Dynamic Human-Aware Task Planner for Human-Robot Collaboration in Industrial Scenario

Abstract

The collaboration between humans and robots in industrial scenarios is one of the key challenges for Industry 4.0. In particular, industrial robots offer accuracy and efficiency, while humans have experience and the capability to manage complex situations. Combining these features can enhance the industrial process by avoiding the user manipulates heavy weights and allowing him to dedicate his efforts to tasks where flexibility, quality and experience make the difference in the final product. However, the collaboration between humans and robots raises several new problems to be addressed like safety, tasks scheduling and operator ergonomics. For example, human presence in the robot workspace introduces various elements of complexity into robot planning due to its dynamism and unpredictability. Planning must take into account how to coordinate the tasks between the robot and the human and be quick in re-planning to respond reactively to the operator's trigger. For this purpose, this work proposes a hierarchical Human-Aware Task Planner framework capable of generate a suitable plan to complete the process and manage user interrupts in order to have a constantly updated plan. The method is evaluated in a real industrial scenario and in a specific complex assembly task like the draping of carbon fiber plies.