A new generation of industrial robotics is upon us. Known as collaborative co-workers or cobots, the latest robots are being shepherded out of their cages to bring increased automation to the manufacturing floor, while working hand-in-hand with people to aid, develop and, ultimately, revolutionise the manufacturing process.
Previously, industrial robots were completely separated from human access when operating in the factory. But now, with the growing need for automation in factories to enable quicker, more efficient operations, cobots are becoming increasingly able to take on more ‘human’ capabilities and traits such as sensing, dexterity, memory and trainability. As a result, they’re also taking on a greater range of jobs – such as picking and packaging, testing or inspecting products, or assembling minute electronics.
Fresh opportunities
Collaboration between people and robots allows the automation of processes that still require people to be part of the solution and cannot be fully automated with existing technology, opening up untapped manufacturing opportunities. The more forward-thinking UK companies that have already applied automation, including robot and vision technologies, are reaping the benefits of improved productivity throughout their operations.
One centre where such techniques are being investigated is Factory 2050, home to the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre’s Integrated Manufacturing Group. To drive its research, the IMG is installing cutting-edge manufacturing and
assembly technologies, advanced robotics, flexible automation, next-generation man-machine interfaces, and new programming and training tools.
People are increasingly working in the same manufacturing space as robots, says Ben Morgan, head of the IMG at AMRC. “Initially, this was because of clever light gates and scanning systems. More recently, robots that can be used next to humans have been popular on the market. These force and torque sensor-rich robots can be used directly next to humans, and are changing the way we are looking at processes with humans in the loop,” he says.
Human-robot collaboration is still in its early days, but in the past year several companies have made huge strides in the field. For example, robot manufacturer ABB has developed a dual-arm device, YuMi, in response to demand for cobots in the small-parts assembly operations that are common in the consumer electronics industry and other sectors.
Small-parts role
PE visited ABB’s solutions and robot training centre in Milton Keynes to speak to Mike Wilson, general industry sales manager, about YuMi’s development and why he thinks cobots are the future of efficient manufacturing.
“Robots working together with humans will provide significant benefits to multiple industries – especially automotive,” he says. “YuMi can be used during small-parts assembly, where people and robots work hand-in-hand on the same tasks. I believe YuMi will both open up new applications and provide a step change in the way that robots can be applied within manufacturing.”
A big difference between normal industrial robots and cobots is the working proximity to human workers that they allow. Industrial robots are commonly caged, to keep people safe and out of harm’s way. However, cobots are built so they can safely leave the cage while carrying out tasks for human workers.
They can do this because they have integrated sensors and soft and rounded surfaces for safety purposes and to reduce the risk of impact, pinching and crushing. The biggest safety feature of collaborative robots is their force-limited joints, which are designed to sense forces due to impact, and quickly react to them.
Despite all these safeguards, many people still have concerns about the technology. Only 35% of consumers think that working with robots is safe, according to a survey by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).
Regarding the safety of YuMi, Wilson says that the robot’s 14-axis prototype has flexible grippers, camera-based part location, and ABB’s IRC5 controller integrated in the torso. “The robot was originally designed for toys and watch-making industries. It has no barriers, cages or zones, as its padded arms and motion control technology make it able to work with humans safely.”
Another concern is that increasingly adopting robotics in factories will result in the loss of people’s jobs. “One of the benefits of cobots is that they do not need breaks and can work 24 hours a day – there is, however, a common belief that robots take jobs,” says Morgan at the AMRC. But he says this is not the case. “It has been consistently proven that although initially robots do replace people, those people are reskilled, redistributed and, more often than not, the company will go from strength to strength through being more competitive.”
Wilson agrees. “Many industries featuring the use of cobots think they may
have a negative effect on the amount of jobs given to humans. This is not true, as robots working alongside humans will make them as productive as possible.”
