Workspace Sharing in Mobile Manipulation

Mobile manipulators, defined here as a combination of an autonomously-guided mobile robotic platform together with a robotic manipulator, often operate in workspaces shared by humans. After a brief introduction to this type of robot, this chapter focuses on safety challenges due to the combination of mobility with manipulation capabilities in a shared human-robot workspace. Using examples from typical applications featuring mobile manipulators and considering both the state of the art and current research, relevant standards, typical hazards, and means of risk mitigation are identified and explained. In particular, special challenges arising from mobility and inconsistencies in standardization are discussed.