Layout Optimization of the Six-Axis Industrial Robot Based on an Improved Whale Algorithm for Reducing Energy...

In the advent of Industry 5.0, the harmonious integration of human ingenuity and robotic precision in complex work environments is pivotal for sustainable industrial growth. The six-axis industrial robot, as an essential part of carrying out cyclic pick-and-place tasks in Industry 5.0, usually works in an extremely complex working environment. This intricate working environment makes the six-axis industrial robot difficult to reach the task points effectively, resulting in a lot of energy consumption. This not only impacts productivity but also leads to excessive energy consumption, which stands at odds with the Industry 5.0 principles of resource conservation. To solve this problem, a novel method to optimize the layout scheme of the six-axis industrial robot with the goal of minimizing the energy loss is creatively proposed in this paper. First, the reachable workspace and feasible workspace under constraints are mathematically modeled and then obtained. Second, the operability and the minimum singular value are utilized to evaluate the energy loss of the feasible workspace. Third, the whale algorithm is designed and improved to obtain the optimal layout scheme of the six-axis industrial robot. Finally, a case of the recliner's production line with the six-axis industrial robot (IRB140; ABB) is provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that after optimization, the optimal layout scheme has been successfully obtained, and the energy loss has reduced from 0.2917 to 0.2309, a decrease of 20.84%, proving that the proposed method can obtain the optimal layout scheme with lower energy consumption.