scholarly journals Seamless Human–Robot Collaborative Assembly Using Artificial Intelligence and Wearable Devices

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5699
Author(s):  
Nikos Dimitropoulos ◽  
Theodoros Togias ◽  
Natalia Zacharaki ◽  
George Michalos ◽  
Sotiris Makris
Keyword(s):  
Search Algorithm ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Industrial Case Study ◽  
Assembly Cell ◽  
Collaborative Assembly ◽  
Human Robot Collaboration ◽  
Collaborative Robot ◽  
High Payload

Seamless human–robot collaboration requires the equipping of robots with cognitive capabilities that enable their awareness of the environment, as well as the actions that take place inside the assembly cell. This paper proposes an AI-based system comprised of three modules that can capture the operator and environment status and process status, identify the tasks that are being executed by the operator using vision-based machine learning, and provide customized operator support from the robot side for shared tasks, automatically adapting to the operator’s needs and preferences. Moreover, the proposed system is able to assess the ergonomics in human–robot shared tasks and adapt the robot pose to improve ergonomics using a heuristics-based search algorithm. An industrial case study derived from the elevator manufacturing sector using a high payload collaborative robot is presented to demonstrate that collaboration efficiency can be enhanced through the use of the discussed system.

A case study in human–robot collaboration in the disassembly of press-fitted components

2019 ◽  
Vol 234 (3) ◽  
pp. 654-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Huang ◽  
Duc Truong Pham ◽  
Yongjing Wang ◽  
Mo Qu ◽  
Chunqian Ji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Industrial Robot ◽  
New Method ◽  
Water Pump ◽  
Compliance Control ◽  
Critical Step ◽  
Active Compliance ◽  
Human Robot Collaboration ◽  
Collaborative Robot

Human–robot collaborative disassembly is an approach designed to mitigate the effects of uncertainties associated with the condition of end-of-life products returned for remanufacturing. This flexible semi-autonomous approach can also handle unpredictability in the frequency and numbers of such returns as well as variance in the remanufacturing process. This article focusses on disassembly, which is the first and arguably the most critical step in remanufacturing. The article presents a new method for disassembling press-fitted components using human–robot collaboration based on the active compliance provided by a collaborative robot. The article first introduces the concepts of human–robot collaborative disassembly and outlines the method of active compliance control. It then details a case study designed to demonstrate the proposed method. The study involved the disassembly of an automotive water pump by a collaborative industrial robot working with a human operator to take apart components that had been press-fitted together. The results show the feasibility of the proposed method.

Task allocation for improved ergonomics in Human-Robot Collaborative Assembly

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilias El Makrini ◽  
Kelly Merckaert ◽  
Joris De Winter ◽  
Dirk Lefeber ◽  
Bram Vanderborght
Keyword(s):  
Task Allocation ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Production Environment ◽  
Task Requirements ◽  
Collaborative Assembly ◽  
Agent Characteristics ◽  
Human Robot Collaboration ◽  
Collaborative Robot ◽  
And Task

Abstract Human-robot collaboration, whereby the human and the robot join their forces to achieve a task, opens new application opportunities in manufacturing. Robots can perform precise and repetitive operations while humans can execute tasks that require dexterity and problem-solving abilities. Moreover, collaborative robots can take over heavy-duty tasks. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a serious health concern and the primary cause of absenteeism at work. While the role of the human is still essential in flexible production environment, the robot can help decreasing the workload of workers. This paper describes a novel framework for task allocation of human-robot assembly applications based on capabilities and ergonomics considerations. Capable agents are determined on the basis of agent characteristics and task requirements. Ergonomics is integrated by measuring the human body posture and the related workload. The developed framework was validated on a gearbox assembly use case using the collaborative robot Baxter.

scholarly journals A Practical and Effective Layout for a Safe Human-Robot Collaborative Assembly Task

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1763
Author(s):  
Leonardo Sabatino Scimmi ◽  
Matteo Melchiorre ◽  
Mario Troise ◽  
Stefano Mauro ◽  
Stefano Pastorelli
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Collision Avoidance ◽  
Microsoft Kinect ◽  
Single Camera ◽  
Significant Gain ◽  
Assembly Task ◽  
Collaborative Assembly ◽  
Pick And Place ◽  
Human Robot Collaboration ◽  
Collaborative Robot

This work describes a layout to carry out a demonstrative assembly task, during which a collaborative robot performs pick-and-place tasks to supply an operator the parts that he/she has to assemble. In this scenario, the robot and operator share the workspace and a real time collision avoidance algorithm is implemented to modify the planned trajectories of the robot avoiding any collision with the human worker. The movements of the operator are tracked by two Microsoft Kinect v2 sensors to overcome problems related with occlusions and poor perception of a single camera. The data obtained by the two Kinect sensors are combined and then given as input to the collision avoidance algorithm. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the collision avoidance algorithm and the significant gain in terms of task times that the highest level of human-robot collaboration can bring.

scholarly journals Collaborative Workplace Design: A Knowledge-Based Approach to Promote Human–Robot Collaboration and Multi-Objective Layout Optimization

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 12147
Author(s):  
Andrea Rega ◽  
Castrese Di Marino ◽  
Agnese Pasquariello ◽  
Ferdinando Vitolo ◽  
Stanislao Patalano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Complex Problem ◽  
Optimization Criterion ◽  
Layout Design ◽  
Industrial Case Study ◽  
Manufacturing Plants ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Control Factors ◽  
Modeling Paradigm ◽  
Human Robot Collaboration

