Physical Human-Robot Interaction: A Critical Review of Safety Constraints

2026-01-27

AI Summary

This study addresses the limitations of current physical human–robot interaction safety standards, such as ISO/TS 15066, which rely on simplified assumptions without a systematic analysis of their theoretical foundations, underlying premises, or impact on system performance. By modeling safety constraints, conducting energy-based safety analyses, and performing numerical simulations, this work uncovers the implicit assumptions embedded in widely used safety criteria and elucidates their practical consequences, highlighting the central role of energy in safety assessment. The research quantifies the performance degradation induced by oversimplified design choices and introduces tunable parameters to optimize safety-critical control strategies. Furthermore, it offers novel insights into energy-driven safety methodologies, significantly advancing the balance between safety and performance in human–robot collaborative systems.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Human-Robot Interaction
• Natural Language Processing: Safety and Robustness
• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Safety, Robustness & Trustworthiness

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a clear and rigorous understanding of commonly recognized safety constraints in physical human-robot interaction, particularly regarding ISO/TS 15066. We investigate the derivation of these constraints, critically examine the underlying assumptions, and evaluate their practical implications for system-level safety and performance in industrially relevant scenarios. Key design parameters within safety-critical control architectures are identified, and numerical examples are provided to quantify performance degradation arising from typical approximations and design decisions in manufacturing environments. Within this analysis, the fundamental role of energy in safety assessment is emphasized, providing focused insights into energy-based safety methodologies for collaborative industrial robot systems.

Problem

• Physical Human-Robot Interaction
• Safety Constraints
• ISO/TS 15066
• Energy-based Safety
• Simplifying Assumptions

Innovation

• physical human-robot interaction
• safety constraints
• ISO/TS 15066
• energy-based safety
• simplifying assumptions