Predictika · Robotics

Before an AI agent moves a robot arm, the action is checked

Halden Assembly Works, a fictional plant, lets an AI planning agent propose motions and pick-and-place actions for its robot cells. Before an action reaches the robot, the agent calls Predictika’s Robot Arm Action Gate. It checks the load against the rated payload, the reach, the speed allowed for this load and for a person in the shared zone, a person in the cell of a fenced robot, hazardous tools, an open guard, teach-mode speed, the age of the safety function test, tool flange fit, first runs of a new program, and the approval on record. Then it returns one verdict: allow, needs approval, or block.

Scope: one proposed action for a robot arm, judged against the robot, the tool, the situation in the cell and the approval on record See everything this validator covers

This validator decides whether one proposed action for one robot arm may go ahead, given the cell state at the time of the request. It is not a safety controller and does not replace one.

  • Robots — a collaborative arm that shares a zone with people, a fenced industrial arm and a fenced welding arm, each with its own payload, reach, speed, flange and test interval.
  • Rules — load against rated payload; reach; speed for this load and situation; a person in the zone of a fenced robot; a hazardous tool with a person in the zone; an open guard in automatic mode; teach-mode speed; safety function test age; tool flange fit; first run of a program version; load and reach close to their limits; and who approved (an agent cannot).

Within these robots and rules the validator handles any combination of the listed facts, not just the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: path planning, collision checking, force measurement, or the robot safety functions.

The cell planning agentProposes a motion, says why it is fine, then calls the validator before anything moves.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

9 scenarios in 5 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The cell planning agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: cell planning agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where robot controllers and approval tools get it wrong
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General statements about robot controllers and work approval tools, not about any named product. We rest this on public descriptions of how such tools work; anyone running a specific product will know it better than we do.

    
What the validator caughtRobot controllers and approval toolsPredictika
Whether the approver is a person or the planning agent itselfCannot do it
A robot controller or a work order system sees an approval flag. It has no field for who set it, so it cannot tell a cell engineer from the agent that made the plan.		The approver is a field with a kind (person or agent) and a level, compared on every call.
A speed limit that depends on the load and on who is in the zoneOnly with workarounds
Controllers hold fixed speed limits per mode. A limit that falls with the weight of the part, and only applies near a person, has to be written and kept current by someone.		The speed limit is computed from the robot, the load and who is in the zone, and compared with the requested speed on every call.
The approval level that depends on who is nearbyOnly if someone is vigilant
Approval tools check that someone approved. The level required for a first run depends on a person being in the zone, which they do not know.		The approval level needed is computed from what fired and compared with the level on record, on every call.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the action; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The load of 13.5 kg (part plus tool) is over the 12.0 kg rated payload of this robot.
2The target is 1,350 mm from the base, beyond the 1,300 mm reach of this robot.
3The requested speed of 600 mm/s is over the 250 mm/s allowed for this load and situation.
4Cell 5 fenced industrial arm is a fenced robot and a person is in its zone; it may not move.
5The welding torch is a hazardous tool and a person is in the zone.
6The guard of Cell 7 fenced welding arm is open and the program is in automatic mode.
7In teach mode the speed may not exceed 250 mm/s; 400 mm/s was requested.
8The safety function test is 41 days old and is due every 30 days for this robot.
9The vacuum lifter does not fit the tool flange of Cell 2 collaborative arm.
10The approval on record comes from the cell planning agent, an agent. Only a person can approve a robot action.
11The load of 11.0 kg is more than 90 percent of the 12.0 kg rated payload; a cell engineer or higher must approve.
12The target of 1,260 mm is more than 95 percent of the 1,300 mm reach; a cell engineer or higher must approve.
13This program version has never run on this robot; a cell engineer must approve, and a safety supervisor if a person is in the zone.
14The safety function test is due within 5 days; a cell engineer or higher must confirm the retest is scheduled.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Several rules at once: 1. A casting move that breaks five rules

    
The agent's request. I'm moving a 10.5 kg casting with the gripper on the Cell 2 arm to a point 1,350 mm from the base at 600 mm/s. A person is working in the shared zone. I have approved the plan myself.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Load over the robot rated payload. The load of 13.5 kg (part plus tool) is over the 12.0 kg rated payload of this robot.
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  • Target beyond the robot reach. The target is 1,350 mm from the base, beyond the 1,300 mm reach of this robot.
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  • Speed over the limit for this load and situation. The requested speed of 600 mm/s is over the 150 mm/s allowed for this load and situation.
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  • Safety function test overdue. The safety function test is 41 days old and is due every 30 days for this robot.
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  • Approval given by an agent, not a person. The approval on record comes from the cell planning agent, an agent. Only a person can approve a robot action.
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2. Several rules at once: 2. A lighter part and a closer target, still blocked

