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Making Informed Decisions: Supporting Cobot Integration Considering Business and Worker Preferences

Dakota Sullivan, Nathan Thomas White, Andrew Schoen, Bilge Mutlu

TL;DR

The paper addresses how SMEs can effectively integrate cobots by accounting for worker preferences and business constraints. It proposes a four-phase decision-support framework—planning, analysis, development, and presentation—to evaluate costs, feasibility, and impacts prior to deployment. A case study with an SME demonstrates simulation-based analysis of two cobot-enabled workflows, comparing cycle-time reductions and equipment costs. The findings highlight balancing efficiency gains with investment and worker acceptance, offering a practical path for SME decision-makers to pursue informed, collaborative cobot integration.

Abstract

Robots are ubiquitous in small-to-large-scale manufacturers. While collaborative robots (cobots) have significant potential in these settings due to their flexibility and ease of use, proper integration is critical to realize their full potential. Specifically, cobots need to be integrated in ways that utilize their strengths, improve manufacturing performance, and facilitate use in concert with human workers. Effective integration requires careful consideration and the knowledge of roboticists, manufacturing engineers, and business administrators. We propose an approach involving the stages of planning, analysis, development, and presentation, to inform manufacturers about cobot integration within their facilities prior to the integration process. We contextualize our approach in a case study with an SME collaborator and discuss insights learned.

Making Informed Decisions: Supporting Cobot Integration Considering Business and Worker Preferences

TL;DR

The paper addresses how SMEs can effectively integrate cobots by accounting for worker preferences and business constraints. It proposes a four-phase decision-support framework—planning, analysis, development, and presentation—to evaluate costs, feasibility, and impacts prior to deployment. A case study with an SME demonstrates simulation-based analysis of two cobot-enabled workflows, comparing cycle-time reductions and equipment costs. The findings highlight balancing efficiency gains with investment and worker acceptance, offering a practical path for SME decision-makers to pursue informed, collaborative cobot integration.

Abstract

Robots are ubiquitous in small-to-large-scale manufacturers. While collaborative robots (cobots) have significant potential in these settings due to their flexibility and ease of use, proper integration is critical to realize their full potential. Specifically, cobots need to be integrated in ways that utilize their strengths, improve manufacturing performance, and facilitate use in concert with human workers. Effective integration requires careful consideration and the knowledge of roboticists, manufacturing engineers, and business administrators. We propose an approach involving the stages of planning, analysis, development, and presentation, to inform manufacturers about cobot integration within their facilities prior to the integration process. We contextualize our approach in a case study with an SME collaborator and discuss insights learned.
Paper Structure (24 sections, 5 figures, 4 tables)

This paper contains 24 sections, 5 figures, 4 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Cobot Usage
  4. Factors for Cobot Integration
  5. Integration Frameworks and Approaches
  6. Approach
  7. Planning Phase
  8. Analysis Phase
  9. Development Phase
  10. Presentation Phase
  11. Case Study Application
  12. Collaboration Context
  13. Planning Phase: Stakeholder Discussions
  14. Analysis Phase: Existing Workflow
  15. Development Phase: Simulation
  16. ...and 9 more sections

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: A depiction of the four-phase cobot integration approach proposed within this paper: planning for integration, analyzing workflows, developing simulations, and presenting to the manufacturer.
  • Figure 2: An overview of the four-phase approach including the individuals, foci, and milestones involved at each phase.
  • Figure 3: A subset of the steps involved in the manufacturer's assembly process. A. applying silicone to gaskets. B. applying silicone to pans and beginning the assembly process. C. continuing the assembly process by attaching gaskets.
  • Figure 4: The program and simulated environment created for process 2. The environment captures the robot, a workspace for the operator, a workstation, a location to switch end effectors, and a source for component parts.
  • Figure 5: This plot showcases the costs of our processes and their cycle times to assemble two units when one or two workers are assisted by the cobot.