Collaborative Robots with Cognitive Capabilities for Industry 4.0 and Beyond
The robots that entered the manufacturing sector in the second and third Industrial Revolutions (IR2 and IR3) were designed for carrying out predefined routines without physical interaction with humans. In contrast, IR4* robots (i.e., robots since IR4 and beyond) are supposed to interact with humans...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | AI |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-2688/5/4/92 |
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| author | Giulio Sandini Alessandra Sciutti Pietro Morasso |
| author_facet | Giulio Sandini Alessandra Sciutti Pietro Morasso |
| author_sort | Giulio Sandini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The robots that entered the manufacturing sector in the second and third Industrial Revolutions (IR2 and IR3) were designed for carrying out predefined routines without physical interaction with humans. In contrast, IR4* robots (i.e., robots since IR4 and beyond) are supposed to interact with humans in a cooperative way for enhancing flexibility, autonomy, and adaptability, thus dramatically improving productivity. However, human–robot cooperation implies cognitive capabilities that the cooperative robots (CoBots) in the market do not have. The common wisdom is that such a cognitive lack can be filled in a straightforward way by integrating well-established ICT technologies with new AI technologies. This short paper expresses the view that this approach is not promising and suggests a different one based on artificial cognition rather than artificial intelligence, founded on concepts of embodied cognition, developmental robotics, and social robotics. We suggest giving these IR4* robots designed according to such principles the name CoCoBots. The paper also addresses the ethical problems that can be raised in cases of critical emergencies. In normal operating conditions, CoCoBots and human partners, starting from individual evaluations, will routinely develop joint decisions on the course of action to be taken through mutual understanding and explanation. In case a joint decision cannot be reached and/or in the limited case that an emergency is detected and declared by top security levels, we suggest that the ultimate decision-making power, with the associated responsibility, should rest on the human side, at the different levels of the organized structure. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0998ada700ca4281bcedd86eba0d59d7 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-2688 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | AI |
| spelling | doaj-art-0998ada700ca4281bcedd86eba0d59d72025-08-20T02:00:50ZengMDPI AGAI2673-26882024-10-01541858186910.3390/ai5040092Collaborative Robots with Cognitive Capabilities for Industry 4.0 and BeyondGiulio Sandini0Alessandra Sciutti1Pietro Morasso2Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences and COgNiTive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies Research Units, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Melen 84, 16152 Genoa, ItalyRobotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences and COgNiTive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies Research Units, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Melen 84, 16152 Genoa, ItalyRobotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences and COgNiTive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies Research Units, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Melen 84, 16152 Genoa, ItalyThe robots that entered the manufacturing sector in the second and third Industrial Revolutions (IR2 and IR3) were designed for carrying out predefined routines without physical interaction with humans. In contrast, IR4* robots (i.e., robots since IR4 and beyond) are supposed to interact with humans in a cooperative way for enhancing flexibility, autonomy, and adaptability, thus dramatically improving productivity. However, human–robot cooperation implies cognitive capabilities that the cooperative robots (CoBots) in the market do not have. The common wisdom is that such a cognitive lack can be filled in a straightforward way by integrating well-established ICT technologies with new AI technologies. This short paper expresses the view that this approach is not promising and suggests a different one based on artificial cognition rather than artificial intelligence, founded on concepts of embodied cognition, developmental robotics, and social robotics. We suggest giving these IR4* robots designed according to such principles the name CoCoBots. The paper also addresses the ethical problems that can be raised in cases of critical emergencies. In normal operating conditions, CoCoBots and human partners, starting from individual evaluations, will routinely develop joint decisions on the course of action to be taken through mutual understanding and explanation. In case a joint decision cannot be reached and/or in the limited case that an emergency is detected and declared by top security levels, we suggest that the ultimate decision-making power, with the associated responsibility, should rest on the human side, at the different levels of the organized structure.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-2688/5/4/92embodied cognitionprospectioncognitive bootstrappingneural simulation of actionsdevelopmental roboticssocial robotics |
| spellingShingle | Giulio Sandini Alessandra Sciutti Pietro Morasso Collaborative Robots with Cognitive Capabilities for Industry 4.0 and Beyond AI embodied cognition prospection cognitive bootstrapping neural simulation of actions developmental robotics social robotics |
| title | Collaborative Robots with Cognitive Capabilities for Industry 4.0 and Beyond |
| title_full | Collaborative Robots with Cognitive Capabilities for Industry 4.0 and Beyond |
| title_fullStr | Collaborative Robots with Cognitive Capabilities for Industry 4.0 and Beyond |
| title_full_unstemmed | Collaborative Robots with Cognitive Capabilities for Industry 4.0 and Beyond |
| title_short | Collaborative Robots with Cognitive Capabilities for Industry 4.0 and Beyond |
| title_sort | collaborative robots with cognitive capabilities for industry 4 0 and beyond |
| topic | embodied cognition prospection cognitive bootstrapping neural simulation of actions developmental robotics social robotics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-2688/5/4/92 |
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