The rapid increase in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) presents significant environmental challenges, requiring the development of efficient and effective disassembly and recycling strategies. Although extensive theoretical research has explored product redesign to facilitate automated disassembly, practical validations of such approaches remain limited. This study examines the technical feasibility of applying design-for-disassembly principles to enable automated dismantling processes using general-purpose robotic systems. Using a consumer electronic remote control as a case study, this paper demonstrates how targeted product redesign can improve compatibility with robotic systems during disassembly. The findings provide valuable insights into sustainable product design and end-of-life management, with implications for supporting a circular economy.

With the increasing manufacturing of electric vehicles, car battery recycling is crucial for environmental sustainability. The disassembly of car batteries includes critical health hazards for the operator, due to potential chemical reactions or physical injuries. These reasons make robots particularly interesting for automatic disassembly. This paper proposes a systematic approach to automation and human–robot cooperation in car battery disassembly tasks with a case study on screw removal. A novel parameter is proposed to evaluate whether a human operator or a robot is more appropriate for each specific task, considering both performance and associated risks. The proposed metrics are validated with an experimental example, in which the performance of a robot and a human on a screw-removal task is compared numerically using statistical methods. The advantages and disadvantages of both options are examined through the application and show how the new performance criterion effectively provides insights into the distribution of tasks between humans and robots.