Sensory Perception & Interaction Research Group

Few jobs in traditional manufacturing environments remain beyond the reach of automation [1]. At the same time, the rise of ’maker culture’ and DIY (Do-It-Yourself) manufacturing is providing us with a new context for Human Robot Collaboration (HRC). Manufacturing at this personal scale (as in early design or customization) offers new challenges for HRC in an environment where the human presence is indispensable. This paper presents three distinct user stories featuring industrial robots as creative and engaged social agents; the human-robot relationship is re-imagined with the human at the centre.