An evaluation of machine guarding techniques for robot guarding
Abstract An increasing number of problems caused by the use of industrial robots should be expected due to the dramatically increasing population of robots today. In this paper, machine guarding functions and techniques are reviewed. The possibilities of transferring the concepts of machine guarding to robotic systems are then analyzed. The analysis shows that most of the guarding techniques are still applicable to industrial robots with modifications to accommodate differences. A set of guidelines for installing safeguarding devices is also presented. Research is need in the areas of guarding techniques for robotic cells, new sensor development, and sensor reliability, fusion, and coordination problems.
Design for robotic cell safety
Abstract A robot usually works with other machines in a manufacturing cell. Thus, when considering safety, attention should be given not only to the individual machines and robots, but also to their interactions during job processing. This Technical Note presents the six severity level design (SSLD) concept for designing a safe manufacturing cell. This design philosophy integrates guarding techniques with control actions, considers both production needs and safety concerns, and interfaces machine functions with process requirements. This philosophy is implemented in an unmanned manufacturing cell that makes a family of parts. The advantage to using the system designed here is that it provides maximum protection to the operators, while causing minimum interruption in production. Future research needs in the areas of sensor reliability, system integration, and training are also discussed.
The Categorical Stability of Gambling Motives Among Community-Recruited Gamblers: A Longitudinal Assessment
Over the past decade, several motivational models have been proposed to explain the role of motives in gambling disorder. In the model captured by the four-factor Gambling Motives Questionnaire Financial (GMQ-F), gamblers are described as being primarily motivated to gamble for ‘coping’, ‘enhancement’, ‘social’, and ‘financial’ reasons. Although this model has received significant empirical support; to date, research assessing the role of motives in gambling disorder has been primarily cross-sectional in nature. Thus, the extent to which gambling motives remain stable over time has yet to be explored. In the current study, the stability versus fluidity of self-assessed gambling motives was investigated using the Quinte Longitudinal Study, a longitudinal dataset of gambling behaviour collected over 5 years. Gambling motives of 2795 gamblers were examined over all five annual assessments. The total proportion of gamblers who stayed in the same primary motive category across each of the 5 consecutive assessments was 22%, indicating substantial fluidity in category membership. Substantial movement between categories was seen for each GMQ-F group, as well as an additional group of non-classified motives. Logistic regression analyses suggest that greater resistance to gambling fallacies significantly predicted stability between the baseline assessment and a follow-up 1 year later, but gambling severity did not. Potential limitations in the study design and opportunities for future research are discussed.