On a human-robot collaboration in an assembly cell

TLDR

This study examines a Human‑Robot Collaboration framework for hybrid assembly cells, where robots and humans share tasks based on their capabilities and human body gestures are used to command and guide the robot. The authors aim to increase automation in manual or hybrid assembly lines by proposing an intelligent decision‑making method for human‑robot task allocation. The method is integrated into a ROS framework, enabling sequential task allocation between robot and human across separate workspaces, and is demonstrated in a case study of an automotive hydraulic pump assembly cell.

Abstract

This is a study of a Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) framework for the execution of collaborative tasks in hybrid assembly cells. Robots and humans coexist in the same cell and share tasks according to their capabilities. An intelligent decision-making method that allows human-robot task allocation is proposed and is integrated within a Robot Operating System (ROS) framework. The proposed method enables the allocation of sequential tasks assigned to a robot and a human in separate workspaces. The focus is rather given to the human–robot coexistence for the execution of sequential tasks, in order for the automation level in manual or even hybrid assembly lines to be increased. Body gestures are the means of a human's interaction with a robot for commanding and guiding reasons. The proposed framework is implemented into a case coming from the manual assembly lines of an automotive industry. A preliminary design of a hybrid assembly cell is presented, focusing on the assembly of a hydraulic pump by robots and humans.