Effective and safe human-robot collaboration (4by3)

In the current EU research project 4by3, various scenarios for human-robot cooperation are currently being implemented. ZeMA's work packages include, on the one hand, the development of a human-robot-capable system and, on the other hand, the implementation of two application scenarios.

problem

Human-robot cooperation systems are partly already used in production and represent an approach to demand-oriented and, if necessary, temporary automation through human-robot cooperation (HRC). The HRC in the production environment presents various challenges, such as user-friendliness and efficiency. Other aspects include the rapid adaptation of the systems to the various tasks and the safety that enables cooperation between humans and robots. The robot systems currently available on the market each have specific disadvantages and cannot fully meet the aforementioned requirements.

objective

The aim of the FourByThree project is to develop a new robot system that meets the challenges of human-robot collaborations in common workplaces. To this end, the robot system should have four main features:

• Modularity
• Safety
• Usability
• Efficiency

approach

The development of the 4by3 robot is based on a cross-industry needs analysis with four different assembly tasks. The requirements are derived from the analysis of the products, the production processes and their resources. In addition to classic robot parameters, task divisions and interactions between humans and robots are also analyzed and described.

The design-systematic development of the modular, flexible and collaborative 4by3 robot consists of several work packages. In addition to actuator, control and safety development, ZeMA is also involved in the development of arm modules and their connecting elements. By means of a kinematic structural analysis, the required working spaces of the robot are examined and converted into a kinematic robot construction kit. The basis for the optimization of the modular system is the validation and realization of the 4by3 robot in the production environment.

Results / Project status

Hardware and software of the robot system are optimized for human-robot collaboration at common workplaces.
Due to the modularity of the new generation of robots, the hardware and software of the systems can be combined as desired by the user. In this way, the robots can be optimally adapted to the respective task. New mechanisms and strategies can ensure the greatest possible safety for the worker during operation at the common workplace. Multimodal interaction mechanisms enable particularly simple programming. This significantly increases user-friendliness, especially for workers without prior programming experience.

Through these measures, efficient robots are developed that can be put into operation quickly and work reliably and safely.
Four pilot applications are used to develop and adapt the robots according to production needs.

Recovery concept:

For the research results obtained in the FourByThree project, follow-up projects are already being applied for and published on national and international platforms. The developed technology and methodology is implemented in four production plants in close cooperation with the industrial partners.

Duration:
01.12.2014 - 31.12.2017

Use of human-robot cooperation
Category: Assembly systems

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