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Robots are becoming nearly as common in assembly plants as nutrunners and conveyors. The advent of collaborative robots is only furthering that trend. However, as robots play a greater role on the line, engineers must ensure that workers remain safe around the technology.
Collaborative robots are an important element of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing initiatives. Many engineers are intrigued by these next-generation machines that can control force and work safely next to people on assembly lines without traditional safety guarding.
BRAMPTON, ON—Auto parts supplier Matcor Automotive Inc. has been fined $270,000 after a maintenance worker at its assembly plant here suffered a “devastating” injury involving a robot.
BAUNATAL, Germany—A robot accidentally killed a worker at Volkswagen’s automotive assembly plant here. The robot pressed the worker up against a metal plate, crushing his chest.
NORWICH, UK—The advent of collaborative robots on the assembly line is raising fresh safety questions for manufacturers. Here are some measures that engineers can take to avoid robot-related accidents.
ATHENS, GA—Researchers at Georgia Tech are applying sensors to people’s arms to train robots to mimic, respond to, and even predict a person’s movements so that the two can work side-by-side more seamlessly.
CAMBRIDGE, MA—Researchers at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology have developed new technology to enable people and robots to safely work together side-by-side.
