Sustainability of Human-Robot cooperative configurations: Findings from a case study

Abstract

This paper proposes an empirical investigation for evaluating the sustainability of different degrees of Human-Robot cooperation (HRC) considering economic, environmental, and social pillars. A connection between human factors and sustainable goals has been defined for integrating human-centricity, sustainability, and Industry 4.0 paradigms. To show how HRC can be implemented sustainably in practice, a combination of multi-criteria technique and case study-based research has been designed. The selected method compares the alternative’s performance by combining numerous and conflicting criteria. The case study with a company belonging to the aerospace sector shows how performance changes according to the degree of automation. Results demonstrate that the introduction of cooperation can offer economic benefits linked to productivity, efficiency, and profitability. Positive effects in social sustainability have also been identified in terms of safety and physical ergonomics. However, the presence of the robot could cause work-related stress and decrease the level of mental well-being. Finally, the introduction of HRC slightly affects environmental sustainability, increasing energy consumption, but decreasing waste due to manual errors. This study also helps practitioners in identifying the relevant factors to evaluate sustainability in HRC and provides findings to better understand the benefits and drawbacks of the adoption of HRC in practice.