Robot Safety for (Not) Dummies

A friendly, no-fluff guide for anyone working near robots (or thinking about it).

Jun 13, 2025

“Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands.” — Jeff Cooper

A few weeks ago, at a robotics conference packed with demos, pilots, and pitches, a young engineer walked up to me during a break and said, “I wish someone would just put out a Robot Safety for Dummies book, so I’d at least know where to start.”

He wasn’t joking.

And honestly? He’s not alone. As robots move from research labs and factory cells into hospitals, warehouses, and even sidewalks, we’re seeing more people, not all engineers, working directly alongside autonomous systems. Yet most haven’t been trained in what not to do around robots. And when it comes to robot safety, ignorance isn’t just risky, it’s dangerous.

So, consider this your unofficial, unapologetic, beginner-friendly guide to robot safety basics. Whether you’re writing code, unpacking a pallet, or just walking through the shop floor, here’s what you need to know to stay safe (and keep your coworkers safe too).

Why Robot Safety Matters (Besides the Obvious)

The goal of robot safety isn't just to prevent freak accidents or malfunctioning machines; it’s to create environments where humans and robots can work together without harm. This means integrating safety from the ground up: physically with barriers and sensors, digitally through software safeguards and fail-safes, and behaviorally by training people to recognize and respond to risks. Robot safety isn’t a checklist; it’s a mindset.

Too often, people assume that because a robot “looks safe” or “has sensors,” it won’t cause harm. But robots don’t have instincts. They don’t know you’re tired, distracted, or reaching for a wrench. They only do what they’re programmed to do—or what their sensors and code determine is the right move at that moment.

Here’s the thing: even a slow-moving robot with just 10 pounds of force can pinch, bruise, or break. Imagine your hand caught between a robot and a hard surface; safety gloves won’t help much. Now picture a fast-moving robot arm swinging through its routine with 100 pounds of force and no awareness that you're standing a few inches closer than yesterday.

That’s why safety isn’t just about emergency stops and light curtains; it’s about anticipating the unexpected, respecting the power behind the machine, and never letting your guard down just because the robot “looks friendly."

Bottom line: assume every robot has the potential to hurt you if you don’t treat it with care, because it does.

Golden Rule #1: Know Thy Robot

Not all robots are created equal. Some are caged industrial arms doing repetitive welds at high speed. Others are mobile units navigating hospital corridors, or humanoid prototypes still figuring out how not to trip over their own feet. The safety considerations change drastically depending on the type, speed, size, and intelligence of the system you're working with.

Before you interact with any robot, ask yourself:

Is this a collaborative application designed to operate safely near humans?
Does it have force or torque sensors that can detect and react to physical contact?
Is it fixed in place or mobile? How does that change the safety?
Does it have vision, LiDAR, or proximity detection, or is it operating blind?
What’s its default behavior if something goes wrong—does it stop, freeze, back up, or keep going?

If you don’t know the answers to these, ask someone who does. Or better yet, check the manual. Seriously. The manual is your friend.

Golden Rule #2: Never Trust a Robot

We love robots. But never, ever assume a robot will behave perfectly—because it won’t. Treat them like toddlers with superhuman strength and no spatial awareness, running on lines of code that might not account for the unexpected coffee cup you left on the table.

Even the most advanced systems can misread inputs, glitch mid-task, or not realize you’re standing a little too close. Just because it worked fine yesterday doesn't mean it's safe today.

Here are some common (and dangerous) missteps to avoid:

Never reach into a robot’s work envelope unless it’s completely powered down, locked out, and tagged appropriately. A paused robot is still a powered robot; it could restart at any moment.
Don’t stand between a robot and its intended destination, especially with mobile units like autonomous carts or AMRs. They might not see you as an obstacle, or they might, but it could be too late.
Don’t try to “catch” a robot if it tips, trips, or veers off path. It might look like a toaster on wheels, but it could weigh 300 pounds. You will lose that battle.
Don’t override, tape over, or disable emergency stop systems unless you are 100% trained, authorized, and ready to own the consequences. Those systems exist for a reason, and bypassing them is a fast track to someone getting hurt.

