Robotics Safety
Robotics safety is a critical area of focus for the robotics industry. This includes safety requirements, responsibilities, emergency responses, and other guidelines.
ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012
Industrial Robots and Robot Systems - Safety Requirements
This part of [the standard] specifies requirements and guidelines for the inherent safe design, protective measures and information for use of industrial robots. It describes basic hazards associated with robots and provides requirements to eliminate, or adequately reduce, the risks associated with these hazards.
ISO 10218 - Robots and Robotic Devices Safety Package
Safety Requirements for Industrial Robots - ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2
The ISO 10218 - Robots and Robotic Devices Safety Package provides the general requirements for robots and robotic devices safety. It also provides provides the requirements to integrate robots and robotic systems. While the ISO 10218 - Robots and Robotic Devices Safety Package is specific to industrial robots, it is a comprehensive collection that provides the design, manufacturing, installation, operation, maintenance - and if neccessary - the decommissioning of an industrial robot system. The package includes:
ISO 10218-1:2011
ISO 10218-2:2011
RIA TR R15.706-2019
Industrial Robots and Robot Systems - Safety Requirements - User Responsibilities
This technical report is written for users of industrial robots or robot systems that comply with ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 Part 1, a responsibility of the robot manufacturer; and of industrial robot systems that comply with ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 Part 2, a responsibility of the integrator. This technical report explains some user responsibilities and provides guidance to the user of robot systems to enable the safe use of the robot system(s) in their facilities. Compliance with this technical report is only achievable when using robot and robot systems that are compliant with ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012.
RIA TR R15.606-2016
Technical Report - Industrial Robots and Robot Systems - Safety Requirements - Collaborative Robots
This Technical Specification 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 [ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012].This Technical Specification applies to industrial robot systems as described in ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2 [ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012]. It does not apply to non-industrial robots, although the safety principles presented can be useful to other areas of robotics.
RIA TR R15.806-2018
Technical Report - Industrial Robots and Robot Systems - Safety Requirements - Testing Methods for Power & Force Limited Collaborative Applications
This Technical Report describes test methods and metrics for measuring the pressures and forces associated with quasi-static and transient contact events of collaborative applications where risk reduction is provided primarily by robots with power and force limiting (PFL) by inherently safe design or safety functions according to ANSI/RIA R15.06 and RIA TR R15.606. This Technical Report also provides guidance on determining the conditions of the test measurements. A robot with PFL functionality is not to be considered safe “out of the box” as the PFL robot is a component within a collaborative application. If the PFL robot is used in an application with no human/robot collaboration, these test methods are not required. For further guidance on when to test, see Annex A: Determining When to Test PFL Applications. Forces attributable to human motion are not taken into consideration for the application of this technical report.
ISO 13482:2014
Robots and robotic devices - Safety requirements for personal care robots
ISO 13482:2014 specifies requirements and guidelines for the inherently safe design, protective measures, and information for use of personal care robots, in particular the following three types of personal care robots:
- mobile servant robot;
- physical assistant robot;
- person carrier robot.
These robots typically perform tasks to improve the quality of life of intended users, irrespective of age or capability. ISO 13482:2014 describes hazards associated with the use of these robots, and provides requirements to eliminate, or reduce, the risks associated with these hazards to an acceptable level. ISO 13482:2014 covers human-robot physical contact applications.
ISO 13482:2014 presents significant hazards and describes how to deal with them for each personal care robot type.
ISO 13482:2014 covers robotic devices used in personal care applications, which are treated as personal care robots.
ISO 13482:2014 is limited to earthbound robots.
ISO 13482:2014 does not apply to:
- robots travelling faster than 20 km/h
- robot toys;
- water-borne robots and flying robots;
- industrial robots, which are covered in ISO 10218;
- robots as medical devices;
- military or public force application robots.
The scope of ISO 13482:2014 is limited primarily to human care related hazards but, where appropriate, it includes domestic animals or property (defined as safety-related objects), when the personal care robot is properly installed and maintained and used for its intended purpose or under conditions which can reasonably be foreseen.
ISO 13482:2014 is not applicable to robots manufactured prior to its publication date.
ISO 13482:2014 deals with all significant hazards, hazardous situations or hazardous events as described in Annex A. Attention is drawn to the fact that for hazards related to impact (e.g. due to a collision) no exhaustive and internationally recognized data (e.g. pain or injury limits) exist at the time of publication of ISO 13482:2014.
