HOLOGRAPHIC TOOLS IN INDUSTRIAL ROBOT PROGRAMMING : LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

Sammanfattning: Due to their programmability, robots have been used instead of traditional automation for a longtime within the industrial sector. However, programming robots is complex and time-consuming,where for example small errors can have major consequences both materially and for the peopleworking next to the robot. Trying to find simpler ways of programming industrial robots is thus ofhigh relevance. The latest technique for simplifying programming is to use either augmented realityor mixed reality, and today, several studies show that these techniques are possible. However, moreresearch on usability and limitations such tools have is necessary. This study investigates how ageneric holographic tool, which utilizes mixed reality, needs to be improved to be usable for robotprogramming in realistic industrial settings. In this study this is done by investigating limitationsof using a holographic tool and then discuss how these limitations can be reduced or eliminated.To find limitations, a prototype has been designed and developed. The prototype can visualize adigital copy of a physical robot, that can be moved into different positions which in turn createsprogram instructions. The prototype was tested at ABB Robotics with the collaborative single armYuMi robot, and with users that had different amount of experience with similar programmingtools. The results showed several possible limitations, mainly linked to potential safety risks andtechnical limitations. Additionally, some perceived physical impact was found. The most importantimprovement stated were the importance of an easy access to an emergency stop. Finally, theprototype developed during this study does not support all functionality that are included in theprogramming tools used today. Therefore, more studies need to be made to see if the result staysthe same.