Evaluating the use of human aware navigation in industrial robot arms

Matthew Story,Sarah R Fletcher,Gilbert Tang,Jonathan Carberry,Cyril Jaksic,Philip Webb

doi:10.1515/pjbr-2021-0024

Matthew Story, Sarah R Fletcher + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1515/pjbr-2021-0024

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Abstract

Abstract Although the principles followed by modern standards for interaction between humans and robots follow the First Law of Robotics popularized in science fiction in the 1960s, the current standards regulating the interaction between humans and robots emphasize the importance of physical safety. However, they are less developed in another key dimension: psychological safety. As sales of industrial robots have been increasing over recent years, so has the frequency of human–robot interaction (HRI). The present article looks at the current safety guidelines for HRI in an industrial setting and assesses their suitability. This article then presents a means to improve current standards utilizing lessons learned from studies into human aware navigation (HAN), which has seen increasing use in mobile robotics. This article highlights limitations in current research, where the relationships established in mobile robotics have not been carried over to industrial robot arms. To understand this, it is necessary to focus less on how a robot arm avoids humans and more on how humans react when a robot is within the same space. Currently, the safety guidelines are behind the technological advance, however, with further studies aimed at understanding HRI and applying it to newly developed path finding and obstacle avoidance methods, science fiction can become science fact.

Highlights

The principles followed by modern standards for interaction between humans and robots follow the First Law of Robotics popularized in science fiction in the 1960s, the current standards regulating the interaction between humans and robots emphasize the importance of physical safety
In ref. [9], it was highlighted that there are two elements of safety to be considered during human–robot interaction (HRI): physical safety and psychological safety
First, a review of the current guidance for physical safety in the industry for robot arms was conducted, with the aim of highlighting the lack of psychological safety considerations. This was followed by a systematic literature review for human aware navigation (HAN), where papers were searched on Google Scholar under the search terms “Human Aware Navigation” and “Human–Robot Interaction,” with the aim of providing answers to the questions posed earlier

Summary

Introduction

“A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm,” the First Law of Robotics put forward by Asimov [1] is a guiding principle within human–robot interaction (HRI). To assess the current state of Human Aware Navigation (HAN) in industrial robot arms, the following questions will be addressed: How can the current HRI safety guidelines be optimized for maintaining the physical and psychological safety of the operator? First, a review of the current guidance for physical safety in the industry for robot arms was conducted, with the aim of highlighting the lack of psychological safety considerations. This was followed by a systematic literature review for HAN, where papers were searched on Google Scholar under the search terms “Human Aware Navigation” and “Human–Robot Interaction,” with the aim of providing answers to the questions posed earlier. The reduced impact can be achieved by increasing the contact surface area, mechanisms, and/or materials for absorbing the energy, extending energy transfer time, and limiting movement masses

Safety with barriers – the current state of safety in industrial robot arms

Human aware navigation

Mobile robots

Robot arms

Findings

Conclusion