Method for controlling an industrial robot by touch

A method for controlling an industrial robot, the industrial robot comprising a first robot arm, a second robot arm, a joint defining a kinematic pair between the first and second robot arms, an actuator for generating relative movement between the first and second robot arms, and a robot controller for controlling the movements of the actuator, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a presence of a first torque indication at the actuator to be interpreted as a first command to the robot controller;
• repeatedly obtaining an external torque value (τ_ext) to thereby obtain an external torque behaviour, the external torque behaviour depending on a reference torque value (τ_ref) obtained from a dynamic model of the industrial robot;
• comparing the external torque behaviour with the first torque indication;
• and
• executing, on the condition that no second command overruling the first command is provided to the robot controller, a robot function corresponding to the first command upon detecting that the external torque behaviour corresponds to the first torque indication;
• determining a presence of a second torque indication at the actuator to be interpreted as a second command to the robot controller;
• comparing the external torque behaviour with the second torque indication;
• and
• executing a robot function corresponding to the second command upon detecting that the external torque behaviour corresponds to the second torque indication, wherein the second command overrules the first command.