Adaptive Robot Safety Zones for Human and Object Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robot safety systems, such as speed and separation monitoring, struggle to distinguish between humans and non-human objects, leading to unnecessary limitations in robot movement and operation efficiency, as they often treat all detected objects with a safe distance, preventing interaction and potentially halting tasks.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines if an object is non-permanent and qualifies for extended protection, defining a safety zone around it, with the zone extending further if it's human-related, allowing the robot to interact safely while minimizing operational delays by dynamically updating the safety zone based on object type and sensor data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If speed and separation monitoring is used to maintain safe distance from detected objects, then human safety is improved, but robot operational efficiency deteriorates due to unnecessary safety zones around non-human objects
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different safety zone characteristics to different spatial regions based on object type. Human objects receive extended protection with larger safety zones, while non-human objects receive standard or reduced safety zones. This localized differentiation allows the robot to maintain enhanced safety around humans while operating freely around non-human objects, resolving the contradiction between safety and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the safety zone parameter (distance threshold) based on the detected object's classification. When a human is detected, the safety zone distance is increased to provide extended protection. When non-human objects are detected, the safety zone distance is reduced or eliminated. This parameter adaptation allows the same safety monitoring system to serve both safety and efficiency requirements under different conditions.
2Reliability
If a fixed safe distance is maintained from all detected objects, then protection against human contact is improved, but robot freedom of movement deteriorates due to inability to interact with objects in reach
Solution Approach 1:
The safety zone is transformed from a static fixed-distance boundary to a dynamic adaptive boundary that changes based on detected object characteristics. The system continuously monitors objects and adjusts the safety zone distance in real-time, expanding it for human objects and contracting or eliminating it for non-human objects. This dynamic behavior allows the robot to maintain protection when needed while regaining freedom of movement when safe.
Solution Approach 2:
Different safety constraints are applied to different spatial zones based on object type. The system creates localized safety zones around human objects while leaving other areas unrestricted. This allows the robot to operate freely in regions containing non-human objects while maintaining protective distances only around human objects, thus preserving both safety and operational freedom.
3Reliability
If any object is assigned a safe distance appropriate for humans, then human safety is improved, but interaction with non-human objects deteriorates as the robot cannot touch or pass them
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the safety distance parameter based on object classification. Human objects trigger the extended protection parameter (larger safety zone), while non-human objects trigger the standard or reduced protection parameter (smaller or no safety zone). This conditional parameter adjustment allows the robot to apply appropriate safety measures for each object type, preventing unnecessary restrictions on task completion while maintaining human safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies extended safety zone characteristics locally to regions containing human objects, while applying standard characteristics to regions containing non-human objects. This localized differentiation ensures that human safety is enhanced where needed without imposing restrictive safety zones around non-human objects that would hinder task completion and robot mobility.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling a robot includes the steps of: deciding whether there is a non-permanent object in a vicinity of the robot; if there is a non-permanent object, deciding whether the object qualifies for extended protection or not; and defining a safety zone around the object which the robot must not enter or in which a maximum allowed speed of the robot is less than outside the safety zone. The safety zone extends to a greater distance from the object if the object qualifies for extended protection than if it does not.