A Comprehensive Review of Collaborative Robotics in Manufacturing
Received: 25 November 2024 | Revised: 19 December 2024 | Accepted: 5 January 2025 | Online: 3 April 2025
Corresponding author: Chockalingam Palanisamy
Abstract
Collaborative manufacturing, which integrates robots and human workers, aims to enhance productivity, flexibility, and safety by automating tasks and enabling Human-Robot collaboration in manufacturing processes. The present review encompasses a systematic search strategy, entailing advancements in collaborative robotics, Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), safety and risk assessment, applications, and case studies, as well as challenges and limitations, utilizing keywords, such as "collaborative manufacturing," "human-robot collaboration," "co-bots," "industrial robots," and "manufacturing automation" in prominent databases. The key findings and conclusions emphasize the potential of collaborative manufacturing to revolutionize the industry, while also acknowledging existing challenges, such as the need for specialized training, high costs of Collaborative Robots (Cobots), and the potential for job displacement. Future research directions, including the development of cost-effective robots, intuitive interfaces, adaptable safety standards, accessible training programs, and strategies to mitigate job displacement, are also outlined. Addressing these challenges and implementing the proposed strategies could lead to a transformative impact on the manufacturing industry. Cobot integration reduces downtime, enhances worker safety, and optimizes overall performance.
Keywords:
collaborative manufacturing, human-robot collaboration, cobots, Beluga Whale Optimizer (BWO), manufacturing, automationDownloads
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