Abstract
Collaborative robots offer opportunities to increase the sustainability of work and workforces by increasing productivity, quality, and efficiency, whilst removing workers from hazardous, repetitive, and strenuous tasks. They also offer opportunities for increasing accessibility to work, supporting those who may otherwise be disadvantaged through age, ability, gender, or other characteristics. However, to maximise the benefits, employers must overcome negative attitudes toward, and a lack of confidence in, the technology, and must take steps to reduce errors arising from misuse. This study explores how dynamic graphical signage could be employed to address these issues in a manufacturing task. Forty employees from one UK manufacturing company participated in a field experiment to complete a precision pick-and-place task working in conjunction with a collaborative robotic arm. Twenty-one participants completed the task with the support of dynamic graphical signage that provided information about the robot and the activity, while the rest completed the same task with no signage. The presence of the signage improved the completion time of the task as well as reducing negative attitudes towards the robots. Furthermore, participants provided with no signage had worse outcome expectancies as a function of their response time. Our results indicate that the provision of instructional information conveyed through appropriate graphical signage can improve task efficiency and user wellbeing, contributing to greater workforce sustainability. The findings will be of interest for companies introducing collaborative robots as well as those wanting to improve their workforce wellbeing and technology acceptance.
Highlights
The analysis investigated the relationship between graphical signage toward task performance, as well as the relationship between graphical signage and HRI attitudes, as moderated by task performance, was investigated (Figure 4)
The analysis showed that response time significantly predicts the change in outcome expectancy (F(4, 33) = 3.58, p = 0.016, R2 = 0.30)
User attitudes towards the robot and outcome expectancy have been affected because of their performance and the study condition: the NARS scores were influenced by the task completion accuracy, showing that higher accuracy resulted in a greater decrease in negative attitudes towards robot scores, only in the experimental group
Summary
A recognised challenge facing the future of the workplace is the need for a more sustainable workforce [1]. Many developed countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States) predict a decline in working-age populations, and identify automation as playing an increasingly essential role in providing the productivity boost required by the global economy [2]. Collaborative robots offer a particular opportunity to support workforce sustainability, by shielding workers from hazardous operations, repetitive motions, and physically demanding operations, whilst at the same time retaining the human workers’ skills and attributes.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
