Augmented reality-assisted robot programming system for industrial applications

Robots are important in high-mix low-volume manufacturing because of their versatility and repeatability in performing manufacturing tasks. However, robots have not been widely used due to cumbersome programming effort and lack of operator skill. One significant factor prohibiting the widespread application of robots by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is the high cost and necessary skill of programming and re-programming robots to perform diverse tasks. This paper discusses an Augmented Reality (AR) assisted robot programming system (ARRPS) that provides faster and more intuitive robot programming than conventional techniques. ARRPS is designed to allow users with little robot programming knowledge to program tasks for a serial robot. The system transforms the work cell of a serial industrial robot into an AR environment. With an AR user interface and a handheld pointer for interaction, users are free to move around the work cell to define 3D points and paths for the real robot to follow. Sensor data and algorithms are used for robot motion planning, collision detection and plan validation. The proposed approach enables fast and intuitive robotic path and task programming, and allows users to focus only on the definition of tasks. The implementation of this AR-assisted robot system is presented, and specific methods to enhance the performance of the users in carrying out robot programming using this system are highlighted.