Safety system interfaces and material testing systems including safety system interfaces

A material testing system, comprising:

• an actuator configured to control an operator-accessible component of the material testing system;
• a crosshead configured to move to position a material under test or to apply force to the material under test;
• a grip coupled to the crosshead and configured to hold the material under test, wherein the actuator is configured to drive at least one of the crosshead or the grip;
• and
• one or more processors configured to:
• determine, based on a plurality of inputs, a state of the material testing system from a plurality of predetermined states, the predetermined states comprising:
• a disabled state, a setup state, a caution state, and a testing state;
• when the state of the material testing system is the disabled state, disable the actuator;
• when the state of the material testing system is the setup state in response to receiving a directional input without receiving a second input configured to reduce the restriction on the actuator, enable control of the actuator based on the directional input and restrict operation of the actuator to less than a threshold speed or a threshold force;
• when the state of the material testing system is the caution state in response to receiving the directional input and the second input, enable control of the actuator based on the operator command and allow operation of the actuator above the threshold speed or the threshold force;
• and
• when the state of the material testing system is the testing state in response to receiving the second input and a test initiation input, automatically control the actuator according to a material testing process and allow operation of the actuator above the threshold speed or the threshold force.