Conceptual safety system could protect humans when working with automated machines
Modern machines are increasingly automated. While this boosts productivity, it also changes the role of the human operator—from machine driver to remote supervisor. However, the supervisor still plays a vital role in case the machine makes a mistake.
“Automation doesn’t remove the risk. It just moves it. That’s why our concept keeps a human in the loop to support quick intervention if needed,” says the lead researcher Marea de Koning.
The study explored whether the design idea was practical by testing it in a difficult situation. If the system fails, it could put the supervisor at serious risk. The concept of this SRM is that it steps in by monitoring machine behaviour and stopping the process within half a second if danger is detected.
Evaluation found that today’s safety rules and hardware are not yet fully ready to meet the needs of highly automated machines. For example, many safety standards don’t consider how hard it is for a human to step in during fast-moving situations.
Even so, the proposed conceptual design SRM shows a potential path forward. Combining the idea of smart software and reliable sensors to create a “safety brain” that can help keep operations safe—without taking control away from the human.
The researchers believe the concept can also be adapted to other sectors, such as mining or construction, where machines are becoming more autonomous but human oversight is still critical. However, building the design in real life is still necessary to know if it’s truly useful.
The development work carried out at Tampere University contributes to the development of new safety practices for highly automated off-road machinery. The original article "Technical design requirements of a safety reasoning module for run-time risk reduction in Highly Automated Off-road Mobile Machinery" by Marea de Koning, Tatiana Minav and Reza Ghabcheloo was published on 29 April 2025 in the journal Safety Science.
