Mistakes that People Make with Collaborative Robot Safety

Over the last few years, we have gradually seen robots being freed from their cages and successfully work side-by-side with humans. Agile collaborative robots, commonly known as “cobots” have been working alongside human employees in assembly lines and cramped spaces within industries and factories. Cobots offer such exciting benefits. Not only can they work side by side with humans, but they are not expensive and they are easy to integrate and maintain.

The inclusion of a cobots in the industry has improved cycle time and has led to an increase in productive results. Cobots are gaining a lot of momentum in the market because they are more compact, lighter and less expensive than the robotic devices that were most commonly used. They are programmed with an easy to use software that allows them to handle tasks such as packing industrial material, assembling parts, counting and inspecting, material handling and machine tending.

A number of organizations and industries are still apprehensive about embracing this new technology. There is still the possibility of crushing and other hazardous incidents may occur. According to robot assembly by Universal Robots , it is important that the standards for robotics are understood. Cobots are not inherently dangerous. The issue arises with the unpredictable human that work right alongside them.

A great emphasis must be put on following safety procedures. Safety is very important for all robot applications. It is important that you always carry out a risk assessment, whether your using a tiny table top cobot or a bigger industrial cobot. It is important that you understand and pay maximum attention to what your role is and the role of the cobot. Training employees before they start to work with the cobot is also very important.

In this article we will uncover the most common mistakes that people make with cobot safety.

Assuming that cobots are safe to use

Cobots have been designed to work effectively alongside human workers and their ability to interact with humans is only getting better. Compact, light and slow moving cobots are actually harmless and have been equipped with sensors and a machine learning software that allows them to understand their environment. Once a human gets too close they are programmed to shut down.

However, some people casually assume that cobots are safe to work by in each and every situation. They go ahead and perform dangerous tasks that the cobot may not be equipped to handle. This may seriously damage the machine and may also inflict harm on the person.

Failing to perform a risk assessment test.

The main key to being completely safe and secure among cobots is by ensuring that you have a strong risk assessment process. It is imperative that all aspects of the tasks are properly assesses as well as safe zones, speed, force and power limits for every possible collaborative scenario.

Because of the delicate and critical nature of robotics, performing a risk assessment test is standard and mandatory. Unfortunately, many people also make the mistake of over-simplifying the risk assessment test. Some industries quickly and roughly outline the test failing to identify potential safety issues.

Another common issue that is identified with the risk assessment test is over complicating the risk assessment. A few industries invest a lot of time specifying each and every tiny detail and may end up by-passing the evident issues.  To successfully perform a risk assessment test, it is advisable that you hire an expert

Only considering the risks to come from one specific activity

Industrial cobots can automate an extremely broad range of processes. When performing a task, industrial cobots perform a series of different steps. All of the different robot applications and collaborative features can affect the safety of the overall task. The potential risks and damages caused when handling all of the tasks should be considered early and elimin