Safety of Industrial Robots: From Conventional to Collaborative Applications

Industrial robots, previously completely separated from human access when in operation in the factory, are acquiring control capabilities rendering them capable of conforming to new forms of operation, with suitably controlled risks to allow human workers access to the robot work space during operation. We survey the developments of industrial robots and of the robot safety standards, outlining the steps that have brought us to the present status, the opening of possibilities for human-robot collaboration in industrial production. The four basic types of collaborative operation are summarized and open research questions in this area are formulated.