BioRob-Arm: A Quickly Deployable and Intrinsically Safe, Light- Weight Robot Arm for Service Robotics Applications

Using conventional rigid industrial manipulators for service robotics applications typically demands huge efforts for safety measurements resulting in high installation and operation costs. We present how the BioRob robot arm is based on a combination of compliant actuation and lightweight mechanical design to obtain the flexibility, mobility and, most important, the inherent safety properties needed to implement effective and safe service robotics applications. We discuss the sensors and control structure used to damp the oscillations caused by the significant joint compliance of the arm and to obtain the accuracy needed for the intended applications. The concluding example of a typical pick and place application with teaching by manual guidance illustrates the benefits of the BioRob design for service robotics applications.