Simulating Human-Robot Collaboration for Improving Ergonomics and Productivity in an Assembly Workstation: A Case Study

Objective: To simulate the interaction human-robot regarding productivity, physical and mental workload, involving the worker in the process of implementing a new Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) system. Background: The guidelines for designing ergonomic and management of work systems are key to ensure worker safety, health, and wellbeing. It considers physical and mental workloads, including worker in the process of implementation. Method: Consists of comparing two workstations regarding physical demand, mental demand, and productivity with a sample size of 6 subjects. First workstation is a replica of a current situation, in which it is intended to implement an industrial HRC system. Second workstation is a human-robot simulated scenario, in which a human hand simulates the tasks being performed by a robot arm. Results: Robot-simulated scenario resulted in: 24.3% increase in productivity; posture exposure time reduced from 33.5% to 22.0%; overall workload felt by workers decreased from 44/100 to 38/100; and participatory ergonomics provided meaningful insights for better understanding the whole system. Conclusion: Robot-simulated improved ergonomic conditions and productivity compared to the replica-workstation and it is important to involve the worker in the implementation of a HRC system. Application: Assembly task workstations considering the inclusion of an industrial collaborative robot to perform tasks and lighten the burden on humans.