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Product disassembly is integral to remanufacturing and recovery operations of end-of-use devices. Traditionally, disassembly has been conducted manually with significant safety risks to human workers. In recent years, robotic disassembly has gained popularity to alleviate human workload and safety concerns. Despite these advancements, robots have limited capabilities in handling all disassembly tasks independently. It is essential to assess whether a robot is capable of performing specific disassembly tasks or not. This study proposes a disassembly scoring framework that evaluates robotic feasibility for disassembling components based on five design-related factors: weight, shape, size, accessibility, and positioning. For each factor, a disassembly score is defined to analyze its specific impact on robotic grasping and placement capabilities. Further, the relationship between the five factors and robotic capabilities, such as grasping and placing, is discussed by an example of the UR5e manipulator. To show the potential for automating the generation of disassembly metric, the Multi-Axis Vision Transformer (MaxViT) model is used to determine component sizes through image processing of the XPS 8700 desktop. Moreover, the application of the proposed disassembly scoring framework is discussed in terms of determining the appropriate work setting for disassembly operations under three main categories: human–robot collaboration (HRC), Semi-HRC, and Worker-Only settings. A disassembly time metric for calculating disassembly time for HRC is also proposed. The study outcomes determine the proper work settings based on the robotic capability.
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A Review of Prospects and Opportunities in Disassembly With Human–Robot Collaboration
Abstract Product disassembly plays a crucial role in the recycling, remanufacturing, and reuse of end-of-use (EoU) products. However, the current manual disassembly process is inefficient due to the complexity and variation of EoU products. While fully automating disassembly is not economically viable given the intricate nature of the task, there is potential in using human–robot collaboration (HRC) to enhance disassembly operations. HRC combines the flexibility and problem-solving abilities of humans with the precise repetition and handling of unsafe tasks by robots. Nevertheless, numerous challenges persist in technology, human workers, and remanufacturing work, which require comprehensive multidisciplinary research to address critical gaps. These challenges have motivated the authors to provide a detailed discussion on the opportunities and obstacles associated with introducing HRC to disassembly. In this regard, the authors have conducted a review of the recent progress in HRC disassembly and present the insights gained from this analysis from three distinct perspectives: technology, workers, and work.
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- PAR ID:
- 10486950
- Publisher / Repository:
- ASME
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering
- Volume:
- 146
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1087-1357
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Product disassembly is essential for remanufacturing operations and recovery of end-of-use devices. However, disassembly has often been performed manually with significant safety issues for human workers. Recently, human-robot collaboration has become popular to reduce the human workload and handle hazardous materials. However, due to the current limitations of robots, they are not fully capable of performing every disassembly task. It is critical to determine whether a robot can accomplish a specific disassembly task. This study develops a disassembly score which represents how easy is to disassemble a component by robots, considering the attributes of the component along with the robotic capability. Five factors, including component weight, shape, size, accessibility, and positioning, are considered when developing the disassembly score. Further, the relationship between the five factors and robotic capabilities, such as grabbing and placing, is discussed. The MaxViT (Multi-Axis Vision Transformer) model is used to determine component sizes through image processing of the XPS 8700 desktop, demonstrating the potential for automating disassembly score generation. Moreover, the proposed disassembly score is discussed in terms of determining the appropriate work setting for disassembly operations, under three main categories: human-robot collaboration (HRC), semi-HRC, and worker-only settings. A framework for calculating disassembly time, considering human-robot collaboration, is also proposed.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4063992
