COLLABORATIVE ROBOTS IN WAREHOUSE LOGISTICS: PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND ERGONOMIC ASPECTS OF AUTOMATION

Goryachkin Boris Sergeevich, Kalyuta Nikita Igorevich

Problem statement. Automation of warehouse processes is a key area of logistics development. However, the introduction of traditional industrial robots poses a significant risk to personnel due to the lack of security systems. Their use requires expensive security fences and special areas, which increases costs and complicates integration into existing work processes. Goal. To evaluate the efficiency of collaborative robots (cobots) as a safer alternative to industrial robots in warehouse logistics, to compare their performance with manual labor, and to analyze the ergonomic aspects of their implementation. Results. A comparative analysis of the operation time for stacking and depalletizing tasks performed by humans and cobots was carried out. It was found that automation reduces time costs by 70%, increasing the accuracy and efficiency of warehouse processes. Three types of stacking (linear, matrix, and custom) and their impact on performance were analyzed. Practical significance. The use of cobots in a warehouse increases productivity, improves workplace ergonomics, reduces the likelihood of human error, and allows flexible adaptation of warehouse processes to changing conditions. The results obtained can be used to justify the choice of automation technologies for the modernization of logistics systems.

Keywords:Warehouse operations, collaborative robots, box stacking, palletizing, depalletizing, automation, logistics, productivity