A collaborative robot (cobot) is an automatic device that can work together with a person to create or manufacture various products. [1] Like industrial robots (see Industrial Robot ), cobots consist of a manipulator and a reprogrammable control device that generates control actions that specify the required movements of the manipulator's executive bodies. [2]
Collaborative robots are used in production in solving problems that cannot be fully automated. [3]
Content
History
In May 1995, Northwestern University and General Motors Corporation announced they were working on what they called Intelligent Assist Devices (IADs) - “Intelligent Assistant Devices.” The need for such a device was caused by the fact that at the stage of the final assembly of the car there were many labor-intensive procedures: identification of defective parts, assembly of units from different parts, and more. It was impossible to automate them, but a collaborative device could facilitate the work of people. The first developments were not autonomous and were set in motion by the muscular power of workers. [four]
In 1999, Ed Colgate and Michael Pashkin, engineers at Northwestern University, invented the first cobot. [5] Since 1996, Cobotics also exists, co-founded by Ed Colgate.
Cobotics released several cobot models in 2002 (the company still used the term “IADs” for them). [6] Two years later, KUKA , a large robotics company from Germany, released its first cobot LBR 3. [7] The development of Danish company Universal Robots was a real breakthrough in the history of collaborative robots. It was she who in 2008 released a collaborative robot in its modern form: as an autonomous device capable of interacting with a person. [eight]
Today, 10 years after the development of the first autonomous cobot, the collaborative robotics market is growing by 50% annually. [9]
Comparison with industrial robots
Industrial robots are programmed to perform certain operations without taking into account the people working next to them. Therefore, in production, they can threaten human life and health. Cases of deaths due to industrial robots are known. [10] Therefore, they are installed in specially designated places, painted in bright colors and mounted fences in the area of the robot, so as not to endanger people. For any physical interaction between a person and an industrial robot, the mechanism must first be disabled.
Collaborative robots are equipped with sensors that monitor the position of a person and prevent harm to him. Some models can be installed directly in the workplace. As a rule, control and programming in cobots is an order of magnitude easier than in industrial robots, and includes, among other things, manual controls. Also, these robots are cheaper and do not require additional production space. [eleven]
Most collaborative robots are small (weight - 15–20 kg, height - about 1.5 m). Larger industrial robots. So, KUKA has only one line of compact robots weighing about 50 kg; models of other series weigh from 100 to 4600 kg. [12]
Manufacturers
Universal Robots continues to develop and produce collaborative robots. By 2016, the company produced over 8400 units for small and medium-sized enterprises in 55 countries.
Large companies such as ABB, Kuka, Fanuc, Yaskawa, as well as young projects: Kinova, Rethink Robotics, Franka Emika, Rozum Robotics, are engaged in the production of cobots today. [13]
Types of Modern Cobots
According to the international standard ISO 10218 (part 1 and part 2), there are four types of collaborative robots. [14]
1. With a protective stop mechanism. Such a cobot works mostly autonomously, but from time to time a person needs to go into his workspace. When an employee approaches, a mechanism stops the cobot (based on motion sensors). When a person leaves space, work continues.
2. Hand-operated. This type of cobot is used for “manual training” of the robot. The basic mechanism is a small industrial robot; It is supplemented with special devices that recognize hand pressure. When the robot does not learn, but performs its direct functions, a person should be outside the boundaries of his working area.
3. Cobots equipped with a "computer vision" system that track the movement of human workers. As soon as a person enters the working area of the robot, it slows down to a safe speed, and if the worker comes too close, the mechanism stops.
4. Robots with limited power. He can feel resistance in his path and stops if the resistance is strong. For safety reasons, it has a rounded shape and no open engines. It can function in close proximity to humans.
Applications and Markets
The key region of the cobot market in 2016–2017 was Western Europe (Germany and the UK as key consumers), the Asian market was in second place, and North America was in third. At the same time, the most significant growth was observed in the Asian market. [15]
The main area of application for cobots remains the automotive and electronics industries, and the most popular operations are loading / moving and assembling. However, the potential area of their application is much wider: all types of production, office work, social sphere. [sixteen]
Notes
- ↑ Cobots: Robots for collaboration with people . Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Spyna P.A. Industrial robots. Design and application, p. 15 . Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Cobots for the automobile assembly line . Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ A History of Collaborative Robots: From Intelligent Lift Assists to Cobots Neopr . engineering.com. Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Mechanical Advantage . Chicago Tribune (December 11, 1996). Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Intelligent Assist Devices (2002). Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ History of the DLR LWR . dlr.de (2002). Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Universal Robots . robo-hunter.com. Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Collaborative Robots Market Set for 56.94% CAGR Explosive Growth to 2023 Led by Automotive Industry (September 12, 2017). Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Robot kills worker at Volkswagen plant in Germany . The Guardian (July 2, 2015). Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Collaborative revolution: what to expect and whether to be afraid . robo-hunter.com. Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Industrial robots KUKA ROBOTICS . Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Collaborative revolution: what to expect and whether to be afraid . Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette. What Does Collaborative Robot Mean? (August 19, 2015). Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ marketsandmarkets.com. Collaborative Robots Market by Payload Capacity (September 2017). Date of appeal April 20, 2018.
- ↑ CoBot Robots (November 18, 2014). Date of appeal April 20, 2018.