Stereovision safety system for identifying workers' presence: results of tests

This article presents the results of extensive tests of a stereovision safety system performed using real and artificial images. A vision based protective device (VBPD) analyses images from 2 cameras to calculate the position of a worker and moving parts of a machine (e.g., an industrial robot's arm). Experiments show that the stereovision safety system works properly in real time even when subjected to rapid changes in illumination level. Experiments performed with a functional model of an industrial robot indicate that this safety system can be used to detect dangerous situations at workstations equipped with a robot, in human-robot co- operation. Computer-generated artificial images of a workplace simplify and accelerate testing procedures, and make it possible to compare the effectiveness of VBPDs and other protective devices at no additional cost.