Collaborative robots are robots that are designed to interact directly with people in collaborative zone (an area where robots and humans can work together). It is contrary to traditional industrial robots, which are designed to work safely and independently by being isolated from human contact.
Principle of Collaborative Robots
The basic principle of robot collaboration is that multiple robots can coordinate and collaborate with each other to complete tasks through real-time communication and information sharing. In the process of collaboration, robots need to obtain environmental information through sensors, use decision-making algorithms for information processing and planning, and achieve action execution. At the same time, robots need to coordinate their respective task division of labour, path planning, etc., in order to realize overall collaborative effect.
Advantages of Collaborative Robots
1. Security
When robots and people interact, one thing that must be ensured is human safety. Collaborative robots are able to work directly with operators on the same production line without the need to use safety rails to isolate them from people. This bridges the gap between fully manual and fully automated production modes and solves the problem of human-robot communion.
2. Easy to use
The most direct manifestation of the ease of use of collaborative robots is drag teaching. The principle of drag teaching is that with the help of the robot's dynamics model, the controller calculates in real time the torque required for the robot to be dragged, and then provides this torque to the motors, so that the robot can assist the operator to drag very well.
3. Flexibility
The flexibility of collaborative robots can be realised in various ways. For example, they can be moved and shifted by means of mobile platforms, thus adapting to different production lines and production environments. In addition, collaborative robots can be adapted to different task requirements by changing fixtures or other work accessories.
Features of Collaborative Robots
1. Lightweight
Collaborative robots are easier to control and improve production safety.
2. Friendliness
The surfaces and joints of the collaborative robot are smooth and flat, with no sharp corners or crevices that could easily pinch the operator.
3. Sensing Ability
Collaborative robots sense their surroundings through a built-in sensing system and change their movement behaviour according to changes in the environment.
4. Human-Robot Collaboration
With sensitive force feedback characteristics, when the set force is reached, it will stop immediately, after the risk assessment may not need to install the protection barriers, so that people and robots can work together.
5. Convenient Programming
It is very easy to program and debug for some common operators and people with non-technical background.
Collaborative robots, as a new type of industrial robots, remove the obstacles to human-robot collaboration and allow robots to completely escape from the constraints of guardrails or cages. Its groundbreaking product performance and wide range of applications have opened a new era in the development of industrial robots.
