Collaborative Robots

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Automation, in the context of manufacturing, is the use of equipment to automate systems or production processes. The end goal is to drive greater efficiency by either increasing production capacity or reducing costs, often both.

Globally, the operational stock of multipurpose industrial robots was around three million units in 2020. Since 2010, the stock has been increasing through each year, accelerating in 2014. Operational stock is the level of inventory required to meet operational obligations.

 

 

During this time period, sales of industrial robots increased exponentially. Key companies within the industry include ABB, which saw the highest level of revenue amongst its competitors. Conglomerates such as Siemens or Mitsubishi Electric are the major vendors of industrial automation and industry software. The automation market is comprised of a variety of products and services, including relays, switches, and control systems, as well as industry software development and services. In light of an increase in use of artificial intelligence, the market for automation software is expected to grow to over 50 billion U.S. dollars by 2023, providing a way for companies to produce more products without increasing production costs or wages.

Advantages commonly attributed to automation include higher production rates and increased productivity, more efficient use of materials, better product quality, improved safety, shorter workweeks for labour and reduced factory lead times. Higher output and increased productivity have been two of the biggest reasons in justifying the use of automation. Despite the claims of high quality from good workmanship by humans, automated systems typically perform the manufacturing process with less variability than human workers, resulting in greater control and consistency of product quality.

A robot has the ability to work at a constant speed, unattended, 24/7. That means you’ve got the potential to produce more. New products can be more quickly introduced into the production process and new product programming can be done offline with no disruption to existing processes.

Although taking advantage of such new technologies may appear to be an obvious and natural evolution of any factory floor, manufacturing companies have been risk-averse in implementing new technology, precluding widespread adoption.

In the utopian vision, technology emancipates human labor from repetitive, mundane tasks, freeing us to be more productive and take on more fulfilling work. In the dystopian vision, robots come for everyone’s jobs, put millions and millions of people out of work, and throw the economy into chaos. To see how 2017’s robot density numbers stacked up, check out the infographic.

 

 

According to this schedule, it becomes clear that more and more professions do not require human participation, which means that the number of jobs is reduced. The workforce is changing with the times as it responds to the latest tech on the market and automated tasks.

But guaranteeing the safety of workers is a paramount goal for all manufacturers; hence, the industry is experiencing a plethora of stricter safety compliance protocols. Manufacturers need to be prepared for the ever-present safety challenges born from automation and continue driving unceasing developments in the following areas to encourage safety:

 

• Stopped State Monitoring – The ability to stop working when a human enters a specific area and resume working when the human leaves.
• Speed and Separation Monitoring – A robot’s ability to slow down or stop depending on the distance of the human in question.
• Hand Guiding – The ability to know when a person is in contact with the robot for guidance and training.
• Power and Force Limitation – Sensors and technology within robotic automation that restricts the amount of force applied.

 

The solution to this problem is Collaborative Robots. A cobot is a robot intended for direct human- robot interaction within a shared space, or where humans and robots are in close proximity. Cobot applications contrast with traditional industrial robot applications in which robots are isolated from human contact. Cobot safety may rely on lightweight construction materials, rounded edges, and inherent limitation of speed and force, or on sensors and software that ensures safe behavior. Cobots are Collaborative robots that are cost-effective, safe, and flexible to deploy.

Collaborative robots are making automation easier than ever, even for small and mid-sized companies around the world. Cobots are designed to share a workspace with humans, making automation easier than ever before for businesses of all sizes.

Cobots are an ideal productivity tool for almost any manufacturer because they help everyone in the company achieve performance objectives. It gives manufacturers access to all the benefits of advanced robotic automation, without the extra costs associated with traditional robots: difficult programming, long set-up, and shielded work cells. This makes automation affordable even for small-batch production runs and mixed product assembly.

Figure 1 Main functions of a collaborative robot

 

Collaborative robot designs differ greatly from their industrial robot counterparts. Featuring rounded edges, force limitations, and light weights, collaborative robots are first and foremost designed for safety. Most collaborative robots are equipped with a series of sensors to avoid collisions with human workers, as well as safety protocols to shut down if any form of unplanned contact occurs.

The ability to work collaboratively with humans greatly expands the potential applications of robotic automation.

Collaborative robots are a relatively new invention in the robotics industry, but already, there are several different kinds. Their instant success in a wide range of industries has spurred rapid product innovation, resulting in four major types of collaborative robots.

The different types of collaborative robots are defined by their safety and programming features, or the way in which they avoid potentially dangerous encounters with human workers. Each type of collaborative robot deploys unique methods and technologies to maintain a safe operating space - this difference defines which environments they are best suited for.  

The four types of collaborative robots are defined as safety monitored stop, speed and separation, power and force limiting, and hand guiding.

