Humans or Robots? Comparing Human Workers and Industrial Robots in Manufacturing

This independent engineering research study examines the use of human workers and industrial robots in manufacturing. A simplified production and cost model is used to compare five different human-robot workforce combinations.Each scenario is evaluated based on estimated production capacity and estimated cost per shift, with a production requirement of 1,000 units per shift. Under the assumptions used in the model, a combination of five human workers and three industrial robots provides 1,010 units of production capacity at an estimated cost of $2,200 per shift. This represents the lowest-cost option among the five tested scenarios that meets the production requirement.The study also discusses human-robot collaboration, manufacturing safety, sensitivity to model assumptions, and limitations of the simplified model. All production and cost values used in the model are hypothetical assumptions and do not represent data from a specific manufacturing facility.