Industrial robotics has changed significantly with the advent of collaborative robots that are more aware of their surroundings, and amenable to the people around them. While our manufacturing counterparts were once literally caged off for fear that their unbridled movements would quite literally sweep us off our feet, we can now work alongside robots with very little risk. This revolution might seem to require fewer safety measures, but in reality you aren’t off the hook when it comes to risk assessment, even with the latest technology in collaborative robots.
Different from its predecessor, the industrial robot, collaborative robots always consist of a robotic arm with an end effector, which
interacts with the environment around it. Industrial robots typically work in their own environments separated from any interaction with humans because they have no intelligence, but instead are the mere brawn behind many manufacturing facilities. With the unending stream of advancement in artificial intelligence and human robot interaction, the gap between human and robot workers is only growing smaller. This revolution is the result of a fundamental philosophical shift in engineering and design. Industrial robotic designs completely excluded human interaction as a variable, whereas new technologies are springing out of the idea that if a robot is capable of avoiding any harm to a person, why not allow contact? This newly evolved aspect of manufacturing is now accompanied by a new set of safety guidelines that give developers and end-users a better idea about the risk of employing collaborative robots.
Published in February, 2016, the ISO/TS 15066 Robots and Robotic Devices – Collaborative Robots, is a technical specification that offers
specific means for risk assessment in using collaborative robots in manufacturing settings. Before the publication of this document, suppliers and integrators had only general information about the safety requirements for collaborative robots. The ISO/TS 15066, however, gives specific and data-driven guidance for developers and users to both evaluate and control risk in their coworking environments. These new technical specifications regarding speed, force and pressure measurements will aid the industry in many ways, guiding developers and users, while also encouraging investors to take the field more seriously. That said, technical specifications generally indicate that the field in which they operate is in a transitional phase and therefore needs continuous improvement.
When robots existed in their own confined workspace, outside the human realm, risk assessment meant something completely different than it does today. Now that design takes for granted human contact, companies need to consider risk assessment as something that is not simply volume based or completely set in stone. Instead, risk assessment with collaborative robots ought to be thought of as sequence based, and a process that is evolving over time as the technologies and methodologies do. With collaborative robots being easily reprogrammable, there is a greater possibility for processes to evolve over time, and therefore the need for new risk assessments as well.
If you are in need of help in performing a risk assessment for your collaborative robot, there are many experts to call who specialize in streamlining robotic processes, while performing industry approved risk assessments on all of your coworking robots. The collaborative robotics industry is constantly changing, and requires that risk be reconsidered at every iteration. By asking these four simple questions you will get a better idea of where your risk lies, and how to take the necessary precautions.