The innovation-driven Industry 5.0 leads us to consider humanity in a prominent position as the center of the manufacturing field even more than Industry 4.0. This pushes us towards the hybridization of manufacturing plants promoting a full collaboration between humans and robots. However, there are currently very few workplaces where effective Human–Robot Collaboration takes place. Layout designing plays a key role in assuring safe and efficient Human–Robot Collaboration. The layout design, especially in the context of collaborative robotics, is a complex problem to face, since it is related to safety, ergonomics, and productivity aspects. In the current work, a Knowledge-Based Approach (KBA) is adopted to face the complexity of the layout design problem. The framework resulting from the KBA allows for developing a modeling paradigm that enables us to define a streamlined approach for the layout design. The proposed approach allows for placing resource within the workplace according to a defined optimization criterion, and also ensures compliance with various standards. This approach is applied to an industrial case study in order to prove its feasibility. A what-if analysis is performed by applying the proposed approach. Changing three control factors (i.e., minimum distance, robot speed, logistic space configuration) on three levels, in a Design of Experiments, 27 layout configurations of the same workplace are generated. Consequently, the inputs that most affect the layout design are identified by means of an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results show that only one layout is eligible to be the best configuration, and only two out of three control factors are very significant for the designing of the HRC workplace layout. Hence, the proposed approach enables the designing of standard compliant and optimized HRC workplace layouts. Therefore, several alternatives of the layout for the same workplace can be easily generated and investigated in a systematic manner.

A Case Study on the Un-Used Capacity Assessment Using Time Driven Activity Based Costing for Magnetic Components

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-39
Author(s):  
Areena Zaini ◽  
Haryantie Kamil ◽  
Mohd Yazid Abu
Keyword(s):  
Historical Data ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Type I ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
Cost Rate ◽  
Continuous Innovation ◽  
Magnetic Components ◽  
Alignment Process ◽  
Capacity Cost

The Electrical & Electronic (E&E) company is one of Malaysia’s leading industries that has 24.5% in manufacturing sector production. With a continuous innovation of E&E company, the current costing being used is hardly to access the complete activities with variations required for each workstation to measure the un-used capacity in term of resources and cost. The objective of this work is to develop a new costing structure using time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) at . This data collection was obtained at E&E company located at Kuantan, Pahang that focusing on magnetic component. The historical data was considered in 2018. TDABC is used to measure the un-used capacity by constructing the time equation and capacity cost rate. This work found three conditions of un-used capacity. Type I is pessimistic situation whereby according to winding toroid core, the un-used capacity of time and cost are -14820 hours and -MYR2.60 respectively. It means the system must sacrifice the time and cost more than actual apportionment. Type II is most likely situation whereby according to assembly process, the un-used capacity of time and cost are 7400 hours and MYR201575.45 respectively. It means the system minimize the time and cost which close to fully utilize from the actual apportionment. Type III is optimistic situation whereby according to alignment process, the un-used capacity of time and cost are 4120 hours and MYR289217.15 respectively. It means the system used small amount of cost and time from the actual apportionment.

scholarly journals Digital Twin for Designing and Reconfiguring Human–Robot Collaborative Assembly Lines

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4620
Author(s):  
Niki Kousi ◽  
Christos Gkournelos ◽  
Sotiris Aivaliotis ◽  
Konstantinos Lotsaris ◽  
Angelos Christos Bavelos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production System ◽  
Assembly Lines ◽  
Flexible Assembly ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
Collaborative Assembly ◽  
Geometrical Information ◽  
Line Level ◽  
Dual Arm ◽  
Different Levels

This paper discusses a digital twin-based approach for designing and redesigning flexible assembly systems. The digital twin allows modeling the parameters of the production system at different levels including assembly process, production station, and line level. The approach allows dynamically updating the digital twin in runtime, synthesizing data from multiple 2D–3D sensors in order to have up-to-date information about the actual production process. The model integrates both geometrical information and semantics. The model is used in combination with an artificial intelligence logic in order to derive alternative configurations of the production system. The overall approach is discussed with the help of a case study coming from the automotive industry. The case study introduces a production system integrating humans and autonomous mobile dual arm workers.

scholarly journals On systematically building a controlled natural language for functional requirements

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvaro Veizaga ◽  
Mauricio Alferez ◽  
Damiano Torre ◽  
Mehrdad Sabetzadeh ◽  
Lionel Briand
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Industrial Case Study ◽  
Requirements Specifications ◽  
Financial Domain

AbstractNatural language (NL) is pervasive in software requirements specifications (SRSs). However, despite its popularity and widespread use, NL is highly prone to quality issues such as vagueness, ambiguity, and incompleteness. Controlled natural languages (CNLs) have been proposed as a way to prevent quality problems in requirements documents, while maintaining the flexibility to write and communicate requirements in an intuitive and universally understood manner. In collaboration with an industrial partner from the financial domain, we systematically develop and evaluate a CNL, named Rimay, intended at helping analysts write functional requirements. We rely on Grounded Theory for building Rimay and follow well-known guidelines for conducting and reporting industrial case study research. Our main contributions are: (1) a qualitative methodology to systematically define a CNL for functional requirements; this methodology is intended to be general for use across information-system domains, (2) a CNL grammar to represent functional requirements; this grammar is derived from our experience in the financial domain, but should be applicable, possibly with adaptations, to other information-system domains, and (3) an empirical evaluation of our CNL (Rimay) through an industrial case study. Our contributions draw on 15 representative SRSs, collectively containing 3215 NL requirements statements from the financial domain. Our evaluation shows that Rimay is expressive enough to capture, on average, 88% (405 out of 460) of the NL requirements statements in four previously unseen SRSs from the financial domain.

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