More than 100 years after the first cars rolled off Henry Ford’s pioneering assembly line, Ford Motor Company is breaking new ground in the way workers and robots are collaborating to manufacture vehicles.
New collaborative robots, also known as co-bots, are first being used to help workers fit shock absorbers to Fiesta cars, a task that requires pinpoint accuracy, strength and a high level of dexterity. Employees work hand-in-hand with the robots to ensure a perfect fit every time.
The trial at Ford’s assembly plant in Cologne, Germany, is part of the company’s investigations into Industry 4.0, a term coined to describe a fourth industrial revolution that embraces automation, data exchange and manufacturing technologies. Ford sought feedback from more than 1000 production line workers to identify tasks for which the new robots would best be suited. 
“Working overhead with heavy air-powered tools is a tough job that requires strength, stamina and accuracy. The robot is a real help,” said Ngali Bongongo, a production worker at Ford’s Cologne plant.
Equipped with high-tech sensors, the co-bots stop immediately if they detect an arm or even a finger in their path, ensuring worker safety. Similar technology is used in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries. Developed over two years, the robot programme was carried out in close partnership with German robot manufacturer, KUKA Roboter GmbH.
Ford is now exploring further use of collaborative robots that can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks, from shaking “hands” to making a coffee.
