Method and apparatus for controlling a robot

A device for controlling a robot that is operable in a first mode of operation or a second mode of operation, wherein the robot can be moved by manually applying a guiding force to the robot in the second mode of operation, the device including program code stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium that, when executed by the device, causes the device to:

• determine a distance of a state variable of the robot beyond a first limit;
• when the robot is operating in the first mode of operation, trigger a safety response when the distance satisfies a first condition;
• and
• when the robot is operating in the second mode of operation and the distance satisfies the first condition, then:
• not trigger the safety response, and
• motorically apply a positioning force to the robot in dependence on the determined distance such that the distance is reduced when the robot is unobstructed.

A computer program product for controlling a robot that is operable in a first mode of operation or a second mode of operation, wherein the robot can be moved by manually applying a guiding force to the robot in the second mode of operation, the computer program product having programming code stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, the programming code configured to, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

• determine a distance of a state variable of the robot beyond a first limit;
• when the robot is operating in the first mode of operation, trigger a safety response when the distance satisfies a first condition;
• and
• when the robot is operating in the second mode of operation and the distance satisfies the first condition, then:
• not trigger the safety response, and
• motorically apply a positioning force to the robot in dependence on the determined distance such that the distance is reduced when the robot is unobstructed.