Robot-human interaction breakthrough at Audi Brussels
For the first time, a robot is interacting with workers at an auto manufacturer, made possible by Flanders’ ClaXon project
Breaking out of the cage
Robots have been used in the auto industry since the 1970s but were contained behind safety cages to prevent accidents. The newest generation cobots enable collaboration between workers and machines because the cobot is aware of the workers’ movements.
Walt is equipped with heat sensors and depth and colour cameras in order to detect workers in the near vicinity. It can also recognise workers’ faces and uses his own “face” to communicate. Flemish company Robovision developed the software that supports worker safety and at the same time increases cobot precision by 60%.
For the ClaXon project, experts tested the collaboration between cobot prototypes and operators in a realistic production environment. Walt is the first cobot at Audi with these new capacities.
“It’s the first fully operational cobot that is working together with human colleagues successfully,” said the factory’s director Patrick Danau. Ministers Muyters said that cobots can take over more physically challenging tasks, which will help older workers in particular.
