When humans and industrial robots operate in the same environment, high safety standards are essential to prevent accidents. Safety has therefore been a key focus of an AAU-led research project aimed at expanding the use of robots in production environments. Led by Professor Preben Mogensen, the project has now implemented an additional safety system developed by Ambolt AI.
The idea is simple: robots should move carefully when people are nearby. When the area is clear of people, they can speed up. This increases efficiency—but must never compromise safety. To ensure this, the system includes two separate positioning systems for added security.
The primary system requires all personnel in the production area to wear a radio tag. If someone forgets their tag or the tag isn’t read correctly, the backup safety system developed by Ambolt AI kicks in.
Only Positions Are Stored
The backup system is based on computer vision with camera-based solutions. It’s trained to detect humans, but no images are stored. Only the position is recorded—and only while the person is inside the work area. No personally identifiable data is saved.
To detect people in the area, the system uses an object detector trained specifically to identify humans. Once a person is detected, the system assumes the bottom of the bounding box represents where their feet meet the floor—this becomes the reference point for positioning.
Their position is then converted into coordinates and compared to the primary system. If both systems detect a person in the same location, everything proceeds as normal. If the secondary system detects someone not registered by the primary system, an alarm is triggered to initiate action.
Making Robot Use as Simple as Plug-and-Play
To truly expand the use of robots in production, the implementation must be as simple as buying a consumer product and pressing “Start.” That’s the overarching goal of the research project led by Aalborg University and Professor Preben Mogensen.
Project Facts
Innovation Fund Denmark Investment: DKK 30 million
Total Budget: DKK 52 million
Duration: 3 years
Official Title: 5G-Robot – 5G Enabled Autonomous Mobile Robotic Systems
Technology Partners
MIR (Mobile Industrial Robots A/S) and UR (Universal Robots) – leaders in mobile robots and robotic arms
Intelligent Systems and Technicon – leading in digital industrial automation and system integration
5G Technology provided by Telenor and Nokia
Industrial End Users
Novo Nordisk A/S
GRUNDFOS Holding A/S
Danfoss A/S
LEGO System A/S