On Tuesday, May 4, IK4-TEKNIKER hosted a workshop on collaborative robotics with students from a local vocational training center, Armeria Eskola. The group was composed of 35 17-year-old students and two teachers.
After receiving a general overview on robotics and human-robot collaboration, the group tested different technologies and scenarios. Several demonstrators were set up for the workshop, including one from FourByThree on safety and interaction (projection system, proximity detection, gestures) and some other complementary features such as bin-picking or dual-arm manipulation. The students also had the chance to analyze the first prototype of the FourByThree robotic arm.
At the end of the workshop, a questionnaire was used to gather participants’ view on collaborative robotics. One answer was particulary striking: when asked if they would accept to work with a collaborative robot hand-in-hand without a physical fence, a great majority answered yes, with only two students saying they’d still prefer to have a physical barrier. The complete analysis of the survey as well as the most relevant insights will soon be shared with all project partners.
In conclusion, the workshop with vocational training students was a good opportunity to see how attitudes towards human-robot collaboration tend to be positive in younger generations.