Symbiotic Human-Robot Collaboration for the Future
Rather than taking jobs, robots will soon join people on the factory floor, as co-workers and collaborators. That was the vision of an EUR 6.5 million project led by KTH-XPRES. SYMBIO-TIC, a five-year EU Horizon 2020 initiative led by KTH-XPRES for Symbiotic Human-Robot Collaborative Assembly, aims to provide an alternative: Robots that can quickly adapt their work plans to changing production situations, and even respond to commands that production workers provide by touch, voice or gesture.
Project description
Making robots that can collaborate with humans on the production line can reduce lead times for business large and small. Combining these capacities with new standards for safe operation of robots, people and robots will be able to literally work side by side in a fenceless environment where they can sense the presence of their human co-workers and avoid accidents.
One thing robots will be able to do with humans is the heavy objects lifting. For example, a robot could hold an engine block in whatever position the worker requests, thereby relieving the worker of undue physical effort. By taking on the physical challenges of factory work, collaborative robots will create opportunities for people with a greater variety of physical abilities. Physical condition, gender or age will no longer be important.
Project goals
Collaborative robots will not only reduce long-term injuries and work-related issues, they will make the worker a smart agent. And it makes the factory a more attractive environment. Rated as a Success Story by the European Commission, the SYMBIO-TIC project has led the way of human-robot collaborative assembly and generated impact in factories and society towards a human-friendly production environment.
