THE RISE OF COLLABORATIVE ROBOTS

EL SURGIMIENTO DE ROBOTS COLABORATIVOS

THE RISE OF COLLABORATIVE ROBOTS

THE RISE OF COLLABORATIVE ROBOTS

 

As the fourth industrial revolution, known by some as Industry 4.0, continues to transform the supply chain, companies must aim to increase productivity and improve estate utilization by integrating robotics and automation, without deliberately neglecting employees.

 

MIT Researchers found that robot-human teams were 85% more productive than either alone. This emphasizes the importance of facilitating cooperation between employees and robots. Collaborative Robots – termed ‘Cobots’ – are being developed, designed to assist humans, which are safe, flexible and easily programmed by human employees.

 

The threat of robots rendering the human workforce redundant has gained much publicity, however, some developers claim (rightly or wrongly) that robots will be used to aid tasks that are repetitive or too dangerous for humans. Reallocating these tasks to robots gives human industrial employees the opportunity to retrain and upskill. This simultaneously addresses the digital engineering skills shortage caused by a lack of systematic engagement between education and industry, while also empowering employees.

 

 

Amazon and Cobots

 

Amazon is pioneering the use of warehouse robots to help with order fulfilment and faster delivery times. Cobots bring shelves of products to Amazon warehouse operatives to prepare for shipment, reducing order time from 1 hour to 15 minutes. Employees wear a robotics tech vest which sends a signal to the robots in the warehouse, so they can safely move around the building. The vest uses AI and sensors to draw an access path around the wearer, so cobots automatically slow down and update their route to avoid humans. Amazon developed the vest in response to fears about the safety of robotics, facilitating human-cobot collaboration to increase efficiency, reduce defects, lower prices and improve overall workplace safety. Furthermore, Amazon is funding employees to study robotics, showing a clear commitment to human-cobot cooperation.

 

 

Cobots in Mercedes-Benz

 

Mercedes-Benz recently replaced robots with humans on some production lines; yet, to their dismay, proceeded to claim that the robotic machines were not agile enough for the trend of customized products. In comparison, humans can ‘re-program’ immediately and are much more flexible.

The company decided to move away from trying to maximize automation, with people playing a bigger role in industrial processes again. Mercedes-Benz has found that human-robot cooperation, such as a person guiding a part-automatic robot, results in better flexibility and the ability to produce a variety of products on one production line. This indicates that simply replacing human employees with robots is ineffective, it is more productive to nurture a successful cobot-human dynamic.

 

 

The dawn of Industry 4.0 is predicted to trigger a shift in the purpose of industrial employees, from a manual, labor-intensive role to the programming and piloting of robots. To ensure the transition is cohesive, managers should be transparent and be willing to up-skill their workforce. Businesses that design the workflow to capitalize on the best attributes of humans and robots will benefit from increased efficiency and reduced costs.

 

Source: The Supply Chain Consulting Group.

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