Human-robot collaboration in Industry 4.0

The Basque technology center IK4-Tekniker leads, since 2014, the European project FourByThree , an alliance of 15 European partners with the aim of developing “pioneering” robotic solutions, capable of collaborating “in an efficient and safe way with human operators in industrial manufacturing companies”. Along these lines, IK4-Tekniker is working on the development of collaborative robotics as one of the keys to advancing in Industry 4.0, and will present its capabilities at the BIEMH, according to recently reported . The creation of collaborative environments where people and robots can work collaboratively is an essential element to boost the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector.

For this reason, IK4-Tekniker works on the design of advanced technologies that guarantee the safety of workers in interaction, make manufacturing systems more flexible and improve their efficiency. The construction of collaborative environments requires solutions to interpret the movements that occur in the work area, the implementation of manipulation and navigation strategies adaptable to changing conditions, and ease of use and programming. One of these advanced technologies that IK4-Tekniker is working on is 3D vision to detect the proximity of people near the robot and modify its trajectory in case of risk.