In fact, as a result of increased automation, transport sector companies now produce 56% more aircraft, trains and cars per hour than in 2009. Carmakers produce more vehicles per employee by the use of more automation in their factories. This trend needs to continue, says Wilson. “The option is to work longer or work smarter. Maybe, in the short term, cobots will result in a loss of jobs. But in the long term, it will make companies more competitive and lead to lots of jobs. There is no correlation between robot use and decrease in employment in manufacturing.”
It’s important to challenge negative perceptions, he says. “If we don’t change this mindset, we will struggle in terms of maintaining not only productivity but also employment in our manufacturing industry.”
Bridging the gap
Despite the development of cobots, the manufacturing sector still needs people to do complex tasks, and this requirement will continue in the future, says Wilson. “We will always need humans working in manufacturing, but the cobots are starting to make
it easier to bridge gap between operations that already happen.”
Another organisation that believes cobots do not take away jobs is plastic injection moulder the Rodon Group, which has adopted a robot made by possibly the best-known player in the cobot field, Rethink Robotics, in its factories. The Baxter can be adjusted to stand as tall as human colleagues and weighs about as much, and is designed to work hand-in-gripper with people.
Baxter has been a valuable addition to carry out the more labour-intensive jobs and mundane jobs, according to Rodon, which employs a maximum of seven operators per shift. “Baxter doesn’t take jobs away from people – it does jobs people would hate to do,” says Lowell Allen, the company’s senior vice president of manufacturing.
Saving space
In automotive, the change towards cobots is under way at several BMW factories, which are using human-friendly machines from Danish group Universal Robots. Another company, Toyota has developed a collaborative robot for mounting spare
tyres, which can operate alongside people without the need for safety fencing because of its spring weight compensation mechanism and force-sensorless control technology. The robot’s low-power, 80W motor saves energy, while its space-saving design helps to shorten automotive assembly lines.
With most sales of cobots being in the automotive sector, much work remains to be done in promoting the automation message to the rest of UK industry and demonstrating how the technology can help companies to catch up with their overseas competitors, says Wilson.
“Much of the resistance to widespread adoption of cobots is tied to cost, expertise and a lack of understanding of how companies could produce an attractive return on their investment. However, there is evidence that robots are being deployed beyond traditional automated tasks, and increasingly carrying out work that requires dexterity and precision that humans cannot achieve,” he says.
Despite these benefits, cobots are still very much an emerging trend. By 2025, the share of tasks performed by robots in manufacturing facilities worldwide will increase from the current 10% to around 25%. “Robots and automation in general are becoming more popular, and when linked with ‘smart factories’ – which are increasingly data-driven with many smart connected machines and devices – manufacturers will really start to see the benefits,” says Morgan at AMRC.
But British companies are just beginning to wake up to the benefits of robotic automation, figures from the International Federation of Robotics show, although numbers are looking positive. Last year, more than 1,500 robots were installed in UK factories, with another 2,000 sold in the first half of 2015 alone, and sales are set to rise by 10-15% between 2015 and 2018. So the manufacturing sector is at a turning point, and Morgan says it’s vital that the sector looks to automation and smart factories to gain global competitiveness. “If we don’t start doing this, we are sure to see work leaving our shores for good.”
Productivity rise
Wilson agrees that the UK needs to overcome its fear of robots to address the productivity crisis in the manufacturing sector and not lose out to its competitors.“If the UK adopted automation to the same level as most automated countries, our productivity would increase in all those sectors and collectively by 22%, and this would have a significant impact on the economy,” he says.
It’s likely that cobots will increasingly be adopted in industry. With their own separate strengths, people and robots working together should allow the manufacturing process to become more flexible, produce better-quality products and provide a safer working environment, as well as making companies more efficient and competitive.
Did you know?
The first company to produce an industrial robot was Unimation in the US, founded in 1956. Its device, Unimate, was based on the patents of inventor George Devol and was installed in a GM factory in 1961. Industrial robotics quickly took off in Europe, with ABB and Kuka launching robots in 1973.
Devol’s work led to the development of the Unimate, a precursor of the machines that now automate assembly lines worldwide.