Detection of human presence integrated into a manipulator robot

To be safe, collaborative robots must be able to detect human presence in their workspace. Different technologies exist to detect intrusions within a predetermined perimeter (physical barriers with switches, light curtains, etc.). However, these technologies require considerable modifications to the workspace, thus hampering their integration. We propose to integrate this functionality into a collaborative robot manipulator in order to minimize the necessary modifications to the workspace and thus reduce the costs of its integration. We will explore the various existing sensing technologies (laser, ultrasound, vision, etc.) to determine which sensors are able to meet existing detection standards (for example, ISO 13849 cat. 3 level D). The complete system will be demonstrated on a robot integrating the selected sensors and an on-board processing system that will be able to modulate the speed and trajectory of the robot according to the human presence in its workspace.

Faculty Supervisor:

François Ferland;Alexandre Girard

Student:

Partner:

Kinova Robotics

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Université de Sherbrooke

Program: