BionicWorkplace: Human-Robot Collaborative Workspace aided by a Pneumatic Robot Arm

The BionicWorkplace is an invention by the company Festo and is an intelligent collaborative workstation designed to assist in production and manufacturing materials through a cohesive combination of devices programmed to communicate with each other. 

These devices also patented by Festo work together to form an interconnected workstation. One of which is a pneumatic robotic arm called the BionicCobot that can be seen assisting the user throughout the video. The whole workplace is ergonomically designed to adapt to the preferences of its user through sensors and wearable technology. 

The user wears a long sleeve garment and a work glove that helps track movements. At the center of the workstation is a large projection screen that shows the interface, and a 3D camera that can scan the user’s profile and acts as another sensor tracker. 

Most of the commands are operated using voice control, and the screen can show conversations between colleagues which makes it possible to work remotely.  An application of the BionicWorkplace can be seen in the video as a client requests a 3D printed model of their face. The worker then starts to scan the client’s measurements through a tablet and converts them into individual acrylic pieces to be combined and placed in a stand. 

The user then inputs the measurements into the central computer and requests to have the stand manufactured first. The machine then produces the acrylic and cuts the dimensions precisely through various tools.