For the risk assessment of a workplace with Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC), the forces and pressures occurring there must be determined on so-called biofidel test devices and then compared with the permissible biomechanical threshold values – a biofidel measurement principle. Biofidel dummies are generally known from crash tests in the automotive industry. They have human-like characteristics in terms of collision behaviour. For human-robot collaboration, GTE Industrieelektronik GmbH developed the biofidel CoboSafe measurement system. Here, the typical hazards that persons may be exposed to at the workplace are accounted for, including bumping, pressing, squeezing, clamping, etc.

Various deformation components such as the springs and damping elements from the CoboSafe system replicate the characteristics of the human body and its reactions during measurement at the appropriate points. CoboSafe is thus “biofidel” (similar to the human body) and provides realistic collision scenarios. Depending on which body parts are at risk from collisions, in the case of linear deformations springs (K2) are available for the force gauges, and as a further accessory, damping elements (K1). Correctly combined, both reproduce the deformation behavior of almost all relevant body parts. Correction functions can also be applied via software to account for the damping effect of the body inertia and the collision speed.