36 n ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION July/August 2024 www.drivesncontrols.com Ensuring that robots and humans get along safely The role of robots in manufacturing has long been controversial. Many fear that they will displace human jobs. In some respects, robots will replace some jobs, but it’s not that simple. Yes, robots will replace some menial and tedious jobs, such as quality control on production lines. In modern manufacturing, the demands for quality are high. On bottling lines, for example, the need to ensure that the bottles are lled correctly and meet customer expectations is more important than ever. Using robots and machine vision, we can now inspect every bottle as it passes by at breakneck speed. From ensuring the liquid is lled to the correct level and is the required colour, to checking labelling and caps, all aspects of the product’s quality are checked and made to meet specic tolerances. People have o -days and are can su er from fatigue, illness and complacency. Robots and machines do not. But what happens to employees after their jobs are made obsolete? Those who were underutilised in the past can now move into better quality jobs, including those that require problem-solving or o er more job fullment. These are higher-quality jobs. Many can be performed in concert with collaborative robots – or cobots. As I said earlier, there is quite a bit of fear about implementing cobots in the workplace. Yes, some jobs will be made obsolete. However, what many will experience is a shift in their job roles. There is a need for robot designers, programmers and maintenance personnel. Others will need to be upskilled. This means better pay and benets, and greater job satisfaction. There are also things that humans are inherently good at, which robots are not – such as solving problems, critical thinking and creativity. Cobots have come a long way over the past decade. They can work safely alongside humans. They can handle heavy lifting, allowing humans to focus on more mental workloads. At Amazon, for example, cobots move products to pickers rather than the pickers having to go to a shelf, pull a product and return to their station. This saves the worker time, steps and, possibly, heavy lifting. The cobot saves the worker’s energy and reduces wear-and-tear on their bodies. But how do we ensure humans are safe around cobots? Great question. Today’s safety standards for cobots are exceptionally stringent, as they should be. Cobots have numerous safety functions, as dened by ISO/TS 15066, which provides guidelines for designing and implementing collaborative workspaces. This enables shop managers and manufacturers to incorporate cobots safely into workspaces where humans and mechanical counterparts overlap. Some examples: n Maximum allowable speed This is set at the point of the end-of-arm-tooling. These speeds are in line with human equivalents. n Speed and separation monitoring Denes the minimum safety distance between workers and robot systems to prevent contact between them. This can be achieved using safety scanners, light curtains and operator presence mats. n Power, force and torque limits Cobots are designed to measure torque at every joint for excessive forces, and to monitor for sudden impacts, including soft obstructions. n Redundant checking system diagnostics If the robot detects an anomaly or error at any point, the robot will disable the motor instantly. n Safety-rated stop modes Cobots are required to act based on the level of risk. That could be a full emergency stop if a safety mishap has occurred, or a protective stop if a human has entered its operating area. n Ergonomic design In six-axis robots, there are several potential pinch points. By designing the joints ergonomically, workers can avoid injury should their hands, ngers, or even loose clothing become trapped in a joint. When installing any robot in a production setting, care must be taken to ensure a safe workspace. This is particularly true in workspaces shared by humans and robots. Consulting a professional installer or integrator will help you to perform a full risk assessment and ensure that you meet all applicable safety codes and regulations. Cobots can reduce worker fatigue, increase production rates, and raise quality, while cutting waste. In today’s world, where we face labour shortages, intense competition and high consumer demand, cobots can be an equaliser, while creating high-quality jobs. n There are still concerns about introducing robots into factories. Eric Halvorson, marketing technology manager for automation and control at DigiKey, argues that the impacts on jobs and safety can be managed to the bene t of all involved. Collaborative robots can be con gured to operate safely alongside human co-workers
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