Investigation on Collaborative Robotics adoption and challenges

Survey on Collaborative Robotics adoption
Are you a manufacturing company, a system integrator or a researcher? Please complete this survey, we really appreciate your contribution!

This activity is financed and coordinated by the H2020 projects KITT4SME (Grant agreement No 952119) and TRINITY-BRILLIANT (Grant agreement No 825196). The survey is developed by the University of Applied Science and Arts of Southern Switzerland in collaboration with a PhD student from Politecnico di Milano. It targets the assessment of the adoption and perception of collaborative robotics in both industry and research. The survey should take maximum 10 minutes. Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are required. The survey is completely anonymous. By participating to this survey, if you like, you will have the chance to receive the results and a set of guidelines to adopt collaborative robotics. If you have any questions about the survey, please email us at elias.montini@supsi.ch or info@kitt4sme.eu.

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Organisation characterisation
How can your organisation be classified?*

An end-user of collaborative robotics (e.g., manufacturing company)A system integrator, technology solution provider and/or automation supplierA research center and/or university, which research activities are focused on collaborative roboticsNone of these
Where is your organisation located?*
To which size class does your organisation belong to?*

Micro organisation (less than 10 employees)Small organisation (less than 50 employees)Medium organisation (less than 250 employees)Big organisation (more than 250 employees)
In which sector(s) do you operate (RAMON classification) ?*

Manufacture of food productsManufacture of beveragesManufacture of tobacco productsManufacture of textilesManufacture of wearing apparelManufacture of leather and related productsManufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materialsManufacture of paper and paper productsPrinting and reproduction of recorded mediaManufacture of coke and refined petroleum productsManufacture of chemicals and chemical productsManufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparationsManufacture of rubber and plastic productsManufacture of other non-metallic mineral productsManufacture of basic metalsManufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipmentManufacture of computer, electronic and optical productsManufacture of electrical equipmentManufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailersManufacture of other transport equipmentManufacture of furnitureRepair and installation of machinery and equipmentOther manufacturingOther non-manufacturing sector

End-user characterisation

This section aims to investigate about the experience that your organisation has with collaborative robotics. The answers are used to identify the questions being asked in the next section.
How much are you familiar with the term Industry 4.0 and digitalisation?*

Never heard beforeI know only the conceptI know the concept and main elements (e.g. technologies)Very familiar
How much are you familiar with the term Collaborative Robotics?*

Never heard beforeI know only the conceptI know the concept and main elements that characterise it (e.g., cobots, grippers)Very familiar
Does your organisation already have a collaborative robot?*

Yes, we have one/more than one collaborative robots operating in our test lines/laboratoriesYes, we have one collaborative robots operating in our production systemYes, we have more than one collaborative robots operating in our production systemNo, but we are willing to buy a collaborative robot in the next 3 yearsNo, and we are not willing to buy a collaborative robot in the next 3 years

Collaborative robotics: experience with the adoption

This section aims to investigate about the experience of your organisation with collaborative robotics.
How many collaborative robots are currently installed in your organisation? *
To which tasks has your organisation applied a collaborative robot(s)?*

AssemblyScrewdrivingPart insertionDispensingGluingSealingPaintingFinishingSandingGrindingPolishingDeburringMachine tendingCNC machines tendingInjection moulding tendingMaterial removalMillingRoutingDrillingMaterial handlingHoldingPackagingPalletizingBin pickingKittingQuality inspectionTestingInspectingMeasuringWeldingArchingSolderingOther
Which equipment/technologies has your organisation included in its collaborative robotics application?*

Commercial end-effectorCustom end-effectorVision systemForce/torque sensorsLaser barriersRemote access via VPNCollaborative workbenchAutomatic feeder or part presenterMobile stationAGV on which the robot is mounted onOther
Has your organisation received any support in the installation and deployment of the collaborative robotics application?*

