A Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) risk assessment template for collaborative robot

Collaborative robots are advanced Industry 4.0 systems that have changed the role of humans in the operations system. Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) are a major safety concern. Robot integrators must conduct a risk assessment to demonstrate that collaborative tasks can be performed safely. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15066 proposes guidelines for implementing a cobot system and the related collaborative workspace. Different techniques have been proposed in the literature to conduct risk assessments for collaborative robots. However, there is still no practical, easy-to-use tool to assist practitioners in the early stages of risk assessment. Furthermore, the security of these systems is almost always focused on the technological aspects involved in the interaction in order to safeguard the operator, demonstrating a lack of consideration of other factors involved, such as psychosocial ones. This research work aims to build a preliminary Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) risk assessment template containing the potential failure modes from which cobot integrators and practitioners can start to conduct the risk analysis of the collaborative robot system. The importance of considering more than only technological variables is highlighted by dividing the template into classes, each relating to a fundamental aspect of HRI.