Human Robot Collaboration in Production Environments

Human Robot Collaboration has great potential for the manufacturing domain. A necessary precondition is however the human’s acceptance of their robotic co-worker. Re- cent research indicates that this acceptance is heavily influenced by the flexibility granted to the worker and the efficiency of the collaboration. Current systems aim for efficiency but neglect the spatial constraints of the collaboration. Furthermore they restrict the worker’s flexibility. This paper presents an approach that extends prior art by considering spatial constraints and granting more flexibility to the worker. It thus facilitates a more efficient collaboration and a higher worker acceptance in manufacturing environments.