No, we did everything aloneYes, we have been supported by a system integratorYes, we have been supported by a cobot vendorYes, we have been supported by a research center/universityOther
Which are the main challenges that your organisation faced with collaborative robotics adoption?*

The selection of the right process in which to apply collaborative roboticsThe assignment of the proper tasks to the cobot or to the operatorThe design of the work cellThe integration of the cobot with the existent machines and equipmentThe integration of the cobot with the equipment and technologies included in the collaborative workcell (e.g., vision systems, grippers, feeders)The programming of the cobotThe safety certificationOther
How do you classify the applications deployed in your organisation? Please, take a look also at the picture below. If you have many applications, consider what has been deployed in average.*

Cell - Human worker and robot work in two different workspacesCoexistence – Human and cage-free robot work alongside each other but do not share workspaceSynchronized – The design of the workflow means that the human worker and the robot share a workspace but that only one of the interaction partners is actually present in the workspace at any one timeCooperation – Both interaction partners may have tasks to perform at the same time in the(shared) workspace, but they do not work simultaneously on the same product or componentCollaboration – Human worker and robot work simultaneously on the same product or component.
If you have many applications and you are willing to specify how each one can be classified according to the picture above, please use this field.

Could you please specify how the following elements have been implemented in most of the applications that are deployed in your organisation? Before completing, please see the picture below to see to what the numbers correspond.*

	1	2	3	4
Workspace configuration
Proximity awareness
Counterpart awareness
Processing mode
Autonomy/ leadership
Robot activation
Task distribution

To which tasks is your organisation willing to apply a collaborative robot (a new one or the ones already owned) in the next 3 years?*

AssemblyScrewdrivingPart insertionDispensingGluingSealingPaintingFinishingSandingGrindingPolishingDeburringMachine tendingCNC machines tendingInjection moulding tendingMaterial removalMillingRoutingDrillingMaterial handlingHoldingPackagingPalletizingBin pickingQuality inspectionTestingInspectingMeasuringWeldingArchingSolderingOther
Which new equipment/technologies does your organisation expect to install in the next 3 years to improve the current applications or to increase the applications' range?*

Commercial end-effectorCustom end-effectorVision systemForce/torque sensorsLaser barriersRemote access via VPNCollaborative workbenchAutomatic feeder/part presenterMobile stationAGV on which the robot is mounted onOther

Which are the main barriers that prevented your organisation to adopt a collaborative robot in the past or that have made it hesitant about the prospect of adoption? *

	Not at All	Very Little	Somewhat	To a Great Extent
High initial investment
High implementation costs
Lack of government incentives
Low return on investment (ROI)
Difficulty in the estimation of ROI/lack of financial models to support the estimation of ROI
High maintenance costs
Lack of time and resources for this type of project and technology
Low available budget for these types of projects and technology
Unproven impact on improving production performance
No urgent need to improve production performance
Difficulty in selecting the technologies (e.g., which robot? which gripper? which vision system?)
Lack of trusted partners to support the adoption (e.g. research institutions)
Lack of trusted suppliers (e.g. system integrators)
Incompatibility with current workflows/processes
Incompatibility with existing SW-HW architecture in the shop-floor (interoperability issues)
Unproven effectiveness/immature technology
Easy access to low-cost labour
Design problems (low modularity, reusability, and complexity of information technology)
Lack of functional integration (ineffective algorithms, lack of situation unawareness)
Difficulties and high complexity in the operational use
Introduction of collaborative robots perceived by employees with the feeling of losing jobs and/or managers want to replace people
Current work culture is not yet ready and/or workers are reluctant to change
Untrained and unskilled workforce
Lack of knowledge within the company
Lack of experts in the field
Lack of a clear business case
Unclear overview of safety standards
Introduction of collaborative robots not accepted by workers associations
Lack of a real competitive advantage from adopting this technology

Which are the goals for which your organisation adopted a collaborative robot? Maximum 3 selections are allowed.*

