Lean Application Of Human-Robot Cooperation

Robot segregation should be avoided using the3laws of robotics, but technology andmethodologies today are not yet ready for this leap forward. Great effort has been done inimproving the robot technologies, while human operators do not have tools or equipmentto enhance their interaction capabilities. Industrial robots operating in segregation are areason for causing: Unnecessary Movement of People, Unnecessary Handling of Materialsand Workers Waiting. In this system the causes of the three mentioned MUDA are: wasteof space, limitations on re-configurability, maintenance problems, supervision issues,production inflexibility, logistics, layout issues and work organization issues. Defined inan augmented reality environment, a more precise and efficient “Projection Function” isperformed and proposed to enhance human/robot communication, deliver the properinformation, at the right time and with consistency. The final result is a simulation, showingthe main idea that is behind the new concept of “moving cages”, allowing a dynamicHuman/Robot interaction, capable of avoiding collision and enhancing safety conditionsalso in non-routine operations. The model appears to be good also for service robots.