What distinguishes collaborative robots (cobots) from traditional industrial robots in terms of safety requirements?

• A. Cobots require no safety measures beyond traditional robots.
• B. Cobots are designed to operate in close human collaboration with built-in safety features; risk assessment and safeguarding are required, but ISO/TS 15066 for collaborative operations.
• C. Cobots are always fully autonomous with no safety features.
• D. Cobots are prohibited from working near humans.

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is that collaborating robots are designed to work in close contact with people and must have safety features built in, plus formal risk assessment and safeguarding. Cobots are engineered with protective measures that allow safe shared workspaces—things like limiting the force and speed of the robot, monitoring the human’s position to keep a safe separation, and modes that make it easy to guide or interact with the robot without creating hazards. Because humans may be in the work area, a formal risk assessment is required to identify hazards, set the appropriate protective measures, and document how safety is maintained during operation. ISO/TS 15066 provides guidance specifically for collaborative operations, detailing how to assess risks, determine suitable operating modes, and implement safeguards so humans and robots can work together safely. This is a distinct approach from traditional robots, which are typically isolated from human workers and rely more on physical barriers than integrated collaborative safety features.