This paper addresses the design of an assembly system facility consisting of multiple assembly lines of different shapes. In such a design problem there are two conflicting objectives: (i) to minimize the overall area of the facility; and (ii) to maximize the efficiency of the material handling transportation system. We first address the optimization problem of objective (ii) when replacing obj...

The research field in robotics has grown tremendously in the 80ís because of the technology push from automobile industry and from the space station program. While the automobile industry pushed for implementation of robots to perform repetitive tasks in the assembly line, the space station program pushed for development of either large-scale and light weight tele-operative robots, or intellige...

It is apparent that severe weather should hamper the productivity of work that occurs outside. But what is the effect of extreme rain, snow, heat and wind on work that occurs indoors, such as the production of automobiles? Using weekly production data from 64 automobile plants in the United States over a ten-year period, we find that adverse weather conditions lead to a significant reduction in...

Intelligent assist devices (IADs) are a new class of hybrid devices for direct, physical, interaction with a human operator in shared workspaces. These devices – designed for the assembly line worker – can reduce ergonomics concerns that arise due to on-the-job physical and cognitive loading, while improving safety, quality and productivity. Cobots, a sub-set of IADs, implement software defined...

This paper evaluates the importance of factors affecting commuter bicyclists’ route choices. Both route-level (e.g., travel time) and link-level (e.g., pavement quality) factors are examined. Empirical models are estimated using data from a stated preference survey conducted by the authors over the Internet. The models indicate that, for commuter bicyclists, travel time is the most important fa...

In this paper, we present an extension to the TSALB problem (Time and Space constrained Assembly Line Balancing) with ergonomic risk restrictions. This ergonomic risk is defined from the task durations and their categories regarding to the risk factor for the workers. A study is presented through a case linked to an engine assembly line in the Automobile industry, considering variable demand.