CONTEXT

COLLABORATIVE ROBOTICS

Collaborative robots are a new trending technology in the engineering scenario. They are perceived as an evolution of the classical robotics, which are high-performing but have the following constraints: they occupy a lot of space and require heavy installation.

Collaborative robots are indeed leaner and faster, but they still are defective somehow.

The problems of collaborative robots in manufacturing companies are very well known, and still unresolved.
Collaborative robotics manufacturers manage to produce easy-to-program robotic arms, but at this moment they still have limited capabilities: in order to guarantee safety when the arms interact with humans, their speed and efficiency are compromised, thus making collaborative robotic arms not so attractive for companies.

Their range is very limited, and the load they can carry is still not satisfactory (around 20 kg).

We commonly think that the introduction of robots in modern factories enhance the accuracy and speed of the industrial tasks, but so far such a goal cannot be accomplished when humans need to interact with robots.

This is why we start to ask ourselves: where is the "collaboration" in this new application?

Our research aims to understand the potentials and constraints of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), so that we understand where we can make this new type of collaboration safer and more efficient.

RESEARCH

USER persona

HANNAH

She has been working in a tea bag manufacturing plant for 30 years. Her daily routine includes loading and unloading heavy reels to and from the machine. She suffers from chronic backache, and lately, she needs to worry about something new: a collaborative robot installed in the plant she works, that intends to help her with her work.

Goals

She would like to stress less her body
She would like a less repetitive job
She doesn’t want a “manual” training

Needs

She is scared to be hit by the robot - she does not feel comfortable around it
She is annoyed by the robot’s slowness
She does not understand the robot's interface

How might we rethink and redesign the interaction between Hannah and the cobot?

Design principles

Unity is strength

The operation of more than one sensor is needed: the redundancy of these tools gives a better outcome and allows better knowledge of the environment

None excluded!

Everyone in the plant needs to visualize the information about the cobot, not just the operators

A colleague more than a tool

Interacting with the cobot and getting familiar with it can help the operators feel more comfortable working around it