Using Collaborative Robots As A Tool For Easier Programming Of Industrial Robots

Programming industrial robots using traditional jogging via teach pendant is a time-consuming task that requires extensive training. More intuitive and faster task programming is often possible using kinesthetic teaching. Although this feature is available on many commercial collaborative robots, it is rarely available on traditional industrial robots. In this paper we propose a framework for allowing tasks to be instructed using a collaborative robot via kinesthetic teaching, and afterwards deployed to a traditional industrial robot. The frame- work consists of a physical modular concept for robot exchange, and a online programming software tool called Universal Industrial Interface. To assess the framework, a feasibility study is conducted where an industrial relevant task is  rst programmed using a collaborative manipulator, and afterwards deployed on an industrial manipulator

A Framework for Extended Reality System Development in Manufacturing

This paper presents a framework for developing extended reality (XR) systems within manufacturing context. The aim of this study is to develop a systematic framework to improve the usability and user acceptance of future XR systems. So that manufacturing industry can move from the “wow effect” of XR demonstrators into the stage whereas XR systems can be successfully integrated and improve the conventional work routines. It is essential to ensure the usability and user acceptance of XR systems for the wider adoption in manufacturing. The proposed framework was developed through six case studies that covered different XR system developments for different application areas of manufacturing. The framework consists of five iterative phases: (1) requirements analysis, (2) solution selection, (3) data preparation, (4) system implementation and (5) system evaluation. It is validated through one empirical case and seven identified previous studies, which partly aligned with the proposed framework. The proposed framework provides a clear guideline on the steps needed to integrate XR in manufacturing and it extends the XR usage with increased usability and user acceptance. Furthermore, it strengthens the importance of user-centered approach for XR system development in manufacturing

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures

In good company? : Perception of movement synchrony of a non-anthropomorphic robot

Copyright: © 2015 Lehmann et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Recent technological developments like cheap sensors and the decreasing costs of computational power have brought the possibility of robotic home companions within reach. In order to be accepted it is vital for these robots to be able to participate meaningfully in social interactions with their users and to make them feel comfortable during these interactions. In this study we investigated how people respond to a situation where a companion robot is watching its user. Specifically, we tested the effect of robotic behaviours that are synchronised with the actions of a human. We evaluated the effects of these behaviours on the robot’s likeability and perceived intelligence using an online video survey. The robot used was Care-O-bot®3, a non-anthropomorphic robot with a limited range of expressive motions. We found that even minimal, positively synchronised movements during an object-oriented task were interpreted by participants as engagement and created a positive disposition towards the robot. However, even negatively synchronised movements of the robot led to more positive perceptions of the robot, as compared to a robot that does not move at all. The results emphasise a) the powerful role that robot movements in general can have on participants’ perception of the robot, and b) that synchronisation of body movements can be a powerful means to enhance the positive attitude towards a non-anthropomorphic robot.Peer reviewe

Development of an intelligent personal assistant to empower operators in industry 4.0 environments

Mestrado de dupla diplomação com a UTFPR - Universidade Tecnológica Federal do ParanáIndustry 4.0 brings a high level of automation to industrial environments and changes the way companies operate, both in operational aspects and in human relations. It is important to define the role of the millions of operators affected in this new socioeconomic paradigm, integrating new technologies and empowering the workforce to take advantage of aspects such as the flexibility and versatility that human operators bring to production lines. To advance the implementation of this objective, this work proposes the development of an intelligent personal assistant, using concepts of human-in-the-loop cyber-physical systems and context awareness, to assist operators during manufacturing tasks, providing the necessary information for the fulfillment of operations and verifying the accuracy to inform them about possible errors. The implementation is divided in two parts. The first part focuses on an application that supports the real-time operations that can be present in the industry, such as pick and place in warehouses and the assembly of complex equipment on an assembly line. Through an interface, the instruction is given and, using artificial vision techniques with images coming from an IntelRealsense camera, it verifies if the operation is being correctly performed. The gathering of this information occurs in a context awareness algorithm, fulfilling the requirement of intelligent personal assistant and providing feedback to the operator so that the tasks are performed with efficiency and lower incidence of errors. The second part includes the training of these operators in an immersive environment through a virtual reality equipment such as the Oculus Go. The immersive scenario, developed in Unity3D, uses as a model the real workbench, bringing the possibility of performing these trainings in any environment and excluding the need to use real equipment, which could be damaged by the user’s inexperience. The results achieved during the validation tests performed in these two parts, commenting on the strengths, challenges and failures found in the system in general. These results are also qualitatively compared with traditional applications of the proposed case studies in order to prove the fulfillment of the objectives proposed in this work. Finally, the usability test is presented, which provides data on weak points in the user experience for possible improvements in future work.A indústria 4.0 traz um nível elevado de automação a ambientes industriais e muda a forma em que empresas funcionam, tanto em aspectos operacionais quanto em relações humanas. É importante a definição do papel dos milhões de operadores afetados neste novo paradigma socioeconômico, fazendo a integração das novas tecnologias e capacitando a mão de obra para fazer proveito de aspectos como a flexibilidade e versatilidade que operadores humanos trazem às linhas de produção. Para avançar a implementação deste objetivo, este trabalho propõe o desenvolvimento de uma assistente pessoal inteligente, utilizando conceitos de human-in-the-loop cyberphysical systems e context awareness, para auxiliar operadores durante tarefas de manufatura, provendo informações necessárias para o cumprimento de operações e verificando a acurácia para informá-lo sobre possíveis erros. A implementação está dividida em duas partes. A primeira parte foca em uma aplicação de operações em tempo real que podem estar presentes na indústria como pick-andplace em armazéns e a montagem de equipamentos complexos em uma linha de montagem. Através de uma interface é dada a instrução a ser realizada e, utilizando técnicas de visão artificial, com imagens vindas de uma câmera IntelRealsense, verifica se a operação está sendo corretamente executada. A junção dessas informações ocorre em um algoritmo de context awareness, cumprindo o requisito de assistente pessoal inteligente e fornecendo o feedback ao operador para que as tarefas sejam realizadas com eficiência e menor incidência de erros. Já a segunda parte engloba o treinamento destes operadores em um ambiente imersivo através de um equipamento de realidade virtual como o Oculus Go. O cenário, desenvolvido no Unity3D, utiliza como modelo a bancada real, trazendo a possibilidade de se realizar esses treinamentos em qualquer ambiente, excluindo a necessidade da utilização de equipamentos reais e possíveis danos originados de inexperiência do usuário. Os resultados apresentam os testes de validação realizados nestas duas partes, comentando os pontos fortes, desafios e falhas encontradas no sistema em geral. Estes resultados também são comparados qualitativamente com aplicações tradicionais dos casos de estudo propostos de forma a comprovar o cumprimento dos objetivos propostos neste trabalho. Por fim, é apresentado o teste de usabilidade que fornece dados em pontos fracos na experiência de usuários para possíveis melhorias em futuros trabalhos