How to make collaborative robot programming easier : Workflow visualization on a tablet device

摘要

A new generation of industrial robots have been growing in numbers in the past years. These are called collaborative robots and instead of replacing an operator to perform a job task, this robot works in collaboration with the operator. ABB's most recent robot is a collaborative, dual arm, small part, assembly robot called YuMi. The programming of industrial robots is complex and requires a professional with a high level of expertise and several years of experience to perform. ABB currently investigate how to make the programming of YuMi easier for operators with limited previous programming knowledge. To support ABB in their work, the goal of this thesis is to create a concept for a highly usable interactive device aimed for programming the workflow of a collaborative robot. To reach the goal, a literature review and a case study have been conducted. The literature review reveals previous attempts in making industrial robot programming easier and insights about what have been successful. During the case study, experts working with YuMi and potential future operators were interviewed and the outcome of the case study is a prototype of a tablet device interface. The method used in the case study is a User-Centered Design process called Focused Rapid Contextual Design.