A decision making framework for Human Robot Collaborative workplace generation

The Human Robot Collaborative (HRC) workplace design and the automatic task allocation can significantly decrease the time of a new set-up or a cell's reconfiguration. This paper proposes a method for an HRC workplace layout generation and the preliminary assignment of human and robot tasks. A decision making framework is proposed in order for the location of all components in the available layout space to be decided upon. The evaluation of the alternative HRC workplace layouts is based on multiple criteria. The system has been integrated with a user interface into a 3D simulation tool and tested on an automotive industry case study. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.