An approach for task and action planning in Human–Robot Collaborative cells using AI

Human–Robot Collaborative (HRC) workcells aim to elevate the conventional industrial lines, by enabling seamless interaction between operators and machines. Shifting away from standard (mainly static) workcells, with operators and machines following strictly defined limits and schedules, the new era of manufacturing introduces versatile workspaces, shared between the manufacturing resources. The non-deterministic workflow of such workspaces raises concerns over planning of task and actions among the resources, as the workcell is now a dynamic environment.

Following these demands, this study introduces a solution in scheduling and assignment of assembly tasks to both human and robot resources, aiming for effective emergence of alternative task-resource assignment sequences. The proposed framework is optimized to provide a human-centered approach on the assembly line and alleviate human operators from exhaustive or unsafe tasks, while accounting for environment changes, such as positioning of resources and parts.