By February 22, 2016 Read More →

ISO offers collaborative robot guidance

160222_ISOThe ISO (International Standards Organisation) has published a new standard, ISO/TS 15066:2016, that specifies safety requirements for collaborative industrial robot systems and the work environment, and supplements the requirements and guidance on collaborative industrial robot operation given in ISO 10218‑1 and ISO 10218‑2.

ISO/TS 15066:2016 – Robots and Robotic Devices – Collaborative Robots applies to industrial robot systems as described in ISO 10218‑1 and ISO 10218‑2. It does not apply to non-industrial robots, although the safety principles presented can be useful to other areas of robotics. It is designed to help integrators of robotic cells to conduct risk assessments when installing collaborative robots.

Collaborative robots offer the promise of humans and robots working alongside each other, but adoption in the UK has been hindered by lack of guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the long awaited standard from ISO. The new ISO/TS 15066:2016 standard provides guidance for installations where a robot system and people share the same workspace. In such operations, the integrity of the safety-related control system is of major importance, particularly when process parameters such as speed and force are being controlled.

A comprehensive risk assessment is required to assess not only the robot system itself, but also the environment in which it is placed.

The standard describes different collaborative concepts and the requirements needed to achieve them. As well as covering design and risk assessment, it also includes the results of a research study on pain thresholds versus robot speed, pressure and impact for specific body parts.

You can read more about the standard on the ISO website here.

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