How cobots stay safe
Safety for industrial robots is covered by the standard ISO 10218, and ISO/TS 15066 adds guidance for robots that work alongside people. They describe four ways of collaborating: a safety-rated stop when a person enters the area, guiding the robot by hand, keeping speed and distance in step with how close a person is, and limiting power and force so contact cannot cause injury.
Safety is decided for the whole task, not just the robot. A sharp tool or a heavy part can make an application unsafe even when the arm itself is gentle, so each installation needs its own risk assessment.
Where cobots are used
Common jobs are machine tending, packing and palletising, screwdriving, gluing and inspection. Because they are light and quick to reprogram, they suit smaller factories and short production runs, where building a full cell around a large robot would not pay.
Limits
Cobots are usually slower and carry less than traditional industrial robots, because safety limits their speed and force. For heavy, fast, repetitive work, a conventional robot in a guarded cell is often the better tool.
Where it is used
- Machine tending Loading and unloading a machine tool through a shift.
- Packing and palletising Placing items in boxes or on pallets.
- Screwdriving and gluing Repeating a precise motion with the same force every time.
- Inspection Holding a camera at the same angle for every part.
Cobots compared with traditional industrial robots
Traditional industrial robots are fast, strong and precise, but usually work inside guarded cells and need specialist programming. Cobots are slower and lighter by design, so they can share space with people and be moved to a new job quickly.
A cobot suits short runs and frequent changes. A traditional robot suits heavy, fast, high-volume work. Many factories use both.
Key terms
- Collaborative operation
- A robot working in a shared space with people under safety rules.
- Power and force limiting
- Keeping contact force low enough that it cannot injure a person.
- End effector
- The tool at the end of a robot arm, such as a gripper.
- Risk assessment
- The structured review of hazards that decides how a robot cell is guarded.
Common questions
Do cobots need safety cages?
- Not always. It depends on the risk assessment of the whole application, including the tool and the parts being handled.
Will cobots take people’s jobs?
- They mainly take over dull, strenuous or repetitive tasks and work next to people. Their effect on employment depends on how a business chooses to use them.
How hard is it to set up a cobot?
- Many can be taught by moving the arm by hand or with a simple screen, which is one reason smaller firms adopt them. Integration with the rest of a line still takes engineering.
Sources and further reading
Independent pages we checked while writing this guide. They are not Reinnder products, and Reinnder is not affiliated with them.
Reinnder’s angle
How Reinnder looks at robots that work beside people
Reinnder Robotics is planned around cells that automate one task at a time and connect to the rest of the plant.
This guide explains the technology in general terms. It is not advice, and it does not describe a Reinnder product on sale.