Just 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 software does NOT replicate regular security requirements and well-accepted practices throughout the robotics sector.
The way in which this incident was reported can distort understanding of robotics software security. An official of the Russian chess federation implied that the incident occurred as a result of the kid ‘violated’ security guidelines. That is fully 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 supposed use and readily foreseeable misuses. If this had been executed, quite a few modifications would have been applied together with a delicate gripper as an alternative of 1 with exhausting edges and using security sensors solely permitting motion when nobody was close by. It was moderately foreseeable that the human chess participant can be concentrating on the sport, not their robotic opponent.
Automation security is about “making the simple strategy to work, the secure strategy to work”. On this case, all chess motions want to have the ability to be carried out and not using a individual needing to suppose “am I okay to maneuver my chess piece or will I be injured?”.
The expertise exists to stop incidents like this from occurring
Energy and pressure restricted (PFL) collaborative robots (cobots) would cease transferring after contact with an individual. Expertise of this sort is available. Following the appliance threat evaluation’s necessities, tens of hundreds of cobots are working safely alongside people day by day. Actually, cobots are more and more utilized in training settings to show programming and the event of robotic functions.
Security requirements are established internationally and independently licensed
All respected robotic producers and integrators embrace their duty 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 embody 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 dwelling, pressure limiting (TCP) and elbow security (pressure, pace, boundary restriction).
The secure deployment of cobots can carry big societal advantages
This chess enjoying robotic integrator displays badly upon the hundreds of automation professionals that take security very critically. The world continues to face labor shortages. Robotics and automation can present an important and well timed answer 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 software deployment.