To reduce the cycle time of the processesTo increase the quality of the processesTo relieve workers from non-ergonomic, tedious, repetitive and/or boring tasksTo increase the safety in the production systemTo attract customers (marketing reasons)To satisfy a top management requestsTo run a process 24 out of 24Other
Which are the main characteristics of a collaborative robot that brought your organisation to buy and deploy this technology? Maximum 3 selections are allowed.*

No need of prior knowledge to be programmed and installedSafety and no need for cagesFlexibility and ease of useCapability to carry out tasks exactly how they are performed by the operatorEase integrability in the production systemAccessible price (almost from 15 k€ to 50 k€)Other
Did collaborative robotics bring the expected benefits?*

1

2

3

4

5

1 is Not at all, 5 is Completely

Collaborative robotics: towards the adoption

This section aims to investigate about the expectations of your organisation towards collaborative robotics adoption.

Which are the main barriers that prevented your organisation to adopt a collaborative robot and that make you hesitant about the choice of adoption?*

	Not at All	Very Little	Somewhat	To a Great Extent
High initial investment
High implementation costs
Lack of government incentives
Low return on investment (ROI)
Difficulty in the estimation of ROI/lack of financial models to support the estimation of ROI
High maintenance costs
Lack of time and resources for this type of project and technology
Low available budget for these types of projects and technology
Unproven impact on improving production performance
Unproven effectiveness/immature technology
No urgent need to improve production performance
Difficulty in selecting the technologies (e.g., which robot? which gripper? which vision system?)
Lack of trusted partners to support the adoption (e.g. research institutions)
Lack of trusted suppliers (e.g. system integrators)
Incompatibility with current workflows/processes
Incompatibility with existing SW-HW architecture in the shop-floor (interoperability issues)
Easy access to low-cost labour
Design problems (low modularity, reusability, and complexity of information technology)
Lack of functional integration (ineffective algorithms, lack of situation unawareness)
Difficulties and high complexity in the operational use
Introduction of collaborative robots perceived by employees with the feeling of losing jobs and/or managers want to replace people
Current work culture is not yet ready and/or workers are reluctant to change
Untrained and unskilled workforce
Lack of knowledge within the company
Lack of experts in the field
Lack of a clear business case
Unclear overview of safety standards
Not accepted by workers associations
Lack of a real competitive advantage from adopting this technology

To which tasks are you willing to apply a collaborative robot in the next 3 years?*

AssemblyScrewdrivingPart insertionDispensingGluingSealingPaintingFinishingSandingGrindingPolishingDeburringMachine tendingCNC machines tendingInjection moulding tendingMaterial removalMillingRoutingDrillingMaterial handlingHoldingPackagingPalletizingBin pickingKittingQuality inspectionTestingInspectingMeasuringWeldingArchingSolderingOther
Which equipment/technologies do you expect to install in the next 3 years to your collaborative robot?*

Commercial end-effectorCustom end-effectorVision systemForce/torque sensorsLaser barriersRemote access via VPNCollaborative workbenchAutomatic feeder/part presenterMobile stationAGV on which the robot is mounted onOther
Which are the goals for which your organisation would like to adopt a collaborative robot? Maximum 3 selections are allowed.*

To reduce the cycle time of the processesTo increase the quality of the processesTo relieve workers from non-ergonomic, tedious, repetitive and/or boring tasksTo increase the safety in the production systemTo attract customers (marketing reasons)To satisfy a top management requestsTo run a process 24 out of 24Other
Which are the main characteristics that brought your organisation to think about to buy and deploy a collaborative robot?*

Do not require relevant prior knowledge to be programmed and installedSafety and no need for cagesFlexibility and ease of useCapability to carry out tasks exactly how they are performed by the operatorEase integrability in the production systemAccessible price (almost from 15 k€ to 50 k€)Other
How do you are willing to apply a collaborative robot in your production sytem system? Please, take a look also at the picture below*

