Working together with industrial robots: Experiencing robots in a production environment

Abstract

This paper illustrates how workers in a semiconductor factory experience working together with industrial robots. Applying a narrative interview approach, we evoked reports on workers' personal experiences of working together with these robots. This specific approach enabled us to gain knowledge of how daily work with these robots is experienced, including workers' attitudes and inherent meanings regarding the robots. Following a thematic analysis approach, we analyzed the collected interview data and identified rivalry with the robots, adaption towards the robot's behavior, perceived reasonability and knowledge acquisition as salient aspects regarding human-robot interaction in the factory. Our findings indicate how human-robot cooperation can be improved in terms of enhancing workers' everyday experiences with robots, for example, by providing a feeling of control or emphasizing human competences.