA). The results show that the optimised placement can improve up to the 20% with respect to a manual execution of the same task, and reveal the high potential of MOCA in increasing the performance of collaborative palletizing tasks.
This paper presents a novel interaction planning method that exploits impedance tuning techniques in response to environmental uncertainties and unpredictable conditions using haptic information only. The proposed algorithm plans the robot's trajectory based on the haptic interaction with the environment and adapts planning strategies as needed. Two approaches are considered: Exploration and Bouncing strategies. The Exploration strategy takes the actual motion of the robot into account in planning, while the Bouncing strategy exploits the forces and the motion vector of the robot. Moreover, self-tuning impedance is performed according to the planned trajectory to ensure stable contact and low contact forces. In order to show the performance of the proposed methodology, two experiments with a torque-controller robotic arm are carried out. The first considers a maze exploration without obstacles, whereas the second includes obstacles. The proposed method performance is analyzed and compared against previously proposed solutions in both cases. Experimental results demonstrate that: i) the robot can successfully plan its trajectory autonomously in the most feasible direction according to the interaction with the environment, and ii) a stable interaction with an unknown environment despite the uncertainties is achieved. Finally, a scalability demonstration is carried out to show the potential of the proposed method under multiple scenarios.
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