Path-consistent safety in mixed human-robot collaborative manufacturing environments

In order to improve production flexibility, it is widely agreed that future working environments will be populated by both humans and robot manipulators, sharing the same workspace. This scenario introduces a series of safety issues which are uncommon in industrial settings where physical separation of robot areas is typically enforced. While several approaches for safe human-robot interaction exist, none of them can be easily integrated with production constraints. This paper discusses the composition of safety constraints with production ones. An algorithm is derived in order to maximize productivity, while guaranteeing a safe separation distance of the robot from the human. Experimental results showing the effectiveness of the approach in a typical industrial setting are also discussed.