ISO/TR 20218-1:2018
Robotics - Safety design for industrial robot systems - Part 1: End-effectors
This document provides guidance on safety measures for the design and integration of end-effectors used for robot systems. The integration includes the following:
— the manufacturing, design and integration of end-effectors;
— the necessary information for use.
This document provides additional safety guidance on the integration of robot systems, as described in ISO 10218‑2:2011.
ISO/TR 20218-2:2017
Robotics - Safety requirements for industrial robots - Part 2: Manual load/unload stations
ISO/TR 20218-2:2017 is applicable to robot systems for manual load/unload applications in which a hazard zone is safeguarded by preventing access to it. For this type of application, it is important to consider the need for both access restrictions to hazard zones and for ergonomically suitable work places.
ISO/TR 20218-2:2017 supplements ISO 10218-2:2011 and provides additional information and guidance on reducing the risk of intrusion into the hazard zones in the design and safeguarding of manual load/unload installations.
ISO/TR 23482-1:2020
Robotics - Application of ISO 13482 - Part 1: Safety-related test methods
This document describes methods that can be used to test personal care robots in terms of safety requirements defined in ISO 13482. The target robots of this document are identical to those of ISO 13482.
The manufacturer determines the required tests and appropriate testing parameters based on a risk assessment of the robot's design and usage. This risk assessment can determine that tests and test parameters other than those contained in this document are acceptable.
Not all test methods are applicable to all robot types. Test methods labelled "universal" are applicable to all personal care robots. For other tests, the heading states for which robot types the test can be applied (e.g. "for wearable robot" or "for mobile robot").
Some test methods can be replaced by using other applicable standards, even if they are not listed in this document.
ISO/TR 23482-2:2019
Robotics - Application of ISO 13482 - Part 2: Application guidelines
This document provides guidance on the use of ISO 13482 and is intended to facilitate the design of personal care robots in conformity with ISO 13482. Additional guidance is provided for users with limited experience of risk assessment and risk reduction. This document provides clarification and guidance on new terms and safety requirements introduced to allow close human-robot interaction and human-robot contact in personal care robot applications, including mobile servant robots, physical assistant robots and person carrier robots. This document considers the application of ISO 13482 to all service robots and includes related examples.
ANSI/PLASTICS B151.27-2021
Safety Requirements for Robot / Injection Molding Machine Systems
Specifies the safety requirements for the design, implementation, set-up, operation, maintenance and modification of robot / Injection Molding Machine (IMM) systems. A robot / IMM system is comprised of a robot system(s) operating within the volume of the mold area guarding of an IMM.
ASTM E2853-12(2021)
Standard Test Method for Evaluating Emergency Response Robot Capabilities: Human-System Interaction (HSI): Search Tasks: Random Mazes with Complex Terrain
1.1 Purpose: 1.1.1 The purpose of this test method, as a part of a suite of human-system interactions (HSI) test methods, is to quantitatively evaluate a teleoperated ground robotâ's (see Terminology E2521 ) capability of searching in a maze. 1.1.2 Teleoperated robots shall possess a certain set of HSI capabilities to suit critical operations such as emergency responses, including enabling the operators to search for required targets. A passage that forms on complex terrains and possesses complex and visually similar branches is a type of environments that exists in emergency response and other robotically applicable situations. The complexity often poses challenges for the operators to teleoperate the robots to conduct searches. This test method is based on a standard maze and specifies metrics and a procedure for testing the search capability. 1.1.3 Emergency response robots shall enable the operator to handle many types of tasks. The required HSI capabilities include search and navigation on different types of terrains, passages, and confined spaces. Standard test methods are required to evaluate whether candidate robots meet these requirements. 1.1.4 ASTM E54.08.01 Task Group on Robotics specifies a HSI test suite, which consists of a set of test methods for evaluating these HSI capability requirements. This random maze searching test method is a part of the HSI test suite. The apparatuses associated with the test methods challenge specific robot capabilities in repeatable ways to facilitate comparison of different robot models as well as particular configurations of similar robot models. (See Fig. 1 .) FIG. 1 HSI: Search Tasks: Random Maze Illustration 1.1.5 The test methods quantify elemental HSI capabilities necessary for ground robots intended for emergency response applications. As such, based on their particular capability requirements, users of this test suite can select only the applicable test methods and can individually weight particular test methods or particular metrics within a test method. The testing results should collectively represent a ground robotâ's overall HSI capability. The test results can be used to guide procurement specifications and acceptance testing for robots intended for emergency response applications. Note 1: The teleoperation performance is affected by the robotâ's as well as the operatorâ's capabilities. Among all the standard test methods that ASTM E54.08.01 Task Group on Robotics has specified, some depend more on the