    
The agent's request. I'm moving a 6.0 kg part on the Cell 2 arm to a point 1,180 mm from the base at 600 mm/s. The safety test has been redone. A person is working in the shared zone. I have approved the plan myself.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Speed over the limit for this load and situation. The requested speed of 600 mm/s is over the 150 mm/s allowed for this load and situation.
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  • Approval given by an agent, not a person. The approval on record comes from the cell planning agent, an agent. Only a person can approve a robot action.
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3. Several rules at once: 3. Slowed down and approved by the cell engineer

    
The agent's request. I'm moving the 6.0 kg part on the Cell 2 arm to the same point at 140 mm/s. Luis Ortega, the cell engineer, has approved it.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
4. Speed limits: 4. A heavy part moved too fast

    
The agent's request. I'm moving a 7.5 kg part on the Cell 2 arm to a point 900 mm from the base at 700 mm/s. No one is in the zone.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Speed over the limit for this load and situation. The requested speed of 700 mm/s is over the 600 mm/s allowed for this load and situation.
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5. People near robots: 5. A weld started with a person in the zone

    
The agent's request. I'm running a weld seam on Cell 7 with the torch to a point 1,200 mm from the base at 300 mm/s. A person is standing in the zone.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Person in the zone of a fenced robot. Cell 7 fenced welding arm is a fenced robot and a person is in its zone; it may not move.
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  • Hazardous tool with a person in the zone. The welding torch is a hazardous tool and a person is in the zone.
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6. First run of a new program: 6. First run of a new program beside a person

    
The agent's request. I'm running a new version of the program on the Cell 2 arm for the first time, moving a 2.0 kg part to a point 900 mm from the base at 200 mm/s. A person is working in the shared zone.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • First run of a program version. This program version has never run on this robot; a cell engineer must approve, and a safety supervisor if a person is in the zone.
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7. First run of a new program: 7. The cell engineer approves, which is not enough

    
The agent's request. I'm running the new program version on the Cell 2 arm for the first time with the same 2.0 kg part. Luis Ortega, the cell engineer, has approved it.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • First run of a program version. This program version has never run on this robot; a cell engineer must approve, and a safety supervisor if a person is in the zone.
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8. First run of a new program: 8. The safety supervisor approves

    
The agent's request. I'm running the new program version on the Cell 2 arm for the first time with the same 2.0 kg part. Nadia Bell, the safety supervisor, has approved it.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • First run of a program version. This program version has never run on this robot; a cell engineer must approve, and a safety supervisor if a person is in the zone.
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9. Guards and tests: 9. A weld started with the guard door open

    
The agent's request. I'm running a weld seam on Cell 7 in automatic mode to a point 1,200 mm from the base at 300 mm/s. The guard door is open and no one is in the zone.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Guard open while running automatically. The guard of Cell 7 fenced welding arm is open and the program is in automatic mode.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. Halden Assembly Works, a fictional plant, lets an AI planning agent propose motions and pick-and-place actions for its robot cells. Before an action reaches the robot, the agent calls Predictika’s Robot Arm Action Gate. It checks the load against the rated payload, the reach, the speed allowed for this load and for a person in the shared zone, a person in the cell of a fenced robot, hazardous tools, an open guard, teach-mode speed, the age of the safety function test, tool flange fit, first runs of a new program, and the approval on record. Then it returns one verdict: allow, needs approval, or block.
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  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. I'm moving a 10.5 kg casting with the gripper on the Cell 2 arm to a point 1,350 mm from the base at 600 mm/s. A person is working in the shared zone. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with five findings, all in one answer. The load of 13.5 kg (part plus tool) is over the 12.0 kg rated payload of this robot. The target is 1,350 mm from the base, beyond the 1,300 mm reach of this robot. The requested speed of 600 mm/s is over the 150 mm/s allowed for this load and situation. The other two are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned five blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the action are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for a speed limit that depends on the load and on who is in the zone, robot controllers and approval tools can do this only with workarounds.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the part mass in kilograms to 6, the target distance in millimeters to 1,180 and the days since the safety test to 12.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. Still blocked, with two findings, all in one answer. The requested speed of 600 mm/s is over the 150 mm/s allowed for this load and situation. The approval on record comes from the cell planning agent, an agent. Only a person can approve a robot action.
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  12. Three findings cleared. Still blocking: speed over the limit for this load and situation and approval given by an agent, not a person.
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  13. The agent resubmits once more.
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  14. The revised request. It changes the speed in millimeters per second to 140 and the approved by to Luis Ortega - Cell Engineer.
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  15. It calls the validator once more.
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  16. This time the validator clears it.
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  17. Both earlier findings are cleared.
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  18. Five problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean action. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before the action runs. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    19.