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Project

A Safety Readiness Model and Tool to Support the Adoption of Industrial Human-robot Collaboration. A System-wide Perspective and Validation

Industry 4.0 involves the integration of novel technologies, digitalizing production, and establishing interconnected systems, leading to increased automation and technological support for workers. The digitalization and interconnectedness of manufacturing resources result in increased complexity, introducing new hazards and risks, especially in collaborative environments.

Collaborative robots (cobots) are key enabling technologies in Industry 4.0, designed to work directly with human operators. While bringing benefits, cobots pose safety challenges that require a system-wide perspective, considering human behavior, psychosocial factors, system components, and organizational aspects. The rapid introduction of cobot technology has led to a lack of understanding and knowledge about its safety aspects, hindering successful integration. Moreover, the use of cobots lags behind expectations due to these safety problems.

To address these challenges, the thesis proposes introducing the Cobot Safety Readiness Assessment Tool (CSRAT). This tool, developed based on maturity model methodology, evaluates individuals' awareness of system-wide cobot risk factors. Five risk factor classes (Technological, Human, Collaborative Workspace, Enterprise, and External factors) were identified based on a comprehensive review of the risk factors in Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) described in research papers from the past decade. These classes together with their underlying subclasses are the dimensions used as safety readiness criteria for the CSRAT. The CSRAT validation involved academic and industrial experts, and industry practitioners, emphasizing its usefulness in practice.

The CSRAT encourages practitioners to evaluate and increase their awareness and knowledge of cobot safety factors, serving as a self-assessment and a conversation starter. The research introduces a system-wide approach to evaluating risk factors in HRC, aligning with sociotechnical systems principles and bridging the science-practice gap. The study suggests refinements to the CSRAT, explores alternative validation methods, and extends its application to other domains. It also highlights the evolving impact of Artificial Intelligence on safety in HRC.

Date:6 Feb 2020 →  21 Feb 2024
Keywords:Occupational Health and Safety, Collaborative robotics, Risk assessment
Disciplines:Human-centred and life-like robotics
Project type:PhD project