Bottom line: even when they seem slow, smart, or "safe," robots don’t have common sense, so you have to bring yours.

What Not to Do: A Quick List

Let’s make this painfully clear: Robot safety is not the area for improvisation. If you find yourself engaging in any of the following behaviors, stop, rethink, and back away slowly… because you’re heading straight for an incident report (or worse).

Here are several significant, flashing red flag behaviors:

❌ Working on or around a robot without a proper safety briefing – If you haven’t been trained, you shouldn’t be there. Period. Even familiar robots can exhibit different behavior after updates, reprogramming, or hardware modifications.

❌ Disabling interlocks or safety sensors to “speed things up” – Safety devices aren’t optional accessories. They’re required by law in most countries and for good reason: they’re there to protect people, not slow down production.

❌ Assuming the robot knows you're there – Most robots don’t have object recognition advanced enough to detect a person in their space, and even those that do can still miss you if you're outside their detection zone or partially obstructed.

❌ Using your body to test proximity, pressure, or speed limits – This isn’t a trust fall exercise. You are not the test subject. There are calibrated tools and procedures for that. Use them.

❌ Forgetting that software bugs can cause physical harm – Robots run on code. And just like your favorite app crashes now and then, a poorly tested update or hardware glitch can result in unpredictable motion, missed stops, or unintended behavior.

The takeaway: robots don’t need to be malicious to hurt you. They just need a faulty sensor reading, a software glitch, or a missed check in the safety chain. That’s all it takes. So don’t tempt fate. Stick to the protocol, your fingers will thank you.

What To Do Instead

So now that we've covered what not to do, let's flip the script.

Robot safety isn’t just about avoiding mistakes. It’s about actively creating a safer environment for everyone around the system. Whether you're a technician, operator, engineer, or the curious person who happens to share workspace with a robot, here are some fundamentals you can start doing right now to raise your safety game.

These aren’t just best practices, they're non-negotiables for anyone serious about staying safe in an automated world:

✅ Learn the stop buttons – Locate and test all emergency stops before any operation begins. Know which ones are local, which ones cut power globally, and make sure they’re clearly labeled and never obstructed by tools, bins, or wires. When something goes wrong, seconds matter.

✅ Read the robot's risk assessment – Every robot system should have a documented analysis of potential hazards and the measures used to mitigate them. This includes information on pinch points, force limits, fallback behaviors, and safety-rated control systems. If you can’t find the risk assessment, that’s a major red flag! Bring it up immediately.

✅ Attend safety training – Not once. Not “that one time at onboarding.” Every time something changes, you should get refreshed: new equipment, updated software, modified workflows, and so on. Safety isn’t static—neither is your workplace.

✅ Follow lockout/tagout procedures – No matter how “quick” the job is or how many times you’ve done it before, this procedure is the line between routine maintenance and a trip to the ER. Power must be entirely disconnected and secured before working on or inside a robot system. No shortcuts.

✅ Speak up – If something feels off, sounds wrong, or gives you a bad gut feeling, say something. You don't need a title or certification to recognize that a situation might be unsafe. And more often than not, that quiet hunch is precisely what prevents an injury.

Following these steps doesn’t make you paranoid; it makes you prepared. In fact, the best robot operators and engineers I know don’t just tolerate safety protocols - they champion them. Why? Because they understand that no task is important enough to risk a life or limb. And when it comes to robots, what you don’t know or what you don’t respect can hurt you.

Remember: you’re not just protecting yourself, you’re setting the standard for everyone else around you. Be the person others can count on to do it the right way, not the fast way.

Speaking of Standards….

