Designing service/care robot
Pauli Isoaho · Theseus (Ammattikorkeakoulujen) · 2016
Abstract Designing a service/care robot differs a lot from designing an industrial robot. The main reason for this is that service/care robot interacts with a human, industrial robots not. Service/care robots work for a human. Security in service/care robot design is the most important design aspect. A robot needs to be both actively and passively safe. Actively safety means that the robot’s own movements cannot create dangerous situations. This can be achieved with an active or passive sensor. Active sensors, like sonar, scan the environment and stop the robot if something crosses a trigger zone. Passive sensors, like micro switch at robot feet, are triggered when some external force is used against them. Passive safety means that, for example, if a robot falls, it does not hurt people. This can be achieved with careful mechanical design. Failsafe mode is also needed in all service/care robots. Failsafe mode means that if a robot faces a situation where it does not know what to do, it should stop all movement and switch off. Usability is another key area for service/robot design. Usability means that a robot is easy to use, its controls are intuitive and interaction with human is errorless. Without good usability, a robot will end up in robot graveyard. The key to achieving good usability is to involve both the end user and domain experts in all design phases. Designing a service/care robot requires a multitalented team. This is also were it differs most from designing an industrial robot. Industrial robot design team consists mainly of engineers, but in service/care robot design, a psychologist, linguist and designers are also involved. The service and care robot market is growing fastest of all robot domains. Still no one has created a multipurpose, affordable robot. Finnish companies can still enter the market and create a robot which could be used worldwide.