Procedure for Designing Safe Robots

A methodology for designing robots provides for satisfying both safety and performance requirements. Heretofore, most robot-design efforts have been focussed on maximizing performance, with only incidental regard for safety, under the assumption that humans and delicate equipment would be excluded from robot workspaces during robotic operations. The present methodology was developed out of recognition of the need to ensure safety for humans while realizing the potential ability of robots and humans working together to perform a broader spectrum of tasks than either can perform alone.