Robot Risk Assessment and Its Control Measure

Designers of industrial and commercial robotic systems must consider a wide range of safety risks, for their users, the environment and the robot itself. Robotic systems therefore, as with all safety critical systems, require rigorous analysis at all parts of the design, to ensure the system is safe. As the first large consumer of robotic systems, the manufacturing industry has developed many of the robotic design methods that are used today. These methods were adapted from design principles and practices from other industrial sectors. Incorporated into the design process were proven techniques such as hazard analysis, failure analysis, rigorous design and extensive inspection and testing. In addition to these, several safety standards for robotics have been developed; most notably ISO 10218-1 [12] and ANSI /RIA R15.06 [2]. As discussed, the methods currently employed by robotic design not appropriate for designing safe robots operating in unstructured environments. This is due to the high complexity associated with a system that must adapt to changes in its environment and perform actions which cannot always be anticipated during development.