Combining symbolic and geometric reasoning in multiagent systems is a challenging task that involves planning, scheduling, and synchronization problems. Existing works overlooked the variability of task duration and geometric feasibility intrinsic to these systems because of the interaction between agents and the environment. We propose a combined task and motion planning approach to optimize the sequencing, assignment, and execution of tasks under temporal and spatial variability. The framework relies on decoupling tasks and actions, where an action is one possible geometric realization of a symbolic task. At the task level, timeline-based planning deals with temporal constraints, duration variability, and synergic assignment of tasks. At the action level, online motion planning plans for the actual movements dealing with environmental changes. We demonstrate the approach’s effectiveness in a collaborative manufacturing scenario, in which a robotic arm and a human worker shall assemble a mosaic in the shortest time possible. Compared with existing works, our approach applies to a broader range of applications and reduces the execution time of the process.

The collaboration between humans and robots is a current technological trend that faces various challenges, among these the seamless integration of the respective working capabilities. Industrial robots have demonstrated their capacity to meet the needs of many applications, offering accuracy and efficiency, while humans have both experience and the capability to elaborate over such experience that are absolutely not replaceable at any time. Clearly a symbiotic integration of humans and robots in working scenarios opens to new problems: for an effective collaboration an intelligent coordination is required. This paper presents an interactive environment for facilitating the collaboration between humans and a robot in performing shared tasks in industrial environments. In particular we introduce a tool based on AI planning technology to help the smooth intertwining of activities of the two actors in the work environment. The paper presents a case study from a real world environment, describes a comprehensive architectural approach to the problem of coordinated interaction, and then presents details on the current status of the tool.