Cell - Human worker and robot work in two different workspacesCoexistence – Human and cage-free robot work alongside each other but do not share workspaceSynchronized – The design of the workflow means that the human worker and the robot share a workspace but that only one of the interaction partners is actually present in the workspace at any one timeCooperation – Both interaction partners may have tasks to perform at the same time in the(shared) workspace, but they do not work simultaneously on the same product or componentCollaboration – Human worker and robot work simultaneously on the same product or component

Collaborative robotics: no future adoption

This section aims to investigate about the reasons for whichyour organisation is not willing to adopt collaborative robotics.

Which are the main reasons for which you are not willing to adopt a collaborative robot?*

	Not at All	Very Little	Somewhat	To a Great Extent
High initial investment
High implementation costs
Lack of government incentives
Low return on investment (ROI)
Difficulty in the estimation of ROI/lack of financial models to support the estimation of ROI
High maintenance costs
Lack of time and resources for this type of project and technology
Low available budget for these types of projects and technology
Unproven impact on improving production performance
No urgent need to improve production performance
Difficulty in selecting the technologies (e.g., which robot? which gripper? which vision system?)
Lack of trusted partners to support the adoption (e.g. research institutions)
Lack of trusted suppliers (e.g. system integrators)
Incompatibility with current workflows/processes
Incompatibility with existing SW-HW architecture in the shop-floor (interoperability issues)
Unproven effectiveness/immature technology
Easy access to low-cost labour
Design problems (low modularity, reusability, and complexity of information technology)
Lack of functional integration (ineffective algorithms, lack of situation unawareness)
Difficulties and high complexity in the operational use
Employees perceive the introduction of collaborative robots with the feeling of losing jobs and/or managers want to replace people
Introduction of collaborative robots perceived by employees with the feeling of losing jobs and/or managers want to replace people
Untrained and unskilled workforce
Lack of knowledge within the company
Lack of experts in the field
Lack of a clear business case
Unclear overview of safety standards
Not accepted by workers associations
Lack of a real competitive advantage from adopting this technology

System integrator characterisation

This section aims to investigate about the experience that your organisation has with collaborative robotics. The answers are used to identify the questions being asked in the next section.
How much are you familiar with the term Industry 4.0 and digitalisation?*

Never heard beforeI know only the conceptI know the concept and main elements (e.g. technologies)Very familiar
How much are you familiar with the term Collaborative Robotics?*

Never heard beforeI know only the conceptI know the concept and main elements (e.g. technologies)Very familiar
Does your organisation already installed a collaborative robot?*

Yes, in the last year we have installed less than 10 collaborative collaborative robots in our customers premises, but collaborative robotics is not part of our core businessYes, in the last year we have installed more than 10 collaborative robots in our customers premises, but collaborative robotics is not part of our core businessYes,in the last year colloborative robotics is part of our core business and we have installed more than 10 cobots in our customers premisesNo, we have not installed any cobot, but we are evaluating to add this service to our portfolio since customers are more and more interested in this kind of solutionsNo, we have not installed any cobot and we do not plan to add this service in our portfolio in the next 3 years

Collaborative robotics: experience with the deployment

This section aims to investigate about the experience of your organisation with collaborative robotics.

Which were the main barriers that prevent your customers to adopt a collaborative robot or that have made it hesitant about the choice of adoption? *

