Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, EPFL, Institutes of Microengineering and Mechanical Engineering, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Sci Rep. 2022 Mar 28;12(1):5285. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-09349-9.
Autonomous mobility devices such as transport, cleaning, and delivery robots, hold a massive economic and social benefit. However, their deployment should not endanger bystanders, particularly vulnerable populations such as children and older adults who are inherently smaller and fragile. This study compared the risks faced by different pedestrian categories and determined risks through crash testing involving a service robot hitting an adult and a child dummy. Results of collisions at 3.1 m/s (11.1 km/h/6.9 mph) showed risks of serious head (14%), neck (20%), and chest (50%) injuries in children, and tibia fracture (33%) in adults. Furthermore, secondary impact analysis resulted in both populations at risk of severe head injuries, namely, from falling to the ground. Our data and simulations show mitigation strategies for reducing impact injury risks below 5% by either lowering the differential speed at impact below 1.5 m/s (5.4 km/h/3.3 mph) or through the usage of absorbent materials. The results presented herein may influence the design of controllers, sensing awareness, and assessment methods for robots and small vehicles standardization, as well as, policymaking and regulations for the speed, design, and usage of these devices in populated areas.
自主移动设备，如运输、清洁和送货机器人，具有巨大的经济和社会效益。然而，它们的部署不应该危及旁观者，特别是儿童和老年人等弱势群体，因为他们的身体更小、更脆弱。本研究比较了不同行人类别的风险，并通过涉及服务机器人撞击成人和儿童假人的碰撞测试来确定风险。以 3.1 m/s（11.1 km/h/6.9 mph）的速度碰撞的结果显示，儿童头部（14%）、颈部（20%）和胸部（50%）受伤以及成人胫骨骨折（33%）的风险较高。此外，二次撞击分析结果显示，这两个群体都有严重头部受伤的风险，即摔倒在地。我们的数据和模拟结果表明，可以通过将撞击时的差速降低到 1.5 m/s 以下（5.4 km/h/3.3 mph）或使用吸能材料，将撞击伤风险降低到 5%以下的缓解策略。本文所呈现的结果可能会影响机器人和小型车辆标准化的控制器设计、感知意识以及评估方法，以及这些设备在人口密集地区的速度、设计和使用的政策制定和法规。
