Application of Axiomatic Design for the Design of a Safe Collaborative Human-Robot Assembly Workplace

Abstract

In the context of the Industry 4.0 wave, which is currently making its way into production engineering research, human robot collaboration is also a very important topic. With new technologies and ever more intelligent control systems for machines and robots, the cooperation between human and machine has become easier. In the smart factory of the future, robots are working hand in hand with people and support them, when their assistance is needed. However, the implementation of such collaborative human-robot workplaces is not so easy in practice. The design of collaborative workplaces also presents completely new challenges in terms of safety of the worker. Such a complex problem requires a systematic and structured approach for concept design, in order to avoid loops in the design stage or even worse during implementation. The research team therefore uses a laboratory case study to show how Axiomatic Design can be used as a method to design collaborative human-robot workstations. First, functional requirements for such workplaces are defined. Based on the functional requirements, the design parameters are derived by using the Axiomatic Design mapping and decomposition process. The result is a concept study for a collaborative workplace in the laboratory environment based on Axiomatic Design.