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Abstract— In situations where robots share their workspace with humans, and where physical human-robot interaction is possible or even necessary, safety is of paramount importance. Low weight and passive compliance are often considered important aspects contributing to robot safety.
In this paper, the role of passive compliance is investigated with respect to the safety of a 2-DOF pneumatically actuated arm. By combining measurements and impact simulations, the safety of the system is evaluated for a wide range of joint stiffnesses.
It turns out that passive compliance plays a double role: it improves safety in some impact situations, but its capacity to store energy can also be dangerous.