Lately, there was a broadly publicized incident the place a chess robotic system broke the finger of a seven-year-old youngster at a match in Moscow. This could by no means have occurred. The robotic was not one in every of our cobots, however we do really feel compelled to remark as a result of this robotic chess utility does NOT mirror regular security requirements and well-accepted practices throughout the robotics sector.
The best way this incident was reported can distort understanding of robotics utility security. An official of the Russian chess federation implied that the incident occurred as a result of the kid ‘violated’ security guidelines. That is solely unreasonable!
Robotic system integrators ought to carry out a threat evaluation
It’s globally accepted that robotic system integrator ought to carry out a threat evaluation for the meant use and readily foreseeable misuses. If this had been completed, quite a few modifications would have been carried out together with a mushy gripper as a substitute of 1 with laborious edges and the usage of security sensors solely permitting motion when nobody was close by. It was fairly foreseeable that the human chess participant could be concentrating on the sport, not their robotic opponent.
Automation security is about “making the straightforward solution to work, the secure solution to work”. On this case, all chess motions want to have the ability to be carried out with no individual needing to suppose “am I okay to maneuver my chess piece or will I be injured?”.
The expertise exists to forestall incidents like this from occurring
Energy and drive restricted (PFL) collaborative robots (cobots) would cease transferring after contact with an individual. Expertise of this sort is available. Following the applying threat evaluation’s necessities, tens of 1000’s of cobots are working safely alongside people day by day. In actual fact, cobots are more and more utilized in schooling settings to show programming and the event of robotic purposes.
Security requirements are established internationally and independently licensed
All respected robotic producers and integrators embrace their accountability of delivering secure merchandise and options. At Common Robots, our e-Collection robots are licensed to EN ISO 13849-1 and EN ISO 10218-1 by TÜV Nord. The cobots embrace 17 superior configurable security capabilities licensed by TÜV Nord as PLd Cat 3. This implies they’ve configurable stopping time and stopping distance, joint place limits, pose restrict, software orientation restrict, security planes, security boundaries, secure house, drive limiting (TCP) and elbow security (drive, pace, boundary restriction).
The secure deployment of cobots can carry large societal advantages
This chess taking part in robotic integrator displays badly upon the 1000’s of automation professionals that take security very severely. The world continues to face labor shortages. Robotics and automation can present an important and well timed resolution and can even make workplaces a lot better environments for people to work in. However these alternatives will solely be absolutely realized when security is a precedence in utility deployment.