Actuators for Improving Robotic Arm Safety While Maintaining Performance: A Comparison Study

Since robotic arms operating close to people are becoming increasingly common, there is a need to better understand how they can be made safe when unintended contact occurs, while still providing the required performance. Several actuators and methods for improving robot safety are studied and compared in this paper. A robotic arm moving its end effector horizontally and colliding with a person’s head is simulated. The use of a conventional …