An integral part of the workforce, industrial robots are transforming factories and manufacturing plants around the globe. These robots are taking on a wide range of tasks, from the monotonous, to the hazardous to the intricate, in support of their human counterparts.
While collaborative robots (cobots) are emerging as key participants in the workplace it is imperative to remember that having humans and robots working in close proximity is not without its challenges, safety being paramount among them.
This paper will focus on cobots and the safety requirements for their applications, with a focus on the following standards and regulations: