Physical Human-Robot Interaction: A Critical Review of Safety Constraints

TL;DR

This paper critically reviews safety constraints in physical human-robot interaction, analyzing their derivation, assumptions, and implications, with a focus on energy-based safety methods for industrial robots.

Contribution

It offers a rigorous analysis of safety constraints, examines their assumptions, and highlights the role of energy in safety assessment for collaborative robots.

Findings

Identifies key design parameters affecting safety-critical control

Provides numerical examples quantifying performance degradation

Emphasizes the importance of energy in safety evaluation

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a clear and rigorous understanding of commonly recognized safety constraints in physical human-robot interaction, particularly regarding ISO/TS 15066. We investigate the derivation of these constraints, critically examine the underlying assumptions, and evaluate their practical implications for system-level safety and performance in industrially relevant scenarios. Key design parameters within safety-critical control architectures are identified, and numerical examples are provided to quantify performance degradation arising from typical approximations and design decisions in manufacturing environments. Within this analysis, the fundamental role of energy in safety assessment is emphasized, providing focused insights into energy-based safety methodologies for collaborative industrial robot systems.