Cobot Ergonomic Interaction System for Strain Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Human workers in sorting and packaging environments face ergonomic strain and injury due to repetitive motions and inefficiencies in handling various products, as they are slower and more prone to fatigue compared to machines.
Innovation Solution
A collaborative robot-assisted packing station that uses predictive algorithms and sensors to anticipate human intent, adjust container placement, and optimize cobot movement to reduce physical effort, incorporating an ergonomic assessment module to monitor and mitigate strain on human joints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If humans perform sorting and packaging tasks manually, then flexibility in handling different products is improved, but productivity and speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A collaborative robot serves as an intermediary between the product variety and human worker. The cobot handles the repetitive motion of moving containers and objects, while the human focuses on the flexible task of selecting and placing diverse products. This division allows the system to maintain product handling flexibility while significantly improving overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The packing task is segmented into distinct functions: the cobot performs the standardized motion of presenting containers and receiving placed objects, while the human performs the adaptive task of product selection and placement. This segmentation allows each component to optimize for its specific function, improving both flexibility and speed.
2Productivity
If humans work continuously in demanding environments, then productivity is maintained, but ergonomic strain and injury risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cobot extracts and assumes the physically demanding repetitive motions from the human worker's task. By taking over the continuous motion of container presentation and object transfer, the system maintains productivity while removing the harmful repetitive strain from the human worker.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaborative robot serves itself in performing the repetitive positioning and container handling tasks. The cobot autonomously manages its own motion cycles for presenting containers and receiving objects, freeing the human from these repetitive actions and reducing ergonomic injury risk.
3Productivity
If cobot moves containers quickly to match human speed, then productivity is improved, but ergonomic strain on human joints increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cobot's motion system is made dynamic and adaptive to human needs. Rather than operating at fixed high speed, the cobot adjusts its container presentation timing and speed to match the human worker's natural pace and ergonomic requirements, maintaining productivity while preventing joint strain.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the cobot monitors human worker position, speed, and ergonomic state in real-time. This feedback allows the cobot to continuously adjust its motion parameters to optimize both productivity and ergonomic comfort, preventing excessive strain on human joints.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for human-cobot (collaborative robot) ergonomic interaction, including: a communication interface operable to receive sensor data related to human motion; ergonomic assessment processor circuitry operable to evaluate the sensor data to generate a strain score for at least one human joint, wherein the strain score represents a strain level of the at least one human joint based on an integration of motion of the at least one human joint over a period of time; human intent prediction processor circuitry operable to interpret the sensor data to predict an object the human intends to grasp, and to select a destination container for the predicted object; and cobot motion processor circuitry operable to determine a position or orientation for the cobot to place the selected destination container based on the predicted object and the strain score.