Preparing the published article.
Personal Care Robots and ISO 13482
Standards for robots that operate close to people outside industrial settings.
Scope and categories
ISO 13482 covers personal care robots: mobile servant robots, physical assistant robots and person carrier robots. It addresses hazards from close human contact where the user is not a trained operator, which is a fundamentally different risk profile from an industrial cell.
| Category | Example | Key hazard |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile servant | Guide and delivery robots in public spaces | Collision with bystanders |
| Physical assistant | Mobility and lifting aids | Load transfer to the user's body |
| Person carrier | Ride-on mobility platforms | Stability and control loss |
Design priorities
- Fail-safe behaviour on loss of power or sensing.
- Comfort and safety limits derived from human biomechanics, not machine limits.
- Clear communication of intent, so people can predict the robot's movement.
- Manual overrides that a non-expert can operate under stress.
Where a device also has a medical purpose, medical device regulation applies in addition and usually dominates the development plan.