Human-robot collaboration for e-waste disassembly: task modeling, allocation, and ergonomic assessment
针对电子废弃物拆解中人工操作职业危害大的问题，提出包含任务建模、分配调度和工效评估的三步框架，通过台式电脑拆解案例和22人实验证明协作机器人能显著降低工作负荷和工效学风险。
As our reliance on electronic devices grows, electronic waste (e-waste) has become the fastest-growing waste stream, posing significant threats to the environment and public health. Aligned with Industry 5.0, e-waste disassembly promotes sustainability through recycling valuable materials. However, the process is predominantly performed by humans with substantial occupational hazards. To address this, adopting collaborative robots (cobots) to complement humans has received attention. This study proposes a three-step framework for implementing human-robot collaboration in e-waste disassembly: task modelling, task allocation and scheduling, and ergonomics evaluation. A case study on desktop computer disassembly was conducted. Hierarchical task analysis (HTA) was used for task modelling. An optimisation-based method considering disassembly cost, operator safety, and task complexity was adopted for task allocation and scheduling. Ergonomics evaluation with 22 participants revealed that performing the task with a cobot significantly reduced workload and ergonomic risks for humans compared to disassembling alone.