Human-robot collaboration for e-waste disassembly: task modeling, allocation, and ergonomic assessment

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.