Collaborative robots (cobots) are being adopted across industries at an accelerating pace. In shared human-robot workspaces, safety is paramount — and Power and Force Limiting (PFL) is the technology making fence-free collaboration possible.

📌 What Is PFL?

PFL constrains the forces and speeds a cobot can generate during operation, allowing the robot to continue working safely even when a person is in close proximity. In the event of contact, force is limited to below biomechanical threshold limits — by design, preventing injury.

📈 PFL in Practice: Four Case Studies

1️⃣ Brownbana Ice Cream Robot (Lounge Lab)

Brownbana deploys a PFL-certified cobot that prepares and delivers ice cream directly to customers — no fencing or external sensors required. The robot operates safely through direct customer contact, simplifying store management while driving customer engagement.

2️⃣ Safetics × Cobot Manufacturers

Safetics collaborates with cobot manufacturers to implement PFL across robot applications — enabling continuous operation as operators approach, without protective stops, while maintaining both safety and productivity.

3️⃣ Automotive Manufacturing

Cobots operating under PFL handle welding, painting, and parts assembly alongside human workers in automotive production lines. Major manufacturers including GM have adopted cobots to improve efficiency and create safer working conditions — achieving both productivity and safety without compromise.

4️⃣ Medical Applications

In surgical settings, PFL enables cobots to assist surgeons with fine-grained force control during procedures, while guaranteeing safety in the event of contact between the robot and patient or surgeon. The result: enhanced surgical precision and improved patient outcomes.

🔮 The Future PFL Is Building

PFL is creating the conditions for safe, high-productivity human-robot collaboration across industries. As adoption expands, the technology will continue to make shared workspaces both more efficient and more secure.

Implement PFL mode with ease through Safetics' SafetyDesigner.