Okay, let’s discuss standards and please don’t nod off now. This isn’t the dull part of the conversation; it’s the basis for conducting robotics safely and legally. You don’t need to memorize every clause of ISO 10218 or ANSI/RIA R15.06, but you definitely need to know they exist, what they cover, and how they relate to your robot systems.

These standards lay the foundation for safe robot design, integration, and operation, particularly in industrial and collaborative environments. Here’s a quick overview of some that you should at least keep in mind:

ISO 10218 (Parts 1 & 2) – These define general safety requirements for industrial robots and robotic systems. They cover topics such as design requirements, risk assessment, system integration, and safeguarding.
ANSI/RIA R15.06 – The U.S. adaptation of ISO 10218, tailored for American workplaces. If you're operating in the States, this is the go-to safety standard.
ISO/TS 15066 – This one’s a big deal for collaborative applications. It delves into the human side of safety, including force thresholds for contact, acceptable pain limits (yes, that’s a real thing), and how to ensure that cobots can safely coexist with people.
Other emerging standards – As robots leave factories and enter hospitals, warehouses, and public spaces, various other standards (such as ASTM, UL, or IEC frameworks) are rapidly evolving to address new risks.

These guidelines aren’t academic. They exist to assist designers, engineers, and operators in identifying risks before something goes wrong and to ensure that safeguards are in place if something still does.

And here’s something critical if you’re in the U.S.: while OSHA doesn’t yet have robot-specific standards, that doesn’t mean you're off the hook. OSHA expects employers to follow recognized industry standards, and yes, they will cite you under the General Duty Clause if someone gets hurt and you weren’t following best practices, even if there’s no robot-specific regulation in the CFR.

So, whether you're integrating your first cobot or managing a warehouse full of AMRs, standards aren’t red tape; they’re your playbook for doing it right. Learn them. Use them. And ensure your team does too. Because when it comes to robot safety, ignorance isn’t just risky—it’s reportable.

Culture > Compliance

Here's a secret: the best safety cultures don’t rely on checklists or audits. They’re built on shared responsibility and constant communication. Everyone, from engineers to janitors, has a role to play in robot safety.

When someone says, “Hey, that doesn’t look right,” they should be thanked, not ignored. When a robot is moved or reprogrammed, everyone working nearby should be notified.

Robots evolve. So should your safety practices.

The Future Is Autonomous. Your Safety Isn’t.

Robot deployments are accelerating quickly—quicker than many workplaces can adapt. One day you’re pushing carts, the next you’re dodging autonomous mobile robots on your way to the breakroom. From factories to fulfillment centers to hospital corridors, robots are appearing in places we never expected—and often faster than safety cultures can keep up.

And sure, today’s robots are equipped with sensors, cameras, AI, and machine learning models that can detect obstacles, map environments, and even make decisions. But you know what none of them possess? Common sense. Human intuition. Situational awareness. The ability to say, “Hmm… this feels off.”

That’s your job.

In this new age of automation, robot safety isn’t just for the engineers in the control room. It’s for everyone - operators, technicians, managers, janitors, visitors, and even the person refilling the vending machine. Safety is a team sport, and the goal is simple: ensure that everyone goes home intact, every shift, every time.

So, to the young engineer who asked me for Robot Safety for Dummies, here it is. Perhaps not a book with a yellow cover and a cartoon mascot, but definitely a place to start.

You don’t need to memorize every standard. You don’t need to fear the robot. But you do need to respect the system, acknowledge the risks, and, most importantly, respect the people working around it.

Because the best robot deployments aren’t just innovative or efficient, they’re the safe ones. And that starts with you.

Now go out there, build great things, and keep your fingers out of the danger zone.

