Abstract
We present a case study in which probabilistic model checking has been used to synthesise the correct-by-construction safety controller for a mobile collaborative robot (cobot) deployed in a prototype manufacturing cell alongside a human operator. The case study used an ICONSYS iAM-R mobile cobot responsible for the execution of a complex machining process comprising tasks requiring the use of multiple machines at different locations within the cell. Within this process, the role of the safety controller was to ensure that the cobot carried out its tasks and movements between task locations without harming the human operator responsible for its supervision and for performing additional tasks. The paper describes our generalisable approach to synthesising the mobile cobot safety controller, and its evaluation using a digital twin of our experimental manufacturing cell at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in the UK.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
The iAM-R is a mobile collaborative robot built on the MiR200 mobile robot base, and carrying a 3 kg, 5 kg, or 10 kg 6-axis Universal Robot collaborative manipulator (the 10 kg version being the focus this case study). The two are combined with an Iconsys modular interface, which provides programmable control over the platform. https://iam-r.iconsys.co.uk/.
- 3.
CNC machining: computerized manufacturing process in which pre-programmed software and code controls the movement of production equipment.
- 4.
This is an “ideal” activity diagram (and the starting point for our work) because it does not consider the hazards/risks associated with the process.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
For further information on the CSI:project please visit the project’s website at:
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/sheffieldrobotics/about/csi-cobots/csi-project, and our
associated repository: https://github.com/CSI-Cobot/CSI-artefacts.
- 8.
Additional study data and materials can be found on the CSI:Cobot repository: https://github.com/CSI-Cobot/CSI-artefacts.
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This research has received funding from the Assuring Autonomy International Programme (AAIP grant CSI: Cobot), a partnership between Lloyd’s Register Foundation and the University of York, and from the UKRI project EP/V026747/1 “Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Node in Resilience”. We are grateful to our industrial collaborator for the gained insights into manufacturing cobots and to the AMRC for allowing us to use the iAM-R mobile collaborative robot, to implement the physical robotic process and evaluate the synthesised safety controller into their facilities.
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Stefanakos, I., Calinescu, R., Douthwaite, J., Aitken, J., Law, J. (2022). Safety Controller Synthesis for a Mobile Manufacturing Cobot. In: Schlingloff, BH., Chai, M. (eds) Software Engineering and Formal Methods. SEFM 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13550. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17108-6_17
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