A human-oriented design process for collaborative robotics

Abstract

The potential of collaborative robotics often does not materialize in an efficient design of the human-robot collaboration. Technology-oriented approaches are no longer enough in the Industry 4.0 era. This work proposes a set of methods to support manufacturing engineers in the humanoriented design process of integrated production systems to obtain satisfactory performance in the mass customization paradigm, without impacting the safety and health of workers. It founds the design criteria definition on five main pillars (safety, ergonomics, effectiveness, flexibility, and costs), favors the consideration of different design alternatives, and leads their selection. The dynamic impact of the design choices on the various elements of the system prevails over the static design constraints. The method has been experimented in collaboration with the major kitchen manufacturer in Italy, which introduced a collaborative robotics cell in the drawers' assembly line. It resulted in a more balanced production line (10% more), a verified risk minimization (RULA score reduced from 5 to 3 and OCRA score from 13.30 to 5.70), and a greater allocation of operators to high added value activities.

Evaluating Organizational Guidelines for Enhancing Psychological Well-Being, Safety, and Performance in Technology Integration

“…Several approaches, such as user-centered design, emphasize end-users' needs throughout the entire design process. Although not specifically tailored for designing collaborative human-robot systems, these approaches share common features, such as involving endusers from the start, evaluating progress based on real needs, and incorporating feedback on newly implemented technologies [35]. For example, the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO 9241-210) [36] advises practitioners to follow human-centered design principles and actions to enhance human-system interaction when planning and managing the design process for computer-based interactive systems.…”

Vocal Communication between Cobots and Humans to Enhance Productivity and Safety: Review and Discussion

“…The need arises from the intricacies of shared tasks, where human operators and cobots must coordinate their actions to achieve optimal results [3] ). Moreover, as cobots are designed to be more adaptable and responsive to changes in the manufacturing environment, clear communication becomes the essential for successful task allocation, problem-solving, and overall operational efficiency [4] (Papetti et al 2023). Effective communication fosters a sense of cooperation, trust, and shared purpose, thereby enhancing the overall productivity and safety of the collaborative work environment [5] (Gross & Krenn, 2023).…”

“…Dedicated storage place for tool/part: Dedicate a unique storage place for each tool and for part supply, that would be easy to reach for both the human worker and the cobot. 4.…”

Developing a Circular Business Model for Machinery Life Cycle Extension by Exploiting Tools for Digitalization

“…It supports the exploitation of digitalization tools; with the advent of the fourth and fifth industrial revolutions [87] companies equip their products and processes with innovative tools. Their potentialities can be exploited more deeply and enlarged to a wider perspective with the support of the proposed approach.…”