former while the others on the latter, but it would be extremely hard to totally isolate the two factors. This HSI test suite is specified to focus on evaluating the operatorâ's capabilities of interacting with the robotic system, whereas a separately specified sensor test suite, including Test Method E2566 , focuses on the robotsâ' sensing capabilities. Note 2: As robotic systems are more widely applied, emergency responders might identify additional or advanced HSI capability requirements to help them respond to emergency situations. They might also desire to use robots with higher levels of autonomy, beyond teleoperation to help reduce their workload—see NIST Special Publication 1011-II-1.0. Further, emergency responders in expanded emergency response domains might also desire to apply robotic technologies to their situations, a source for new sets of requirements. As a result, additional standards within the suite would be developed. This standard is, nevertheless, standalone and complete. 1.2 Performing Location— This test method shall be performed in a testing laboratory or the field where the specified apparatus and environmental conditions are implemented. 1.3 Units— The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are not precise mathematical conversions to inch-pound units. They are close approximate equivalents for the purpose of specifying material dimensions that are readily available to avoid excessive fabrication costs of test apparatuses while maintaining repeatability and reproducibility of the test method results. These values given in parentheses are provided for information only and are not considered standard. 1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. 1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
ASTM E2854-12
Standard Test Method for Evaluating Emergency Response Robot Capabilities: Radio Communication: Line-of-Sight Range
1.1 Purpose:
1.1.1 The purpose of this test method, as a part of a suite of radio communication test methods, is to quantitatively evaluate a teleoperated robot’s (see Terminology E2521) capability to perform maneuvering and inspection tasks in a line-of-sight environment.
1.1.2 Robots shall possess a certain set of radio communication capabilities, including performing maneuvering and inspection tasks in a line-of-sight environment, to suit critical operations for emergency responses. The capability for a robot to perform these types of tasks in unobstructed areas down range is critical for emergency response operations. This test method specifies a standard set of apparatuses, procedures, and metrics to evaluate the robot/operator capabilities for performing these tasks.
1.1.3 Emergency response robots shall be able to operate remotely using the equipped radios in line-of-sight (LOS) environments, in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments, and for signal penetration through such impediments as buildings, rubbles, and tunnels. Additional capabilities include operating in the presence of electromagnetic interference and providing link security and data logging. Standard test methods are required to evaluate whether candidate robots meet these requirements.
1.1.4 ASTM E54.08.01 Task Group on Robotics specifies a radio communication test suite, which consists of a set of test methods for evaluating these communication capabilities. This line-of-sight range test method is a part of the radio communication test suite. The apparatuses associated with the test methods challenge specific robot capabilities in repeatable ways to facilitate comparison of different robot models as well as particular configurations of similar robot models.
1.1.5 This test method establishes procedures, apparatuses, and metrics for specifying and testing the capability of radio (wireless) links used between the operator station and the testing robot in a line-of-sight environment. These links include the command and control channel(s) and video, audio, and other sensor data telemetry.
1.1.6 This test method is intended to apply to ground based robotic systems and small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) capable of hovering to perform maneuvering and inspection tasks down range for emergency response applications.
1.1.7 This test method specifies an apparatus that is an essentially clear radio frequency channel for testing. Fig. 1 provides an illustration.
Note 1—Frequency coordination and interoperability are not addressed in this standard. These issues should be resolved by the affected agencies (Fire, Police, and Urban Search and Rescue) and written into the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that guide the responses to emergency situations.
1.1.8 The radio communication test suite quantifies elemental radio communication capabilities necessary for robots intended for emergency response applications. As such, based on their particular capability requirements, users of this test suite can select only the applicable test methods and can individually weight particular test methods or particular metrics within a test method. The testing results should collectively represent a ground robot’s overall radio communication capability. These test results can be used to guide procurement specifications and acceptance testing for robots intended for emergency response applications.
Note 2—As robotic systems are more widely applied, emergency responders might identify additional or advanced robotic radio communication capability requirements to help them respond to emergency situations. They might also desire to use robots with higher levels of autonomy, beyond teleoperation to help reduce their workload
1.2 Performing Location—This test method shall be performed in a testing laboratory or the field where the specified apparatus and environmental conditions are implemented.
