Cognitive Robotics for Flexible Assembly: Designing Robotic Arms Capable of Learning and Adapting to New Tasks Using Reinforcement Learning
Abstract The manufacturing industry is undergoing a rapid transformation driven by automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics. Among the most promising innovations is cognitive robotics , an advanced domain that integrates machine learning, perception, and reasoning into robotic systems. This article explores how cognitive robotics, combined with reinforcement learning (RL) , enables robotic arms to perform flexible assembly operations — learning and adapting to new tasks without the need for extensive reprogramming. Keywords: Cognitive robotics, reinforcement learning, flexible assembly, robotic arms, intelligent automation, machine learning, adaptive manufacturing. 1. Introduction Traditional industrial robots have long been essential to assembly lines, but they are typically designed for repetitive, pre-defined tasks. Reprogramming them for new operations is both time-consuming and costly. In today’s dynamic production environments, where customization a...