Safeguarding collaborative mobile manipulators - evaluation of the VALERI workspace monitoring system

The project VALERI focused on the validation of mobile manipulators for use in aerospace production. This paper focuses on the development and application of a 2 ½ D workspace monitoring system for safeguarding tools when working in close proximity to human operators. Following a brief overview of the set-up and operational principles of the workspace monitoring system, we will detail the assumptions made in the risk assessment and the methods used to minimize the size of the necessary protective distance. An experimental validation and an outlook for future work will also be described in this contribution.