Mr. Pilz, what exactly is behind the step mat concept that Pilz will be presenting for the first time in Munich?
Pilz: In a research project, the Fraunhofer IFF has shown that a textile protective skin for robots improves the possibilities of human-robot collaboration. Pilz has taken up the underlying technology of spatial resolution with the aim of bringing it to market maturity in the form of the step mat.

What distinguishes the Pilz approach from existing step mats, which are already available on the market in various designs?
Pilz: From the outside, the step mat looks like any other. The innovative thing about our mat made of textile fabric is that the sensitive layer is on the inside. This makes it possible to integrate spatial resolution into the mat itself. The correct positioning of the buttons is defined in dialog with the user.

The system can be further developed so that the direction of movement of objects or people can be displayed thanks to spatial resolution or - as initially demonstrated at the IFF - the robot can be covered with a textile fabric. As with any textile, our product will be ready-made off the shelf, while spatial resolution will be developed as a customized solution in dialogue with the machine manufacturer.

How is the tread mat integrated into the machine in terms of control technology - is the use of a Pilz control system mandatory here?
Pilz: The integration takes place via the OSSD interface as with a light barrier, so a Pilz control system is not absolutely necessary. However, a system solution from Pilz with sensor and controller is necessary for the spatial resolution.

Ten years ago, Pilz introduced the so-called SafetyEye - a sensor concept based on camera-based image processing - with the aim of doing away with bulky safety guards. How has the topic developed to date and how many units are currently in industrial use?
Pilz: SafetyEye solutions are now in use worldwide - for example in the automotive industry, in the aviation industry and in robot applications. In terms of unit numbers, however, the safe 3D camera system has developed moderately during this time, with around 100 systems per year - the product was simply ahead of its time. The benefits of the SafetyEye are only now being felt on the factory floor thanks to the topics of HRC and Industry 4.0, which incidentally had an extremely positive impact on sales figures in the first quarter. This is because the camera system puts the safe robot controller into HRC mode, so to speak, when a human approaches. This means that the robot does not have to be stopped 'hard' immediately in the event of a safety zone violation. Or to put it another way: If there is no human within the robot's radius of action, the robot's working speed and therefore the productivity of the process is increased thanks to SafetyEye.

There is currently a lot of discussion about cooperation between humans and robotics and there are already various pilot applications. However, in these applications, the robot usually moves so slowly that it is often questionable whether it can be used economically. What do you think about this issue?
Pilz: The appropriate cycle time is indeed crucial when implementing an application. This can initially give the impression that HRC is not worthwhile. This is precisely why systems like SafetyEye make sense.

Another current topic in the context of 'Robotics 4.0' is autonomously operating or maneuvering systems in the factory. How realistic are such scenarios from a safety perspective?
Pilz: Contrary to what is often proclaimed in discussions about Industry 4.0, I see autonomous driving more in road traffic than on factory floors. Nevertheless, there is already a significant market for driverless transportation systems. In this respect, I believe that autonomous systems could well become established - provided that the challenges of power supply and adherence to schedules at stops are solved.

In terms of standards, there is already a comprehensive set of standards for AGVs. However, this is not coordinated with the standards in the area of collaborative robotics. There is a need for synchronization here in order to eliminate the grey areas.