Collaborative robots (cobots) are being applied in areas such as healthcare, rehabilitation, agriculture and logistics, beyond the typical manufacturing setting. This is leading to a marked increase in the number of cobot stakeholders with little or no experience in traditional safety engineering. Considering the importance of human safety in collaborative robotic applications, this is currently proving to be a barrier to more widespread cobot usage. A web-based Toolkit that targets cobot end-users and manufacturers with varying levels of safety expertise was developed, helping them to understand how to consider the safety of their cobot applications. In this work, we will provide an overview of the state of the art for ensuring cobot safety, highlight the support provided by the “COVR Toolkit” and introduce three examples where third parties applied the Toolkit for their collaborative robotics application.

The reliability and robustness of systems using machine learning to detect humans is of high importance for the safety of workers in a shared workspace. Developments such as deep learning are advancing rapidly, supporting the field of robotics through increased perception capabilities. An early detection of humans will support robot behavior to reduce downtime or system stoppages due to unsafe proximity between humans and robots. In this work, we present an industry-oriented experimental setup, in which humans and robots share the same workplace. We have created our own dataset to detect humans wearing different clothing. We evaluate Faster R-CNN and SSD which are state-of-the-art detectors on two different camera viewpoints. In addition, this paper elaborates on the requirements for validating the safety of such a system to be used in industrial safety applications.

In this paper we exemplarily outline the application of a large scale tactile sensor to provide tactile perception to a mobile robot. The tactile sensors used within this project1are composed of piezo-resistive composite material sandwiched between two electrodes and arranged as sensor array. Based upon this approach, large 3D-shaped sensor covers that could be directly applied to the robots geometry were created. To simplify interpretation of sensor data, two major modes of operation have been implemented for the mobile robot: In autonomous mode, the tactile sensor acts as a safety collision sensor. In interaction mode touch and gestures on the robot surface are interpreted as interaction metaphors which allow intuitive human robot interaction. The sensor setup and integration will be described and the results of the experimental evaluation will be outlined.

Large waste water pipes are a hazardous working environment for humans. Nevertheless such pipes must be inspected on a regular basis. Many of todaypsilas inspection systems for underground sewer pipes consist of a single TV-camera and are designed for pipes smaller than one meter in diameter. The most recent automatic inspection systems are equipped with advanced sensors that make it possible for an operator to perform this task from an outside position for larger pipes (diameter between 1.4 to 2.8 meters). The cable-guided damage surveying system, SEK, (see Fig. 1) was developed by the Fraunhofer IFF on behalf of the Emschergenossenschaft to be a versatile and easy-to-use tool to detect various kinds of damages above and below the water-line with high accuracy.

The Emschergenossenschaft based in Germany is currently planning the Emscher sewer system, arguably the largest residential water management project in Europe in years to come. The Emschergenossenschaft engaged the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) in Magdeburg, Germany, as the general contractor to develop automatic inspection and cleaning systems to meet the requirements imposed by legal guidelines. The systems must operate continuously in a sewer line that has diameters ranging from 1400 to 2800 mm and is partially filled, 25% at minimum, all the time. To construct the Emscher sewer system, the Emschergenossenschaft favors a one-pipe line in long sections. A walk-through or inspection by personnel would be impossible in these sections. The Fraunhofer Institute IFF has developed prototypes of all systems for motion through the sewer and all sensor systems, thus achieving a new quality of inspection above and below the water line under these difficult conditions. This article describes significant project results and important components of inspection such as the inspection systems, pipe axis measurement, system positioning, and sensor systems for damage detection. Fundamental for the development of the inspection systems is the detail of the inspection, which goes far beyond the video inspection common today, and the ability to take comparative measurements throughout the sewer system's period of operation in order to track the development of damage.

The Emschergenossenschaft based in Germany is currently planning the Emscher sewer system, arguably the largest residential water management project in Europe in years to come. In 2002, the Emschergenossenschaft engaged the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) in Magdeburg, Germany, as the general contractor to develop automatic inspection and cleaning systems to meet the requirements imposed by legal guidelines. The systems must operate continuously in a sewer line that has diameters ranging from 1400 to 2800 mm and is partially filled, 25% at minimum, all the time. To construct the Emscher sewer system, the Emschergenossenschaft favors a one-pipe line in long sections. A walk-through or inspection by personnel would be impossible in these sections. The Fraunhofer Institute IFF has developed prototypes of all systems for motion through the sewer and all sensor systems, thus achieving a new quality of inspection under these difficult conditions. This article describes significant project results and important components of inspection such as the inspection systems, pipe axis measurement, system positioning and sensor systems for damage detection. Fundamental for the development of the inspection systems are the detail of the inspection that far surpasses the video inspection common today and the capability to take comparative measurements throughout the sewer system's period of operation in order to track the development of damage

The Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) is intensively exploring possibilities for robots to engage in various service tasks, especially fully-automatic systems for facade cleaning. We have already designed and built a variety of different facade cleaning robots and concepts. These robots and concepts are based on various motion systems (i.e. walking mechanisms, wheeled vehicles, balloon-based systems, etc.) that are specially-suited for motion along different building types. This paper gives an overview about different facade cleaning robots developed by the Fraunhofer IFF The facade cleaning robot, SIRIUSc, for use on skyscrapers, the robot to clean the 25,000 m/sup 2/ vaulted glass hall of the Leipzig Trade Fair in Germany, as well as the completed concept for a balloon-based robot for cleaning the inner side of atriums and glass roofs are discussed here. The unique aspects of the main components of these robots will be addressed in particular.