1.3 Units—The values stated in SI units shall be the standard. The values given in parentheses are not precise mathematical conversions to inch-pound units. They are close approximate equivalents for the purpose of specifying material dimensions or quantities that are readily available to avoid excessive fabrication costs of test apparatuses while maintaining repeatability and reproducibility of the test method results. These values given in parentheses facilitate testing but are not considered standard.
ASTM E2855-12(2021)
Standard Test Method for Evaluating Emergency Response Robot Capabilities: Radio Communication: Non-Line-of-Sight Range
1.1 Purpose: 1.1.1 The purpose of this test method, as a part of a suite of radio communication test methods, is to quantitatively evaluate a teleoperated robotâ's (see Terminology E2521 ) capability to perform maneuvering and inspection tasks in a non-line-of-sight environment. 1.1.2 Robots shall possess a certain set of radio communication capabilities, including performing maneuvering and inspection tasks in a non-line-of-sight environment, to suit critical operations for emergency responses. The capability for a robot to perform these types of tasks in obstructed areas down range is critical for emergency response operations. This test method specifies a standard set of apparatuses, procedures, and metrics to evaluate the robot/operator capabilities for performing these tasks. 1.1.3 Emergency response robots shall be able to operate remotely using the equipped radios in line-of-sight environments, in non-line-of-sight environments, and for signal penetration through such impediments as buildings, rubbles, and tunnels. Additional capabilities include operating in the presence of electromagnetic interference and providing link security and data logging. Standard test methods are required to evaluate whether candidate robots meet these requirements. 1.1.4 ASTM E54.08.01 Task Group on Robotics specifies a radio communication test suite, which consists of a set of test methods for evaluating these communication capabilities. This non-line-of-sight range test method is a part of the radio communication test suite. The apparatuses associated with the test methods challenge specific robot capabilities in repeatable ways to facilitate comparison of different robot models as well as particular configurations of similar robot models. 1.1.5 This test method establishes procedures, apparatuses, and metrics for specifying and testing the capability of radio (wireless) links used between the operator station and the testing robot in a non-line-of-sight environment. These links include the command and control channel(s) and video, audio, and other sensor data telemetry. 1.1.6 This test method is intended to apply to ground based robotic systems and small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) capable of hovering to perform maneuvering and inspection tasks down range for emergency response applications. 1.1.7 This test method specifies an apparatus that is, first of all, an essentially clear radio frequency channel for testing. In addition, a standard line-of-sight barrier between the testing operator control unit (OCU) and the robot is specified. Fig. 1 provides an illustration. FIG. 1 Test Fabrication at An Air Strip Left: The non-line-of-sight range test method uses an airstrip or flat, paved road with robot test stations placed in front of and behind a wall constructed of stacked 12 m (40 ft) International Standards Organization (ISO) shipping containers. Right: Robot test stations are prototyped behind the wall with targets on the barrels for visual inspection tasks and circular paths for maneuvering tasks. Note 1: Frequency coordination and interoperability are not addressed in this standard. These issues should be resolved by the affected agencies (Fire, Police, and Urban Search and Rescue) and written into Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that guide the responses to emergency situations. 1.1.8 The radio communication test suite quantifies elemental radio communication capabilities necessary for robots intended for emergency response applications. As such, based on their particular capability requirements, users of this test suite can select only the applicable test methods and can individually weight particular test methods or particular metrics within a test method. The testing results should collectively represent an emergency response robotâ's overall radio communication capability. These test results can be used to guide procurement specifications and acceptance testing for robots intended for emergency response applications. Note 2: As robotic systems are more widely applied, emergency responders might identify additional or advanced robotic radio communication capability requirements to help them respond to emergency situations. They might also desire to use robots with higher levels of autonomy, beyond teleoperate onto help reduce their workload—see NIST Special Publication 1011-II-1.0. Further, emergency responders in expanded emergency response domains might also desire to apply robotic technologies to their situations, a source for new sets of requirements. As a result, additional standards within the suite would be developed. This standard is, nevertheless, standalone and complete. 1.2 Performing Location— This test method shall be performed in a testing laboratory or the field where the specified apparatus and environmental conditions are implemented. 1.3 Units— The values stated in SI units shall be the standard. The values given in parentheses are not precise mathematical conversions to inch-pound units. They are close approximate equivalents for the purpose of specifying material dimensions or quantities that are readily available to avoid excessive fabrication costs of test apparatuses while maintaining repeatability and reproducibility of the test method results. These values given in parentheses facilitate testing but are not considered standard. 1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. 1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
