Page - 145 - in Proceedings - OAGM & ARW Joint Workshop 2016 on "Computer Vision and Robotics“

User-centered Assistive Robotics for Production - The AssistMe Project Gerhard Ebenhofer1†, Markus Ikeda1†, Andreas Huber2†, and Astrid Weiss2† 1Profactor GmbH. gerhard.ebenhofer@profactor.at markus.ikeda@profactor.at 2ACIN-Institute of Automation and Control Vienna University of Technology huber.cognition@yahoo.com astrid.weiss@tuwien.ac.at † These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract In this paper we present the first results of the AssistMe project which aims at enabling close human- robot cooperation in production processes. AssistMe develops and evaluates different means of interaction for programming and using a robot-based assistive system through a multistage user- centered design process. Together with two industrial companies human-robot cooperation scenarios are evaluated in two entirely different application areas. One field of application is the assembly of automotive combustion engines while the other one treats the machining (polishing) of casting moulds. In this paper we will describe the overall project methodology, followed by a description of the use cases and a detailed outline of the first robotic prototype set up. The paper closes with an overview on the results of the first user trials that show very similar findings for both use cases and gives an outlook on the next expansion stage of the human-robot cooperation scenario. 1. Introduction The idea that industrial robots need to leave their working cells and pre-programmed routine tasks in order to become more flexible in use and also more applicable for SMEs with smaller lot sizes and often changing production processes is nothing new. Robots, such as the collaborative robots from Universal Robots1 and Baxter from Rethink Robotics2 are entering the market with exactly that aim to offer robotic solutions for a closer human-robot collaboration, in which the strengths of the humans (e.g. problem solving, decision making) can get combined with the strengths of the robot (e.g. efficient fulfilment of reoccurring tasks) [1]. Companies such as KUKA start investing more and more in user-centered development (UCD) and usability standards such as ISO/TR16982:2002 were developed to support safe and close cooperation. Nevertheless, little user-oriented research has been performed so far outside the laboratory in the industrial context to understand what makes operators 1 http://www.universal-robots.com/de/ 2 http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/ 145