Collaborative Robots in the Workplace [From the Guest Editors]

The articles in this special section report on the most advanced applications of human– robot collaboration in relevant environments. 2016 saw the highest number of industrial robots installed worldwide, nearly 300,000 units. Despite this constant sales growth, industrial manipulators are mainly used only in traditional markets such as automotive and electronics. The sizable investment required to acquire, install, commission, and train industrial robots still deters small- and medium-sized companies from implementing this technology. The limited flexibility of such platforms remains the most critical entry barrier for potential users to adopt robotized solutions. In response to the increasing demand for the mass customization of products in the global marketplace, a completely new class of robots has recently appeared, representing an affordable solution to this problem. Designed to safely collaborate with human workers, these robots are presenting new opportunities to partially automate manufacturing processes.