Development of a safety module for robots sharing workspace with humans

Although the need for humans and robots to work together in close proximity is increasing, this is currently not allowed with conventional industrial robots for reasons of safety. Next generation robots that can work safely in close proximity with humans must not only be highly functional, but must also be highly reliable with built in safety features. With this aim in mind, we have developed a safety module that integrates safety functions required for robots to work side by side with humans. The safety module is designed to be compliant with international safety standards and Japanese law. Redundant sensory signal processing by an external hardware module and plug-in software installed in the robot controller ensure high-reliability and flexibility. This paper describes the concept and design of the safety module and shows some evaluation results of its safety functions.