New technology allows robots and humans to work closer than ever. But, several hurdles remain before there will be widespread deployment on assembly lines.
“First and foremost, there needs to be a greater awareness and better understanding of how collaborative robots operate,” warns Eric Foellmer, marketing and communications manager at Rethink Robotics Inc., which recently launched a collaborative robot called Baxter. “When people generally picture an industrial robot, they think of a very high speed machine moving with incredible precision or lifting very heavy objects.