 

Safety Monitored Stop	Collaborative robots defined as safety monitored stop are intended for applications that have minimal interaction between the robot and human workers. Typically, these types of collaborative robots actually leverage an industrial robot with a series of sensors that stop robot operation when a human enters the work envelope.
Speed and Separation	These types of collaborative robots are similar to safety monitored stop collaborative robots in the fact that they leverage an industrial robot. However, speed and separation collaborative robots use more advanced vision systems to slow operations down when a human worker approaches and stop operation altogether when a worker is too close to the robot.
Power and Force Limiting	These types of collaborative robots are built with rounded corners and a series of intelligent collision sensors to quickly detect contact with a human worker and stop operation. These collaborative robots, which use collaborative robot arms, also feature force limitations to ensure any collisions are unlikely to result in injury.
Hand Guiding	These collaborative robots are equipped with a hand-guided device by which an operator directly controls the motion of the robot during automatic mode. While in automatic mode, the robot performing hand-guiding collaboration responds only to the operator's direct control input. This allows the robot, for example, to support the weight of a heavy workpiece while the operator manipulates it into position, thereby reducing the operator's risk of repetitive-stress injury. Similar capabilities can be used to "teach" or program a robot, but properly speaking, hand guiding as a collaborative operation occurs while the robot is in automatic mode, during normal production, whereas programming is not done in automatic mode nor used during production.

 

The four major types of collaborative robots defined above include every type of robot intended for some degree of human interaction during operation. Not all are built for constant collaboration, but each features a number of safety capabilities to prevent serious injury.

Industrial robots have traditionally worked separately from humans behind fences or other protective barriers, but cobots have eliminated this separation.

Moreover, most manufacturers say that they are not planning to use collaborative robots to replace humans. Rather, they want humans to work with cobots to increase their own productivity. Currently, humans do a lot of repetitive tasks. A human worker could program the cobot to complete these dull tasks. As a result, the human can do more satisfying work for both them and the employer.

Even when cobots replace humans for particular tasks, there are often jobs that the cobots cannot do. These roles often require creative, critical thinking. By having a collaborative robot perform dirty, dull, and dangerous tasks, the company can better use their human workers to help grow their company by developing new products and processes.

The International Federation of Robotics defines four levels of collaboration between industrial robots and human workers:

• Coexistence: Human and robot work alongside each other without a fence, but with no shared workspace.
• Sequential Collaboration: Human and robot are active in shared workspace but their motions are sequential; they do not work on a part at the same time.
• Cooperation: Robot and human work on the same part at the same time, with both in motion.
• Responsive Collaboration: The robot responds in real-time to movement of the human worker.

In most industrial applications of cobots today, the cobot and human worker share the same space but complete tasks independently or sequentially. Co-operation or Responsive Collaboration are presently less common.

Despite the low popularity, it is worth considering a number of advantages. Collaborative robots can be deployed in a wide range of environments and bring many different benefits when compared to traditional industrial robots. Typically, a robot user chooses a collaborative robot when they need to prioritize safety, flexibility, low-cost deployment, and fast ROI.

Collaborative robots are designed to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries in the workplace. For applications that require robot and human input, a collaborative robot is equipped with sensors to avoid collisions, force limitations, smooth designs, overcurrent protections, and passive compliance in the event of unplanned contact. Improved safety boosts productivity and reduces operating costs for robot users – two almost immediate benefits collaborative robots deliver.

Collaborative robots can be easily programmed, even by workers with no knowledge of robot programming. In some instances, the robot can be shown how to complete a task by physically moving the robot arm to the correct places. This allows for collaborative robots to automate several different tasks with quick changeover times. This flexibility lowers the initial cost of automation and directly contributes to ROI and productivity. The ease of programming a collaborative robot reduces the time and resources required for integration, which lowers the automation investment. Collaborative robots come equipped with safety features and don’t require fences or other industrial safety equipment, which further lowers costs while reducing integration time. The low cost of deploying a collaborative robot, at least in comparison to industrial robots, makes them far more accessible to a wider customer base.

Collaborative robots have proven their ability to deliver faster ROI than their industrial counterparts. This is primarily due to the fact that upfront costs are significantly lower, more tasks can be automated per robot, and collaborative robots contribute to strong productivity. For those who can not risk too much on an automation investment, collaborative robots provide reliable ROI, usually within just a few months.

Conclusion

 

As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions were drawn:

1. collaborative robots are an important development in the robotics industry - the first automation technology that allows safe operation directly alongside human workers;
2. collaborative robots can be deployed in many different ways;
3. collaborative robots work in environments where industrial robots would be unsafe or unproductive;
4. when compared with industrial robots, collaborative robots are often a more profitable and productive solution when used in the right applications.

Due to their advantages collaborative robots can be more widely used in industry in the nearest future.

About the authors

Maxim Dmitrievich Belokopytov

Samara University

Author for correspondence.
Email: maximaximax5@live.com

student I course of Samara University Institute of Engine and Power Plant Engineering

Russian Federation, 443086, 34, Moskovskoye shosse, Samara, Russia

Svetlana Albertovna Avdeyko

Samara University

Email: asa210770@mail.ru

Senior Lecturer, Department of Foreign Languages and Russian as a Foreign Language, Samara University

Russian Federation, 443086, 34, Moskovskoye shosse, Samara, Russia

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