FENCELESS SAFETY FOR
MODERN ROBOT CELLS
If your process depends on frequent changeovers, mixed traffic, AMRs, or shared human-robot work, physical fencing and fixed zones often force a tradeoff between safety and productivity. Our approach replaces rigid boundaries with configurable, validated virtual safety behavior aligned to your real operating states.
SENSOR-BASED PROTECTION FOR MODERN MANUFACTURING
Fenceless robot safety is the practice of protecting workers in shared human-robot environments using sensor-based detection rather than physical barriers. Instead of hard guarding, light curtains, or safety fencing, a fenceless system continuously monitors the workspace in three dimensions — detecting human presence, measuring proximity, and directing the robot to slow, stop, or hold based on where people actually are. The SR-1 uses 3D time-of-flight sensing to create detection zones that move with the operation, allowing robots to run at full speed when the area is clear and respond in real time when it is not. The result is a safety architecture that meets ISO 10218, ANSI/RIA R15.06, and PLd Category 3 requirements — without confining workers, limiting access, or reducing productivity when conditions change.
HOW SENSOR-BASED FENCELESS SAFETY WORKS
The SR-1 uses 3D time-of-flight (ToF) sensing to build a real-time volumetric picture of the workspace. Unlike 2D laser scanners that detect objects in a single plane, 3D ToF captures the full depth of the environment — people, limbs, and objects in the field of view are detected at any height, any angle, and any approach direction. Detection zones are configured during commissioning and tied to the robot's speed and trajectory. As a person enters the outer monitoring zone, the SR-1 signals the robot to begin reducing speed. As proximity decreases, the system initiates a safety-rated stop before any contact occurs. The safety-rated stop is certified to PLd Category 3 per ISO 13849-1, meaning the stopping function itself is held to the same reliability standard as the safeguarding system. This is Speed and Separation Monitoring (SSM) in practice — a core safety function defined in ISO 10218-2 and ISO/TS 15066 for collaborative robot applications. The SR-1 implements SSM in a way that is configurable per application, validated during commissioning, and documented for audit.
WHY MANUFACTURERS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM ROBOT FENCING
Hard guarding — safety fencing, interlocked gates, physical perimeters — was designed for static work cells with fixed access points and predictable traffic patterns. Modern manufacturing environments have outgrown those assumptions.
Frequent product changeovers require cell reconfiguration. Mixed traffic — floor workers, forklifts, AMRs, and multiple robots operating in the same area — creates access patterns that physical barriers cannot accommodate without shutting down entire zones. And the floor space consumed by fencing is not recoverable: once a perimeter is set, it stays.
The operational cost compounds over time. Nuisance stops from workers leaning into guarded zones. Productivity losses when maintenance access requires a full safety fence removal. Changeover time measured in hours instead of minutes because the guarding layout has to change with the cell layout.
Fenceless safety systems eliminate the perimeter. The SR-1 monitors the space continuously, adjusts to the actual position of workers in real time, and allows planned access without requiring a shutdown. Floor space is recovered. Changeovers happen faster. And the safety system adapts to the cell rather than requiring the cell to conform to the safety system.
DETECTION BEFORE CONTACT: THE DIFFERENCE THAT MATTERS
There are two fundamentally different architectures in fenceless robot safety. The first detects people at a distance, before any contact occurs, using sensor coverage of the surrounding space. The second reacts when something physical touches a surface mounted on the robot itself. These are not equivalent approaches from a safety standpoint, and they are not equivalent from an operational one. Distance-based detection — the SR-1's approach — allows the system to respond before a hazardous condition develops. The robot slows, monitors, and stops based on where a person is in the workspace, not on whether they have made contact with it. This enables genuine Speed and Separation Monitoring as defined by ISO/TS 15066, where the protective action is initiated by proximity, not by impact. Contact-based systems, by definition, require physical interaction to trigger a response. They protect against injury from the robot's surface — but the response is reactive rather than predictive. They also add mass and inertia to the robot arm, which affects motion characteristics and certification requirements. For applications where people and robots share space continuously, the distinction matters. The SR-1 is designed for environments where workers need reliable planned access, not just protection when something goes wrong.
COMPLIANCE: WHAT FENCELESS ROBOT SAFETY MUST MEET
Fenceless robot safety is not a regulatory gray area. The standards framework is specific, auditable, and well-established. The SR-1 is designed to comply with:
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ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2 — The primary international standards for industrial robot safety. Part 1 covers the robot itself; Part 2 covers the integration of robots into a work system. Fenceless deployments fall under Part 2 requirements for shared workspace operations.
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ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 — The US national standard for industrial robot safety, adopted from ISO 10218. Compliance with R15.06 is the baseline expectation for OSHA-auditable robot installations in US manufacturing facilities.
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ISO 13849-1 — The standard governing the performance level (PL) of safety functions. The SR-1's safety-rated stop function is certified to PLd Category 3, meaning it carries a defined reliability requirement and uses redundant architecture to prevent single-point failures.
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ISO/TS 15066 — The technical specification for collaborative robot operations, which defines the specific safety functions — including Speed and Separation Monitoring — that fenceless systems implement.
From a liability standpoint, compliance with these standards matters in both directions. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.217 and the General Duty Clause create employer obligations around machine guarding and worker safety — and in litigation following a workplace robotics incident, alignment with recognized standards is a primary defense. Non-standards-aligned deployments create exposure. The SR-1's documentation package — commissioning records, risk assessment alignment, change control — is designed to support that defensibility over time, not just at installation.
WHERE FENCELESS ROBOT SAFETY IS USED
The SR-1 is deployed across a range of industrial environments where shared human-robot operation is a daily reality, not an occassional exception.
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Automotive and Tier 1 manufacturing: Assembly cells with frequent worker access for parts presentation, quality inspection, and tool changeovers. Fenceless safety eliminates the guarded perimeters that create bottlenecks in high-volume, low-changeover-time environments.
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Aerospace and precision manufacturing: Applications where multiple robots operate in close proximity to skilled workers performing detailed tasks. SSM allows the robot to continue operating at a reduced speed when a worker is nearby, rather than stopping entirely.
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Warehousing and logistics: Mixed-traffic environments where AMRs, floor workers, and fixed automation share the same floor. The SR-1 supports multi-robot coordination with shared safety state awareness — a capability that 2D area scanners and physical guarding cannot provide.
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General manufacturing with frequent changeovers: Any facility where cell layouts change regularly. Fenceless systems reconfigure faster than physical guarding, and the SR-1's zone configuration is adjustable without a full recommissioning cycle.