Collaborative assembly of electrical cabinets through multimodal interaction between a robot and a human worker with cognitive disability

Abstract Assembly production activities consist of arrays of actions many of which can be executed by workers with cognitive disabilities (WCDs). However, figuring out sequences of assembly from technical documentation is an unsurmountable barrier for most WCDs to access assembly jobs. Partnering with a collaborative robot (cobot) can provide the assistance required to access the job while also promoting efficiency and quality of production, as well as worker satisfaction. A cobot cell for the collaborative assembly of electrical cabinets is discussed here. Using evaluative research methodologies, formative user studies are reported to assess if stepwise guidance from a cobot may make WCDs eligible for such assembly job. Two of the requirements obtained from earlier prototypes are studied: control of the worker over the amount of assistance received from the robot, and the use of redundant or complementary multimodal input and output channels for interaction. The assembly guidance solution is evaluated in user studies with WCDs for whom assembling electrical cabinets was, until then, out of their reach. © 2020 The Authors, Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer review under the responsibility of the scientific committee of CIRP.