On a human–robot workplace design and task allocation system

Abstract

This paper proposes a method for human-robot (HR) task planning, considering at the same time, the design of the workplace. A model for the representation of humans and robots as a team of active resources is proposed, while equipment such as working tables and fixtures are considered passive resources. The HR workload is structured in a three-level model. A multi-criteria decision-making framework is used for the formulation of alternative layouts and task allocations. Both analytical models and simulation are used for the estimation of the criteria values, allowing for the evaluation of the different alternatives. A software prototype has been implemented and tested in white goods and in automotive industry cases, demonstrating that the tool can identify good quality solutions in a short time frame.

A Capability-Aware Role Allocation Approach to Industrial Assembly Tasks

“…Moreover, each metric can be described by one or more core components. A similar approach, based on agent capabilities, is proposed by Tsarouchi et al [20] and Michalos et al [21]. In our scenario, the assembly time is dictated by the manufacturing process and will not be considered as one of the metrics.…”

Perspectives on Assistive Systems for Manual Assembly Tasks in Industry

“…For task planning with human-robot collaboration (HRC) tasks, the design of the workplace or the production line must also be considered. Tsarouchi et al presented a HRC task planning method that also takes into account the design of the workplace [7]. Here, the humans and robots are modeled as active resources, while equipment (e.g., worktables) are represented as passive resources.…”

“…Collaborative robots may potentially offer more advantages than just assisting human workers in rapidly changing work processes caused by the increased variability of products. They may also help to reduce costs, for example, by removing the need for separate robot assembly cells and combining the workspaces for robots and humans and also by reducing production time for semi-automated processes, as shown by the authors in [7,8]. Stöhr et al instead focused on an application with elderly people and those with disabilities [9].…”

On Inferring Intentions in Shared Tasks for Industrial Collaborative Robots

“…Settling this aim for the industrial robotics sector would require freeing robots from their current work cells, closer to operators, compromising human safety [1,2]. In the interest of overcoming those safety issues, over the last few years, collaborative robots or cobots have emerged [3][4][5]. These robots are specifically designed for direct interaction with a human within a defined collaborative workspace [6].…”