Response must distinguish accidental intrusion from authorized collaborative entry

What it is

Mode-aware workspace entry handling treats unplanned boundary crossing and authorized entry under collaborative conditions as different safety states. The former invokes conservative protection; the latter permits limited collaboration only while identity, task, zone, motion mode, and protective functions satisfy declared conditions.

Why it happens

Presence sensing observes a person but ordinarily cannot infer authorization or intent from location alone. Authorization therefore comes from an auditable mode transition or permit chain, not recognition of a familiar face. Collaborative entry changes the permissible motion envelope rather than disabling protection. Desynchronization among mode, human position, and safety functions can misclassify hazardous entry as routine work.

Studying it

Scenarios can include surprise intrusion, valid entry, expired authorization, wrong-zone entry, and communication loss. Outcomes include unsafe acceptance, nuisance stop, mode comprehension, completion time, and recovery. Controller mode, permit state, protective zones, and displayed state must all be logged, including display-backend disagreement.

Where it stops holding

Authentication does not show that a person understands the hazard or that the robot is currently safe. Training, work authorization, and machine safeguarding serve distinct roles. Visitors, contractors, and people unable to use the usual credential need an equivalent safe path rather than pressure to bypass access controls.

Applying it

• Authorize collaborative entry through an explicit request-confirm-restricted-mode handshake bounded to person, zone, task, and time.
• Maintain localization, speed or force limits, and reachable stop throughout entry; loss of any condition returns to a conservative state.
• Rehearse intrusion, tailgating, stale permits, wrong stations, and network loss, ensuring familiarity alone never permits motion.

Related

• Same group: X5.05.1 Detecting a person in the workspace requires immediate slowing or stopping · X5.05.3 Normal speed must resume only after confirming that the person has fully left or is safely separated · X5.05.4 Frequent false stops encourage operators to bypass safeguards
• Adjacent: X4.06 Explicit transfer of control · X5.02 Movement through shared spaces
• Search terms: collaborative operation · mode selection · authorized access