Robotics involves the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The Robotics market,
worldwide, is expected to witness a significant growth in revenue, reaching a projected value of US
$53.64bn by the year 2026.  We’ll look at Lean and Six Sigma applications in Robotics and finish with a
video of how robotics got started.

Measuring the Impact of Robotics on Medication Dispensing Using Six Sigma

In a paper titled “The Introduction of Robotics to an Outpatient Dispensing and Medication
Management Process in Saudi Arabia: A Pharmacy-led Multidisciplinary Six Sigma Performance
Improvement Project” authors Manal Al Nemari and James Waterson discuss a Six Sigma project to
measure the impact that integration of automation made to service, safety and efficiency, staff
reallocation and reorientation, and workflow in the outpatient pharmacy department.

The Six Sigma problem definition to be resolved was as follows: The current system of outpatient
dispensing denies quality to patients in terms of waiting time and contact time with pharmacy
professionals, incorporates risks to the patient in terms of mislabeling of medications and the incomplete
dispensing of prescriptions, and is potentially wasteful in terms of time and resources.
The paper includes.

 Fishbone Diagram for Deficiencies in Turnaround Time, Medication Error Rates, and Waste
 SIPOC End-to-end Mapping of Medication to Patient Actions
 Outpatient Medication-dispensing Process Map Before Six Sigma Process Application
 Identified Customer and Stakeholder Segments by Priority
 Process Map Analysis For Average Turnaround Time and Delay Post automation
 Key Measurable Outcome Indicators
 Selected Variables and Derived Metrics with Rationales
 Basket of 8 Prescription Medications Reviewed for Costs of Waste by Expiry or Incorrect Storage over 1 Year
 Sample Prescription Dispensing Turnaround Times Pre- and 3 Months Post automation

[Required Citation: Al Nemari M, Waterson J The Introduction of Robotics to an Outpatient Dispensing
and Medication Management Process in Saudi Arabia: Retrospective Review of a Pharmacy-led
Multidisciplinary Six Sigma Performance Improvement Project JMIR Hum Factors 2022;9(4):e37905
doi: 10.2196/37905]

Lean Robotics in the Scheduling of Robotic Adhesive Dispensing

In a paper titled “A Lean Robotics Approach to the Scheduling of Robotic Adhesive Dispensing Process”
author Łukasz Sobaszek discusses the use of Lean Robotics in industrial robot task scheduling in the
adhesive dispensing process.

Lean Robotics (LR) is largely derived from the well-known and more and more widely used
concept of Lean Production or Lean Manufacturing. The main aim of the LR concept is to
develop robotic solutions of the lowest possible complexity, which leads to many other benefits
such as reduced complexity and – consequently – lower costs and a higher return on investment
NOTE: Much of the paper deals with determining the robot positioning and scheduling.
You can read the paper here.

Using Lean in Robotic Process Automation

In a report titled “Robotic Process Automation: A Lean Approach to RPA” author Carina Maria Gonçalves
Martins discusses the use of Lean prior to automation to improve Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

NOTE: Robotic process automation (RPA) is a form of business process automation that is based on
software robots (bots) or artificial intelligence (AI) agents.

NOTE: Robots are programmable machines that can automatically execute actions, whereas bots are
programs that can automatically execute actions. Bots are robots without bodies.

The report includes
 Lean RPA Framework - Improvement Cycle
 Original and Final Design for Intelligent Manufacturing (DFIM) Forms Processes
 Original Accounts Opening Process
 Final Accounts Opening Process with Lean RPA
 Average Time Difference (in Hours) in One Month for Each Process, Without Waiting Time
o Original Process
o With RPA
o With Lean RPA
Click on the following link to download a copy of the report.

Lean Six Sigma Practitioners and RPA

In an article titled “The RPA Opportunity for Lean Six Sigma Practitioners” author Vargha Moayed
discusses why Lean Six Sigma practitioners need to become RPA conversant.
The author answers the question: "Should we reengineer our processes before we implement Robotic Process Automation (RPA) or automate the processes ‘as-is’ if they have enough potential?”

You can read the article here.

Efficiency and Productivity in Robotics in Manufacturing

In an article “Enhancing Efficiency and Productivity with Robotics in Manufacturing” author Richa Singh
discusses how robotics might help improve production efficiency and productivity.

“Furthermore, the data gathered from robots can be used to facilitate continuous improvement
initiatives such as Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. By identifying bottlenecks, process inefficiencies, or quality issues, manufacturers can make targeted improvements and drive operational excellence.”

You can read the article here:How Robotics Got Started

See how robotics got started in this video from SciShow.You can watch the video here.