SYSGO, NexCobot, Vectioneer, and Intel develop safe Cobot solution

Cobots are collaborative robots that work hand in hand with humans in factories and must therefore meet the highest functional safety requirements. The demonstration at embedded world will illustrate robotic versatility in safety-critical areas. This IIoT virtual robot solution comprises among other things, laser scanners for real-time obstacle avoidance and smart wheel systems for adaptive mobility. Displayed via an on-screen virtual robot and managed through an EtherCAT-enabled Linux system, this demonstration highlights the integration of safety and efficiency in modern industrial IoT environments.

This solution can be used in the automotive industry, for example, to attach modules such as doors to the chassis. The demonstrator operates Vectioneer’s MotorCortex app, which enables the safe operation of robots and can be built quickly for a fast time-to-market. A safety monitoring unit surveys the entire robot system. A virtual safety zone around the robot observes if a person enters the zone. If so, the system goes into idle mode instantly. The applications are safely and securely separated in time and space so that interference cannot appear, thus consolidating hardware.

The solution is based on NexCOBOT’s SCB 100 platform which utilises the Intel Atom x6427FE Processor, a multicore System on Chip designed to address Functional Safety needs thanks to the Intel Silicon Integrity Technology and its related safety package.

This platform is especially suited for embedded robotic solutions as it fulfils requirements up to SIL 2 according to IEC 61508 and up to Cat. 3 PL d according to ISO 13849. The software foundation is the hypervisor and real-time operating system PikeOS which is safety-certified according to IEC 61508 at SIL 4 and many other industry standards. The secure foundation is provided by PikeOS’ security architecture that is certified at the very high level EAL 5+ according to Common Criteria.

“This solution will open a new chapter in robot-human interaction, and we are very proud to provide the hardware platform. The SCB 100 is well-suited to build safe robotic control and motion control systems,” says Jenny Shern, General Manager at NexCOBOT. "The technology we have created in this team will not only provide a very efficient solution for Cobots, we also see many more applications where more complex safety systems are desired, such as in medical or aerospace applications," says Philippe Piatkiewitz, CEO at Vectioneer. “Great to see the joint partner effort come into an innovative industrial solution with underlying PikeOS proving its versatility and usability in functional safety and in critical environments,” says Etienne Butery, CEO at SYSGO.