Abstract
Industrial collaborative robotics is an enabling technology and one of the main drivers of Industry 4.0. It introduces a safe and physical human-machine interaction by allowing the sharing of production tasks and workspaces. The aim is to bring together the advantages of automation and cyber-physical systems with the inimitable strengths of humans. The collaborative robotic market is continuously growing and human-robot interaction in assembly will be one of the most challenging and interesting applications in the near future. For these reasons, manufacturing companies (especially small and medium-sized ones) need methods and tools for proper and sustainable implementation of this technology. This work presents a set of systematic and synergetic methodologies and guidelines for the design of human-centered and collaborative assembly systems. It considers the integrated requirements of products, processes and, systems features in terms of occupational health and safety and ergonomics, without neglecting production efficiency. The proposed approaches are based on tools with which companies are familiar and aim to support them in improving operator’s work conditions and wellbeing, in increasing production performances and, in overcoming technical and technological barriers. Methodologies and guidelines have been theoretically defined and then validated by using different examples and case studies. Results show how the fulfillment of the identified research gaps can have a positive impact on the industry and academic research.