	Not at All	Very Little	Somewhat	To a Great Extent
High initial investment
High implementation costs
Lack of government incentives
Difficulty in the estimation of ROI/lack of financial models to support the estimation of ROI
High maintenance costs
Lack of time and resources for this type of project and technology
Low available budget for these types of projects and technology
Unproven impact on improving production performance
Unproven effectiveness/immature technology
No urgent need to improve production performance
Difficulty in selecting the technologies (e.g., which robot? which gripper? which vision system?)
Lack of trusted partners to support the adoption (e.g. research institutions)
Lack of trusted suppliers (e.g. system integrators)
Incompatibility with current workflows/processes
Incompatibility with existing SW-HW architecture in the shop-floor (interoperability issues)
Unproven effectiveness/immature technology
Easy access to low-cost labour
Design problems (low modularity, reusability, and complexity of information technology)
Lack of functional integration (ineffective algorithms, lack of situation unawareness)
Difficulties and high complexity in the operational use
Introduction of collaborative robots perceived by employees with the feeling of losing jobs and/or managers want to replace people
Current work culture is not yet ready and/or workers are reluctant to change
Untrained and unskilled workforce
Lack of knowledge within the company
Lack of experts in the field
Lack of a clear business case
Unclear overview of safety standards
Not accepted by workers associations
Lack of a real competitive advantage from adopting this technology

Which applications has your organisation realised through a collaborative robot?*

AssemblyScrewdrivingPart insertionDispensingGluingSealingPaintingFinishingSandingGrindingPolishingDeburringMachine tendingCNC machines tendingInjection moulding tendingMaterial removalMillingRoutingDrillingMaterial handlingHoldingPackagingPalletizingBin pickingKittingQuality inspectionTestingInspectingMeasuringWeldingArchingSoldering

Which equipment/technologies does your organisation install?*

	Never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often
Commercial end-effector
Custom end-effector
Vision system
Force/torque sensors
Laser barriers
Remote access via VPN
Collaborative workbench
Automatic feeder/part presenter
Mobile station
AGV on which the robot is mounted on

If other equipment/technologies are usually installed, please specify in the following field.
Which are the main characteristics that brought your organisation's customers to buy and deploy a collaborative robot?*

Do not require relevant prior knowledge to be programmed and installedSafety and no need for cagesFlexibility and ease of useCapability to carry out tasks exactly how they are performed by the operatorEase integrability in the production systemAccessible price (almost from 15 k€ to 50 k€)Other
Which are the goals for which your organisation's customers have adopted a collaborative robot? Maximum 3 selections are allowed.*

To reduce the cycle time of the processesTo increase the quality of the processesTo relieve workers from non-ergonomic, tedious, repetitive and/or boring tasksTo increase the safety in the production systemTo attract customers (marketing reasons)To satisfy a top management requestsTo run a process 24 out of 24Other
To which size class do your customers deploying collaborative robots mostly belong to?*

Micro organisation (less than 10 employees)Small organisation (less than 50 employees)Medium organisation (less than 250 employees)Big organisation (more than 250 employees)
Which were the main challenges that your customers faced in the deployment of collaborative robots?*

The selection of the right process in which apply collaborative roboticsThe assignment of the proper tasks to the cobot or to the operatorThe design of the workcellThe integration of the cobot with the existent machines and equipmentThe integration of the cobot with the existent equipment and technologies included in the collaborative workcell (e.g., vision systems, grippers, feeders)The programming of the cobotThe safety certificationOther
Considering the last 3 years, in which of the following collaboration categories mostly fall the applications that your organisation deployed? Please, take a look also at the figure below.*

Cell - Human worker and robot work in two different workspacesCoexistence – Human and cage-free robot work alongside each other but do not share workspaceSynchronized – The design of the workflow means that the human worker and the robot share a workspace but that only one of the interaction partners is actually present in the workspace at any one timeCooperation – Both interaction partners may have tasks to perform at the same time in the(shared) workspace, but they do not work simultaneously on the same product or componentCollaboration – Human worker and robot work simultaneously on the same product or component

Considering the last 3 years, could you please specify how the following elements have been implemented in most of the applications that your organisation deployed? Before completing, please see the picture below to see to what the numbers correspond.*

	1	2	3	4
Workspace configuration
Proximity awareness
Counterpart awareness
Processing mode
Autonomy/ leadership
Robot activation
Task distribution

