Human Robot Collaboration: Taxonomy of Interaction Levels in Manufacturing

As the demand for robotics grows and the evolution of technology continues to thrive, alongside the shortages of operators and increasing cost of labour, human robot collaborative teams will inevitably become more commonplace. However, the terminology used to describe this field of work in both academic research and industry is ambiguous and confusing. The terminology used in human robot collaboration (HRC) are reviewed in this paper and a coherent HRC taxonomy of interactions is developed. The levels of interaction and terms used are defined based on a comparison of the previous literature and the International Organisation of Standardisation’s (ISO) definitions. The functionality inherent in the definitions of collaboration, coordination and cooperation are determined along with the decompositions of the levels of interaction between human and robot. The importance of safety is also highlighted, and safety measures appropriate for each level of interaction are detailed. Finally, case studies are reviewed demonstrating levels of interaction from the developed HRC taxonomy. The goal of the research outlined in this paper is to facilitate improved communication and enable co-ordinated research collaboration across academic researchers and industry in the implementation of HRC installations.