Robot News Of The Week

Gecko Robotics raises $125 million in deal valuing critical infrastructure startup over $1 billion

Gecko Robotics has raised $125 million in Series D funding, bringing its valuation to $1.25 billion and earning it unicorn status. Known for using AI-powered robots to inspect critical infrastructure, the Pittsburgh-based company serves sectors like defense, energy, and manufacturing, including clients such as the U.S. Navy, L3Harris, and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Founded by Jake Loosararian, Gecko’s robots—able to climb, fly, and swim—collect structural data that is analyzed by its AI platform, Cantilever, to optimize and maintain vital assets. The company has now raised a total of $347 million, with this round led by Cox Enterprises.

The funding will fuel Gecko’s expansion into infrastructure modernization and support its mission to improve safety and efficiency across critical systems.

Wandercraft raises $75M to scale exoskeletons, humanoids

French robotics company Wandercraft has raised $75 million in Series D funding to support the commercialization of its Eve personal exoskeleton by 2026, expand clinical use of its Atalante X rehab system, and advance development of its Calvin-40 humanoid robot.

The Eve exoskeleton, designed to restore upright mobility for people with spinal cord injuries, is undergoing clinical trials in New York and New Jersey. It also gained visibility during the 2024 Olympics torch relay.

Renault Group, a key investor and partner, will help Wandercraft scale production. The Calvin-40 humanoid is built for industrial tasks and leverages NVIDIA Isaac AI technologies.

Coco Robotics Raises $80M to Expand Autonomous Delivery and AI Platform

Coco Robotics has raised $80 million in new funding to scale its AI-driven autonomous delivery fleet, expand globally, and grow enterprise partnerships. Backers include returning investors Sam and Max Altman, and new supporters like Ryan Graves, former Uber exec.

Having completed over 500,000 zero-emission deliveries in cities like L.A., Chicago, Miami, and Helsinki, Coco plans to deploy thousands of vehicles by the end of 2025, aiming to operate the largest autonomous fleet worldwide.

CEO Zach Rash emphasized Coco’s capital-efficient, scalable approach, with existing partners like Uber and DoorDash, positioning the company as a leader in urban logistics innovation.

Robot Research In The News

Training robots without robots: Smart glasses capture first-person task demos

To help robots perform everyday tasks like cooking and cleaning, researchers at NYU and UC Berkeley developed EgoZero, a system that uses Meta’s Project Aria smart glasses to record first-person videos of humans doing manual tasks. These videos are then used to train robots—without needing robot-collected data.

Unlike previous methods requiring complex camera setups or motion trackers, EgoZero captures 3D data using only the smart glasses, making it easier and faster to collect training demonstrations. In tests, a robotic arm trained with EgoZero successfully completed household tasks with minimal training.

The system could significantly accelerate robot learning and deployment in homes and offices. The code is open-source and available on GitHub.

Scientists develop electronic skin to give robots the feeling of human touch

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and UCL have developed a robotic skin that mimics human touch. Worn like a glove on robot hands, it can detect 860,000 types of touch using a single material and machine learning.

Though not yet as sensitive as human skin, it outperforms existing tech in versatility and ease of manufacturing. The team plans to further refine the skin for more realistic applications.

Robot Workforce Story Of The Week

New $22.2M joint robotics, space science facility planned at Columbus State

Columbus State University (CSU) is set to launch planning for a $22.2 million advanced technologies center on its Main Campus, funded in part by Georgia’s FY 2026 budget. This marks CSU’s first state-funded academic building in over 20 years and will house the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and support its rapidly growing robotics engineering program.

The 36,000-square-foot facility will include state-of-the-art labs, STEM education space, and serve as a regional hub for robotics innovation and workforce development. It will also expand CSU’s partnerships with local schools and Fort Benning.

Funding includes $12.2 million from the state, with the remainder from private donors, federal support, and local SPLOST funds. A construction timeline has not yet been announced.

Robot Video Of The Week

Boston Dynamics showcases five of their four-legged robots on the AGT stage! Dancing perfectly in sync to "Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, the performance leaves the judges in awe, stating they’ve never seen anything like it in 20 seasons.