Human–Robot Shared Workspace in Aerospace Factories

Abstract

Aerospace manufacturing involves many discrete stages where subsystems of increasing size and complexity are incrementally constructed into the final product. While some of the aerospace manufacturing processes were automated using large fixed machines that are inflexible and costly, the majority of the procedures have remained as manual work, which could be labour intensive. Some processes require human operatives to work in confined spaces and awkward postures for prolonged periods of time, which could lead to occupational illnesses, so automating these processes with robots could be highly beneficial. However, there are some unique challenges associated with using robots in aerospace manufacturing, and one of these challenges is the deployment of robot systems in manual environments, which was impossible prior to the introduction of collaborative technology. This chapter discusses aspects of implementing human–robot collaboration in aerospace manufacturing, and four industrial use cases are described to reflect current progress.