Human Robot Collaboration

  Person in Wheelchair in front of Workplace with Robot Support Copyright: © IGMR  

Motivation

The high flexibility and versatility of human-robot collaboration, short HRC creates a multitude of possible applications in industry 4.0. The basic principle is to combine human strength, such as the use of experience, improvisation and learning abilities, with the precision and load-bearing capacity of robots. By this combination, MRK systems are especially suitable as assistance medium as well as for the automation of stressful, monotonous and risky activities, for which a high degree of flexibility with variable throughput and high number of variants is required.

Goal

At the Institute of Mechanism Theory, Machine Dynamics and Robotics the potential of HRC systems as assistance media shall be used and researched. It is about the possibility to create new jobs by using robotic assistance systems. Such systems can provide the best possible support for people with physical disabilities and, due to demographic change, increasingly older employees in their work. In this context, we focus on designing industrial workplaces with flexible robot solutions. Such workplaces are individually adapted to the physical and cognitive capabilities of humans and are intended to enhance their capabilities.

 

Method

Consideration aspects for implementation include:

  • The human being with its individual capabilities
  • The class of lightweight robots and collaborative robots or Cobots
  • Safety systems to ensure the physical integrity of the human being
  • Development and research of gripping systems and sensor technology as a possibility for the robot to interact with its environment
  • Implementation of standards and guidelines for collaborative operation DIN EN ISO 10218-1 and DIN ISO/TS 15066
 

Projects Human Robot Collaboration

Person in Wheelchair with Robot in front of a Van © Copyright: Thomas Knobloch

IIDEA

Person at a Workspace with robotic assistance © Copyright: IGMR

Next Generation

CAD Model of PeTRA Systems © Copyright: IGMR

PeTRA

Employees in production line with robot © Copyright: Ford

HRC Ford

Person and mobile robots © Copyright: IGMR

Sharework