Anthropomorphic motion control of a gantry robot in assembly cells

Abstract

The demand for flexible production systems in which the flexibility at assembly processes is increased by new forms of human-robot collaboration rises. Besides occupational safety the transparency of the robot’s actions and the mental effort are of special importance. Based on the fact that anthropomorphic features of a robotic system can improve its acceptance, anthropomorphic movements of a gantry robot in an assembly cell are compared to conventional point-to-point movements. Results of a study with 20 male participants, in which the influence of these movements of the gantry robot on mental effort, prediction time and prediction accuracy was investigated, are presented in this paper. Results show that the participants could predict the target position of the presented movement significantly faster and more accurately when the gantry robot was controlled by the anthropomorphic motion primitives (α = 0.05). The mental effort ratings show in general reduced values for the anthropomorphic movement, but this effect is statistically not significant.

Keywords:

• Anthropomorphism
• assembly
• human–robot collaboration
• industrial robotics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the German Research Foundation (DFG) for its kind support of the research on human–robot cooperation within the Cluster of Excellence ‘Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries’.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sinem Kuz

Sinem Kuz graduated in Computer Science at RWTH Aachen University with focus on data communication and data security. Afterwards she was working as a research assistant at the Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics at the RWTH Aachen University. She managed several research projects in the context of human-centered design of user interfaces for industrial machines and human-robot interaction. Thereby, her main research was focused on the effect of anthropomorphic movements of industrial robots. She did her doctoral degree in 2016 and works as a senior expert at PwC Europe IT Services GmbH focusing on user-centered design of digital products.

Alexander Mertens

Alexander Mertens finished his master in computer science with focus on human-computer interaction and neurophysiology at RWTH Aachen University in 2008. After that he managed several research projects in the context of telemedical systems and services as well as accessibility for elderly and disabled people at the Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics of RWTH Aachen University. In 2012 he finished his PhD in Theoretical Medicine and in 2014 his PhD in Industrial Engineering. His research interests focus on designing target group specifics user interfaces for information and communication technology.

Christopher M. Schlick

Christopher M. Schlick received the Ph.D. degree (Dr.-Ing.) in Mechanical Engineering from Aachen University of Technology in 1999, and the Habilitation degree (Dr.-Ing. habil) also in Mechanical Enginee ing from Aachen University of Technology in 2004. He was a full professor of industrial engineering and ergonomics at RWTH Aachen University and deputy director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE. Unfortunately he passed away in 2016.