Safety systems requiring intentional function activation and material testing systems including safety systems requiring intentional function activation

A material testing system, comprising:

• an actuator configured to control an operator-accessible component of the material testing system;
• an operator interface comprising:
• a first input device configured to output an unlocking signal when a first input is received via the first input device;
• a second input device configured to control the actuator to perform a first type of actuation when a second input is received via the second input device;
• and
• a third input device configured to control the actuator to perform a second type of actuation when a third input is received via the third input device;
• and
• one or more processors configured to:
• control the actuator based on at least one of a material testing process, the second input device, or the third input device from the operator interface;
• and
• require two or more inputs to be received within a predetermined threshold time to permit at least one operation of the actuator, the two or more inputs including the unlocking signal and one of the second input or the third input, wherein the one or more processors are configured to control a plurality of actuation types, a plurality of automatic material test operations, and a plurality of material test system states based on receiving the unlocking signal.