Classical industrial robots can operate at high speeds and with excellent precision but require stringent security measures and significant factory floor footprint. An alternative paradigm is human robot collaboration where the robot can carry out the mundane or dangerous portion of the task while the human carries out the complex part. While this presents an attractive model, the lack of clarity about safety requirements is hindering uptake in the Irish manufacturing eco-system.
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To de-mystify the safety requirements around HRC, IMR chose to construct, from the bottom up, a fully collaborative demonstrator where human and robot would work together to assemble a medical device. In doing so, IMR would highlight the pain points associated with this process and earn valuable experience which can then be passed on to partner organisations.
Collaborative robots (Cobots) and humans can work together to complete a complex assembly task, improving productivity and reducing ergonomic strain.