This article was originally posted on tronserve.com

Up until pretty recently, mainstream industrial robots and people tended to maintain a safe distance within factory surroundings. They were limited to dedicated cells or kept behind real or virtual safety factors walls.
 
However, the development of the cooperative robot is redefining human-robot connections. No longer hemmed in by fences, this new breed of robots is safe and smart enough to work with or alongside humans across a variety of production environments.
 
Aside from the obvious floor-space savings, human-robot cooperation offers manufacturers many rewards. By taking over the laborious, repetitive and perhaps dangerous tasks, collaborative programs improve working conditions for humans and allow them to notice on higher-value tasks that need manual dexterity and human ingenuity. This opens up a whole new world of solutions for more productive and flexible working.
 
So how do collaborative robots keep human beings safe?
 
As opposed to regular commercial robots, collaborative robots are ready with innovative sensor tech that permits them to connect safely with humans. In addition to monitoring the robot’s position and rate, these sensors stop and withdraw the robot safely should touch occur with a human.
 
Further protective qualities prevent the robot from trapping body parts such as limbs and fingers, and allow the human to simply move the robot back should it get too close. Passive safety features come with no sharp ends and mellow covers on some models. All FANUC collaborative programs are qualified to ISO safety guidelines.
 
Secondary vendors also provide dedicated grippers for collective robotics that assure humans stays safe should they make contact with the gripper.
 
What about developing these?
 
Programming FANUC collaborative robots is just like educating any other FANUC robot and can be done effortlessly using the FANUC provide Pendant or offline device.
 
By using the FANUC Hand Guidance option, the agent can even plan the robot by leading it through and creating the mobility points or trajectory necessary to undertake the task.
 
Just how does human-robot venture favor your business?
 
Human-robot alliance can add perks your business in many ways. One of these is much better functioning situations for man. With collaborative robotics on the team, humans no longer wish to complete physically requiring tasks and are free to focus on more satisfying work. Because of this, humans stick physically healthy for lengthy and issues, such as frequent strain and other work-related injury, stop to be a problem. Human-robot collaboration also goes some way to easing the problems associated with ageing populations in commercial societies.
 
Moreover, Human-robot collaboration provides firms with a much greater degree of flexibility. Not only are collaborative robots easy to integrate into existing production environments but they also occupy a smaller footprint versus traditional robot work cells.
 
In comparison to fully automated solutions, collaborative robots are very cost effective – something that makes them attractive to SMEs and other companies that might not have thought about spending in automation. On top of this, they allow businesses to make best use of human staff and, thanks to easy programming and fast setup times, provide a viable option on small production runs. Future-proofed, they are fully Industry 4.0 ready and make processes more transparent and sustainable.
 
What solutions are collaborative robots best suited to?
 
Collaborative robots are perfectly suited to a whole range of industrial solutions. Wherever they are used, their strength, precision and repeatability compliment human skills perfectly.
 
On machining and assembly lines, they counter humans from having to lift and position heavy components. They are also ideally suited to machine-tending applications that continuously require an operator’s presence. In addition, since they do not need safety fences, they can be moved easily between machine tools. 
 
Reducing the need for an additional work place, collaborative robots also provide an efficient way to conduct seamless quality control checks as part of the overall handling process.
 
They are also great at carrying out dull, repetitive, dirty and dangerous handling tasks on packing and palletising lines that are unpopular with humans but cannot feasibly be done in a dedicated robot cell.
 
Whether they are used to apply sealants, adhesives, paints or other liquids, collaborative robots can also work safely next to humans across a range of dispensing processes.
 
Summary
 
Human-robot collaboration is opening up new chances for production industry. It converts to more flexibility and responsiveness for manufacturers, boosted productivity and competition as well as safer working situations for humans.