Intelligent technical systems and the working environment

The main activities in the field of Functional Safety are:

• Testing/certification and research on electronic safety components and control systems (e.g. safety programmable logic controllers, safety systems on robots), safety bus systems and logic units for safety functions
• Development of test specifications and participation on the relevant standards committees, e.g. for electrical/electronic/programmable electronic systems, including safety-related data transmission
• Consulting on and evaluation of collaborative robot workstations
  (e.g. measurement of collision forces and pressures, evaluation of safety concepts)
• Testing/certification, consulting and research on controls for machines and systems, e.g. mobile controls (wireless remote controls), operation by means of touch displays

Links for further information:

• Safe machine operation by tablet and smartphone (Technical information from the IFA)
• Safety of machine control systems in accordance with ISO 13849 (Technical information from the IFA)
• Safety-related application software for machinery - the IFA matrix method (IFA Report 2/2016)
• Raubtiere unter Kontrolle - Innovative Absicherung von Tiergehegen der Sicherheitsstufe III (Predators under control - Innovative safeguarding of animal enclosures of safety level III. (Practical solutions: Machine safety, webpage in German only)

The main activities in the field of safeguards and assistance systems are:

• Testing/certification, consulting and research on assistance systems on machinery, mobile machinery and commercial vehicles, and on electro-sensitive protective equipment (ESPE) such as light barriers, light curtains, laser scanners, ultrasonic, radar and capacitive sensors, transponder technology, camera systems and sensor fusion
• Development of test specifications and participation on the relevant standards committees

Links for further information:

Relationship between the type of electro-sensitive protective equipment and the Safety Integrity Level (SIL)/Performance Level (PL) (Practical solutions: Machine safety)

The main activities in the field of artificial intelligence in functional safety are:

• Research and consulting on the use of systems employing artificial intelligence in the area of functional safety (e.g. image analysis systems for detecting hazardous situations) and on the topic of trustworthy artificial intelligence
• Development of test methods and regulations for the use of AI in machinery, for example as an assistance function
• Participation on the relevant standards committees in the sphere of AI and functional safety, in particular ISO/IEC JTC 1 SC 42 JWG 4, Functional safety and AI systems

The main activities in the field of human-system interaction are:

• Research into and consulting on human factors and ergonomics in safety technology, and on their usability
• Development and completion of studies in AR/VR simulations (e.g. SUTAVE laboratory) and eye tracking systems; completion of research projects
• Projects and consulting on system ergonomics and human machine interface (HMI) design of machinery (including mobile machinery), systems, remote control stations for teleoperation and in control centres, particularly on human-machine interfaces, work equipment and assistance systems
• Development of a website providing an overview of information for the ISSA Section Machine and System Safety with a compilation of requirements and recommendations concerning work system design for machine safety
• Participation on relevant committees for regulation and standardization with reference to human factors and ergonomics