When robots interact with humans and perform tasks independently, their sensitivity is crucial. This is what makes them safe and flexible. Arguing that there is a need for a standardised procedure for determining this sensitivity, researchers at the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed an evaluation scheme that can be used to compare industrial robots. Achim Lilienthal, Deputy Director of MIRMI and Professor of Intelligent Systems Perception, said: “The TUM MIRMI test methodology has the potential to become an industrial testing standard.” This, he argues, would create the conditions for establishing a seal of quality for the fast-growing robotics market.