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

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.

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Knowledge Recommendation System for Human-Robot Collaborative Disassembly Using Knowledge Graph

Volume 2: Manufacturing Processes; Manufacturing Systems; Nano/Micro/Meso Manufacturing; Quality and Reliability ◽

10.1115/msec2021-64642 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yang Hu ◽

Yiwen Ding ◽

Feng Xu ◽

Jiayi Liu ◽

Wenjun Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Recommendation System ◽

Industrial Robots ◽

Knowledge Graph ◽

Disassembly Process ◽

Knowledge Based ◽

Manufacturing Efficiency ◽

Human Operators ◽

Traditional Manufacturing ◽

Human Robot Collaboration

Abstract In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to Human-Robot Collaborative Disassembly (HRCD) in the field of industrial remanufacturing. Compared with the traditional manufacturing, HRCD helps to improve the manufacturing flexibility with considering the manufacturing efficiency. In HRCD, knowledge could be obtained from the disassembly process and then provides useful information for the operator and robots to execute their disassembly tasks. Afterwards, a crucial point is to establish a knowledge-based system to facilitate the interaction between human operators and industrial robots. In this context, a knowledge recommendation system based on knowledge graph is proposed to effectively support Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) in disassembly. A disassembly knowledge graph is constructed to organize and manage the knowledge in the process of HRCD. After that, based on this, a knowledge recommendation procedure is proposed to recommend disassembly knowledge for the operator. Finally, the case study demonstrates that the developed system can effectively acquire, manage and visualize the related knowledge of HRCD, and then assist the human operator to complete the disassembly task by knowledge recommendation, thus improving the efficiency of collaborative disassembly. This system could be used in the human-robot collaboration disassembly process for the operators to provide convenient knowledge recommendation service.

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Energy-optimal layout design of robotic work cells: Potential assessment on an industrial case study

Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing ◽

10.1016/j.rcim.2016.10.002 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 102-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Michele Gadaleta ◽

Giovanni Berselli ◽

Marcello Pellicciari

Keyword(s):

Layout Design ◽

Optimal Layout ◽

Industrial Case Study ◽

Work Cells

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

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11125699 ◽

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.

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Protocol: Material flow risk evaluation for layout design

WPOM - Working Papers on Operations Management ◽

10.4995/wpom.v7i2.5710 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 43

Author(s):

Aída Sáez Más ◽

José P. García-Sabater

Keyword(s):

Material Flow ◽

Risk Evaluation ◽

Material Handling ◽

Flow Analysis ◽

Material Flow Analysis ◽

Layout Design ◽

Manufacturing Plants ◽

Reduce Risk ◽

Complexity Increase

<p><em>The need of design new layouts or redesign current situation to manufacture new products has increased principally due to changes in customer demand, on both variety aspects and quantity (Lu, Shpitalni, and Gadh, 1999). The complexity increase is also associated with the traffic generated by material handling equipment. This situation can be described as unsafe for workers. Many authors defend that during layout design/redesign a risk analysis is necessary. In contrast others believe that material flow analysis should be a mainly task during this step. Therefore, in this research both considerations have been integrated. So that it is proposed a protocol to evaluate the risk generated by material flow with handling equipment in manufacturing plants. This methodology identify the process steps and propose dimensions, measurables, tools and suggestions in order to analyse and reduce risk correctly. All the above aspects are validated in a case study of a complex assembly plant in the automotive sector.</em></p>

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Collaborative Workplace Design: a Knowledge-Based Approach to Promote Human-Robot Integration and Multi-Objective Layout Optimization

10.20944/preprints202111.0241.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Andrea Rega ◽

Castrese Di Marino ◽

Agnese Pasquariello ◽

Ferdinando Vitolo ◽

Stanislao Patalano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Industry 4.0 ◽

Quality Inspection ◽

High Complexity ◽

New Paradigm ◽

Anova Analysis ◽

Collaborative Robotics ◽

Manufacturing Plants ◽

Knowledge Based ◽

Human Robot Collaboration ◽

Human Centred Design

The innovation driven Industry 5.0, in agreement with Industry 4.0, leads to consider human in a prominence position as the center of manufacturing field. This pushes towards the hybridization of manufacturing plants promoting a fully collaboration between human and robot. Furthermore, the new paradigm of "human centred design" and "anthropocentric design" allows enabling a synergistic combination of human and robot skills. However, properly collaborative workplaces are currently very few. Industry is still not confident, and systems integrators hesitate to venture into Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC). Despite the effort in collaborative robotics, a general solution to overcome the current limitations in designing of collaborative workplaces still misses. In the current work, a Knowledge-Based Approach (KBA) is adopted to face collaborative workplace designing problem. The framework resulting from the KBA allows developing a modelling paradigm that enable to define a streamlined approach for the layout designing of a collaborative workplace. Finally, a what-if analysis and a ANOVA analysis are performed to generate and evaluate a set of scenarios related to a collaborative workplace for quality inspection of welded parts. Facing the high complexity and multidisciplinary of HRC can be conveyed to develop a general design approach aimed at overcoming the difficulties that limit the spread of HRC in the manufacturing field.

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Motivating Growth in Low-tech Manufacturing Industries

Conference Proceedings of the Academy for Design Innovation Management ◽

10.33114/adim.2019.07.315 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Naomi HERTZ

Keyword(s):

Value Chain ◽

Field Research ◽

Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽

Manufacturing Plants ◽

Footwear Industry ◽

Technological Platform ◽

Qualitative Methodologies ◽

Developed World ◽

Depth Interviews

Intensive manual labor enterprises in the developed world face challenges competing with products imported from countries where manufacturing costs are low. This reduces the volume of domestic production and leads to rapid loss of knowledge and experience in production processes. This study focuses on the Israeli footwear industry as a case study. Qualitative methodologies were applied, including in-depth interviews and field observations. A literature review on previous research, and contemporary trends was conducted. The field research examines challenges along the value chain in small factories. It finds that mass production paradigms impose a decentralized process between designers and manufacturers and therefore do not leverage local potential into a sustainable competitive advantage for small factories. The proposed solution is a digital and technological platform for small manufacturing plants. The platform mediates and designs the connections between production, technology, and design and enables the creation of a joint R&D system.

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Cyberphysical Design Automation Framework for Knowledge-based Engineering

Journal of Innovation Management ◽

10.24840/2183-0606_001.001_0011 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 158-178

Author(s):

Urcun John Tanik

Keyword(s):

System Design ◽

Design Process ◽

Design Automation ◽

Design Theory ◽

Knowledge Bases ◽

Knowledge Based ◽

Knowledge Based Engineering ◽

Cyberphysical System ◽

Automation Framework

Cyberphysical system design automation utilizing knowledge based engineering techniques with globally networked knowledge bases can tremendously improve the design process for emerging systems. Our goal is to develop a comprehensive architectural framework to improve the design process for cyberphysical systems (CPS) and implement a case study with Axiomatic Design Solutions Inc. to develop next generation toolsets utilizing knowledge-based engineering (KBE) systems adapted to multiple domains in the field of CPS design automation. The Cyberphysical System Design Automation Framework (CPSDAF) will be based on advances in CPS design theory based on current research and knowledge collected from global sources automatically via Semantic Web Services. A case study utilizing STEM students is discussed.

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