A Framework for the Classification of Human-Robot Interactions Within the Internet of Production

An important goal of the Industry 4.0 agenda is increased flexibility in production, which could be achieved, for example, through the use of robot systems that interact with humans. New methods of data acquisition, processing and modeling, such as those developed for the Internet of Production (IoP), open up new possibilities for human-robot interaction (HRI) and in particular humanrobot collaboration (HRC). Aiming to support future research in this area and human-oriented work system design in next generation production plants, this paper presents a framework for the classification, analysis and planning of HRI use cases such as those envisioned for the IoP. It uses the dimensions (1) overlap of human and robot workspaces divided into five levels, (2) preconditions and implications in the technical, legal and social domains, and (3) data sources. Using a graphical representation, different variants can be compared and problem areas as well as potentials can be identified easily through color-coded notation.