In the research project "Digital hazard prevention for collaborative robot workstations using a web-based planning aid", or Cobot Planner for short, the Fraunhofer IFF has developed a web-based planning aid on behalf of the Berufsgenossenschaft Holz und Metall (BGHM) to improve occupational safety when designing collaborative robots. "The Cobot Planner shows the programmer at which speeds safe operation of a human-robot collaboration is possible, especially when humans and robots can touch each other," says project manager Dr. Roland Behrens from the Fraunhofer IFF.

For collaborative robots, it was previously only possible to determine the maximum speeds that could be reached with the help of a metrological risk assessment. This involves using a force and pressure measuring device to check whether the robot complies with the biomechanical limit values from ISO/TS 15066 in the event of a collision with a human. To do this, the robot system must be fully assembled and programmed. "If these necessary adjustments to the system are not carried out during operation, this poses a serious risk to the health and safety of employees," says Dr. Matthias Umbreit from the BGHM in Mainz, who initiated the Cobot Planner research project. The planner is intended to avoid this risk and support the safe design of human-robot collaborations (HRC) - right from the planning phase.

"The Cobot Planner is an ideal and modern tool for BGHM member companies. Tests in various companies have already shown this," says Erik Sebastian, who led the project on behalf of the BGHM. The application can be useful not only for operators of workplaces with HRC, as Erik Sebastian explains: "Occupational safety specialists can also use it for risk assessment, for example."

Users describe their robot systems and collision hazards in three steps via the intuitive user interface. The planner then simulates the hazardous situations and determines the maximum permissible speeds. The technological basis is formed by various models that simulate the effect of contact between humans and robots. The Cobot Planner is designed as a free, interactive web application.