Proposta de inclusão curricular das normas de segurança de ambientes de produção com robôs colaborativos da Indústria 4.0 no curso de Engenharia Mecatrônica da UFRN

Abstract

The emergence of new technologies related to Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to the development and use of collaborative robots, popularly known as Cobots (Collaborative Robots). Cobots are increasingly present in workplaces in Brazil, representing a new generation of robots designed to operate safely, side by side with humans in a collaborative space. The mechatronic engineer is the professional responsible for automated electromechanical systems, and therefore must be fully trained in machines and the entire Industry 4.0, knowing the premises of the standards that regulate the work environment with robots and machines. During the professional's training, educational institutions play an important role in establishing the subjects and content that will be covered during the undergraduate course. The Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) has been offering a bachelor's degree in Mechatronics Engineering since 2012, lasting five years, with subjects focused on basic engineering training and others specific to mechatronics, such as introduction to robotics and industrial automation. However, it does not cover safety in production environments with collaborative robots in detail, working with the regulatory standards of the sector. Given the growth of collaborative robotics and the importance of the mechatronic engineer for the sector, this work was prepared with the objective of presenting a new curricular component for the Mechatronics Engineering course at UFRN that addresses safety in environments with collaborative robots. The research developed was of the exploratory type, being carried out through a bibliographic review and subsequent proposal of a curricular component, taking as its object safety standards that involve production environments with collaborative robots, in order to propose their insertion in the curriculum of the Mechatronics Engineering course at UFRN. After conducting the research, a proposal was developed for a curricular component to be added to the course curriculum as a mandatory subject, entitled “MCA0009 – Collaborative Robotics: Safety Standards for Environments with Cobots”, with 60 class hours, covering everything from an introduction to collaborative robotics, contextualization of occupational safety with a focus on NR 12, to the study of national and international standards. The proposal is expected to continuously update the development of robotics in the academic environment, in order to build up knowledge that is always up-to- date and offer students of the mechatronics engineering course at UFRN a complete education.