Toward Safe and Efficient HRI in Industrial Settings via Distance-Based Speed Limiting and Motion-Level Adaptation

Deploying robots for human-robot interaction (HRI) in industrial settings requires specific considerations for guaranteeing the safety of collaborating humans. In this work, we present a real-time safety system capable of allowing safe HRI with a standard industrial robot at very low distances of separation without the need for robot hardware modification or replacement. In the industrial setting, it is also imperative for the interaction to be efficient and not be stressful or uncomfortable. Toward this goal, we present work on analyzing how utilizing motionlevel robot adaptation affects HRI in a manufacturing task. The results indicate that motion-level adaptation results in improved team fluency, higher satisfaction, and increased perceived safety and comfort.