With Workplace 4.0 concept.
Robots which can collaborate with people without any physical contact, is part of Workplace 4.0, a concept Bosch is presenting at Hannover Messe 2017. Industrial workspaces of the future are fully connected and focus on the needs of employees.
Robert Bosch GmbH board member, Dr. Stefan Hartung said, “In the coming decades, everyday work in the manufacturing industry will undergo fundamental changes. People and machines will work more closely together than ever before. Industry 4.0 supports workers and makes their work easier”.
At Hannover Messe, Bosch is introducing Workplace 4.0: a workstation that adapts to the worker. For example, the work surface positions itself at the right height, and workers can receive their instructions as a projection at whatever speed they choose. “Digital connectivity and production assistants will make day-to-day work in the industrial sector safer, easier, and more productive,” Hartung said. Automotive manufacturers and suppliers are already using collaborative robots such as Bosch’s APAS assistant, but so are producers of consumer goods.
With the help of a learning image-processing function, the APAS inspector automatically detects when the surface of a production part does not correspond to its specifications. The worker teaches the machine just once regarding how much deviation to tolerate and at what point a part has to be scrapped. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the machine can then apply what it has learned to all subsequent quality checks and carry them out independently.
Connectivity enables a constant overview of machine data
Connectivity means machine data generated in Workplace 4.0 can be compiled, analysed, and visualised. Workers can view information on the status of the production environment, for instance, via cycle-time analysis or part and error counters on a single screen.
“Many tasks that used to cost workers time unnecessarily can now be handled quickly and simply, thanks to digital connectivity. In the manufacturing sector, Industry 4.0 makes an enormous difference in easing the burden of day-to-day work,” Bosch head of connected industry, Dr. Stefan Aßmann said.