Collaborative robotics: towards innovation

This section of the survey has been defined thanks to the work presented in Hentout, A., Aouache, M., Maoudj, A., & Akli, I. (2019). Human–robot interaction in industrial collaborative robotics: a literature review of the decade 2008–2017.
What is the name of your research Team/Lab?
To which department does your research Team/Lab belong?*

MechanicsAutomation and ControlSoftware Engineering and/or Information technologyManagement EngineeringElectronicsEconomicsOther
Please specify the number of people of your Team/Lab working on collaborative robotics

Which of the following concepts do you consider fundamental to define collaboration between human(s) and robot(s)?*

	Not at All	Very Little	Somewhat	To a Great Extent
Proximity/sharing of the workspace
Sharing of resources
Sharing of capabilities
Robot in automatic mode
Working simultaneously
Working on the same item
Sharing the same task/aim/purpose
Contact between human and robot
Possibility of hand-guiding
Turn-taking
Safe work

Which are in your opinion the most relevant research topics related with collaborative robotics for the next years?*

	Not at All	Very Little	Somewhat	To a Great Extent
Design of collaborative robotics systems
Software architectures for collaborative robotics systems
Cloud-based robotics and fog-based robotics
Low-control of industrial robots
Design of intrinsically safe collaborative robots
Pre-collision approaches
Reactive control strategies
Proprioceptive sensor-based strategies
Exteroceptive sensor-based control
Post-collision approaches
Cyber-physical-based safety approaches
Prediction of human intentions
Risks analysis approaches
Developing metrics and standards for safety
Developing metrics for safety
Developing standards for safety
Human actions recognition
Gestures recognition
Faces recognition
Voice commanding
Social gaze and social acceptance
Generation of robotic skills
Augmented reality & Virtual reality
On-line programming
Programming by demonstration
Human–robot tasks allocation
Ontology-based knowledge
Creating high-level tasks plans
Tasks allocation and scheduling
Augmented reality
Virtual reality
Study of physical interactions between humans
Fault tolerance

If you have any other challenges to highlight or any comment on your answers, please use this field.

Which are from your point of view the most relevant challenges for collaborative robotics adoption?*

	Not at All	Very Little	Somewhat	To a Great Extent
Social acceptance
Safety and security
Human–robot interactions
The comparison with traditional robots and automation systems
Perception and interpretation of human behaviors
Reprogrammability, scalability and learning ability
Collaborative robots programming
Competences and skills
Fault tolerance

If you have any other challenges to highlight or any comment on your answers, please use this field.

Which are, from your point of view, the most relevant aspects to consider in the design of the next generation of collaborative robots?*

	Not at All	Very Little	Somewhat	To a Great Extent
Action (manipulation, mobility),
New type of robot (dual arm, single arm, etc.)
Perception (environment, etc.)
Interaction (information exchange modalities, interpretation of perceptual cues, etc.)
Systems (mechatronics, control, software, cognition)
Payload, power and force
Robot characteristics (geometry, weight)
End-effectors
Robot motion
Sensors (torque, etc.)
Form, shape and material of mechanical components

If you have any other aspect to highlight or any comment on your answers, please use this field.

Thank you very much for your time!

Unfortunately you are not the target stakeholder of the second part of this survey. Please click on "Next" to access to the submission form and submit the answers that you have kindly provide.

Thank you to participate to this survey!

To get more information about this research, please contact elias.montini@supsi.ch.
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Survey on Collaborative Robotics adoption

Are you a manufacturing company, a system integrator or a researcher? Please complete this survey, we really appreciate your contribution!

Organisation characterisation

End-user characterisation

Collaborative robotics: experience with the adoption

Collaborative robotics: towards the adoption

Collaborative robotics: no future adoption

System integrator characterisation

Collaborative robotics: experience with the deployment

Collaborative robotics: towards innovation

Thank you very much for your time!

Thank you to participate to this survey!