SBIR Phase I: Programmable Three-Dimensional (3D) Light Curtains for Enhanced Human-Robot Collaboration

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to improve the efficiency and safety of human-robot collaboration with a new type of three-dimensional (3D) sensor. As labor shortages stress supply chains, companies are rapidly adopting robotic solutions to try and reduce time delays in obtaining materials. Whereas robots of the past typically operated by themselves, the proposed robots work collaboratively with humans to perform complicated tasks. Human workers can then transition to higher-skill positions where they can assist in the more intricate aspects of a task, while robots perform the dull and monotonous operations. The new applications are enabled by close interactions between robots and humans. Where physical barriers were once used to guarantee separation and safety, sensors now detect people and ensure human-robot interactions are safe. Despite the broad use of 3D sensors in many other areas of robotics, low-resolution and processing requirements force most safety applications to use the same fundamental 2D sensor technology that have been employed for decades. Since 2D technology cannot provide 3D protection, safety buffers are added, and human-robot collaboration is limited. New safety-sensors that provide 3D coverage will enable improved collaboration and efficiency in robotic applications throughout global supply chains.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to commercialize 3D light curtain safety sensors that have potential for use in autonomous systems and human-robot interactions. The core technology is a software-defined 3D sensor that senses specific 3D surfaces upon request. Instead of sensing an entire 3D volume like most sensors on the market today, these sensors monitor a single requested 3D surface within the specified volume. For 3D safety sensing, this approach allows users to adaptively program specific 3D safety boundaries around robots and humans. This removes the complex 3D processing required by other sensors and replaces it with a simple detection task similar to how existing 2D safety-sensors work. The proposed research may advance the applicability of the 3D light curtain technology to tasks in agile manufacturing and co-bots, potentially improving safety and efficiency in factories. The objectives of this work are to improve detection capabilities, increase field-of-view, and advance product readiness with customer-guided testing. Research will include iterative simulation, prototyping, and characterization of potential optical and photonic configurations to achieve these goals.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.