ISO/TS 15066:2016 – Collaborative Robot Safety Requirements

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Planning a cobot project? ISO/TS 15066 is one of the first safety documents you will meet. It explains how people and robots can share the same workspace safely. Since 2025, most of its requirements also sit inside ISO 10218-2:2025.

This page explains what ISO/TS 15066 covers, where it stands today and which steps your business should follow. Global Certification Services (GCS) supports cobot projects across the GCC, Middle East, Africa, Europe, Central Asia and Asia.

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What Is ISO/TS 15066?

ISO/TS 15066:2016 is a Technical Specification from ISO. Its full title is “Robots and robotic devices — Collaborative robots.” ISO published it in February 2016. ISO/TC 299, the ISO robotics committee, maintains it. Read our ISO/TC 299 robotics standards guide ISO/TC 299 Robotics Standards page.

It was written to work alongside ISO 10218, the main safety standard for industrial robots. ISO/TS 15066 goes deeper on one topic: how people and robots share a workspace.

It describes four collaborative methods. It also includes body contact data that safety teams use when they assess the risk of a robot touching a person. The document supports a risk assessment. It does not replace one.

Is ISO/TS 15066 Still Valid in 2026?

Yes, ISO still lists ISO/TS 15066:2016 as published. In June 2025, ISO flagged it “to be revised.” ISO has not withdrawn it.

The bigger change came from ISO 10218. In February 2025, ISO published ISO 10218-2:2025, which now holds most ISO/TS 15066 requirements, including power and force limiting. For new cobot projects, use ISO 10218-2:2025 as your main reference. Use ISO/TS 15066 for background and for the documents your buyer or contract still names.

Check the live status on the official ISO/TS 15066:2016 page.

What Will Replace ISO/TS 15066?

ISO is developing a new document, ISO/AWI 15066-1. Its title is “Robotics — Physical contact with robots — Part 1: Biomechanical thresholds and data.” ISO approved the project in June 2025.

ISO has not published it yet, and no release date exists. Do not cite it in your project until ISO publishes it. ISO 15066-1 should update and expand the body contact data in the current document.

How Do ISO/TS 15066 and ISO 10218:2025 Fit Together?

ISO updated the ISO 10218 series in 2025. The new editions use the term “collaborative application” instead of “collaborative robot.” The task and the setup decide whether an application is collaborative, not the robot’s label.

Document	What It Covers	Status
ISO 10218-1:2025	Safety requirements for the robot itself	Published
ISO 10218-2:2025	Safety requirements for robot applications and robot cells, including most collaborative rules	Published
ISO/TS 15066:2016	Collaborative methods and body contact data	Published, to be revised
ISO/AWI 15066-1	Updated biomechanical thresholds and data	Under development

Use ISO 10218-1:2025 for robot design and ISO 10218-2:2025 for the robot cell and collaborative application. Use ISO/TS 15066 for background. Always check which editions your buyer or contract names. Read our ISO 10218-1:2025 guide ISO 10218-1:2025 page and ISO 10218-2:2025 guide ISO 10218-2:2025 page.

ISO Standards

Technical Specification vs International Standard – What Is the Difference?

ISO publishes different types of documents. The type matters when you cite ISO/TS 15066 in your project.

ISO International Standard

An International Standard passes a full vote of ISO member bodies before ISO publishes it. ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2 are International Standards.

ISO Technical Specification

ISO publishes a Technical Specification when a topic is still developing. It shares the best current guidance but has not reached full standard status. ISO/TS 15066 is a Technical Specification.

Why ISO Published ISO/TS 15066 as a TS

In 2016, human-robot collaboration was still a new field, and research data was limited. A TS let businesses use clear guidance while research continued. That research now feeds ISO 10218-2:2025 and the new ISO 15066-1.

What Are the Four Collaborative Methods in ISO/TS 15066

ISO/TS 15066 defines four ways a cobot can share space with a person. Your application uses at least one of them. ISO 10218-2:2025 now covers all four.

Safety-Rated Monitored Stop

The robot stops when a person enters the shared space and restarts when the person leaves. It suits tasks where the person and robot do not work at the same moment. ISO 10218-2:2025 calls this a monitored standstill.

Hand Guiding

A worker moves the robot by hand through a task. The robot only moves when the operator directs it. Teams often use it for teaching or fine adjustments.

Speed and Separation Monitoring

The robot tracks how close a person is. It slows down or stops as the person comes closer. It suits tasks where people and robots share space but do not touch.

Power and Force Limiting

The robot limits how hard it can push or press during contact. Brief contact between the cobot and a worker can be part of normal work in this method.

Not sure which method fits your task? Talk to the GCS team.

What Force and Pressure Limits Does ISO/TS 15066 Set?

ISO/TS 15066 includes body contact data, set out by body region. Engineers use it to check whether a contact situation stays within safe limits. It covers two types of contact:

Transient contact: a quick, brief touch
Quasi-static contact: longer contact where a body part could get trapped

We do not list the values here. They belong in the official ISO text, and secondhand numbers can lead to wrong conclusions for your setup. ISO/PAS 5672:2023 adds guidance on how to measure contact forces and pressures.

Always work with a qualified safety engineer to apply this data to your cobot setup.

Are Cobots Safe Without Guards?

Not by default. This is a common mix-up. A cobot is not safe just because the maker calls it collaborative. Whether you need guards depends on:

The task the cobot performs
The tool attached to the robot
The speed and weight of the payload
The collaborative method you use
The results of your risk assessment

Many cobot setups still use light curtains, floor scanners or barriers for parts of the process. Only a proper risk assessment can justify removing guards, never a product brochure. If a supplier says you need no guards but cannot show a risk assessment, fix that before you install anything.

Can You Get ISO/TS 15066 Certification?

Not as a management system certificate. ISO/TS 15066 is a technical reference, and ISO itself never issues certificates. Some accredited test bodies can measure and assess a collaborative application against it and issue a test report.

What businesses usually do:

Use ISO/TS 15066 and ISO 10218-2:2025 to support their risk assessment records
Get ISO 9001 certification for quality management
Get ISO 45001 certification for occupational health and safety, which covers cobot-related workplace risks

If anyone offers you an “ISO 15066 certificate,” ask exactly what they certify, against which document, and under which accreditation.

ISO 10218-2:2025 and Global Regulations

ISO 10218-2:2025 is an international standard, not a law. Local rules vary, and some buyers and regions expect the 2025 edition.

European Union: The EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from January 2027. Factories and integrators serving Europe should align with the 2025 edition before then.
North America: The US adopts ISO 10218 as ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025, and Canada as CSA Z434.
GCC, Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Asia: Buyers and regulators often cite current ISO standards in tenders, technical files and site checks.

The standard alone does not guarantee legal compliance in every market. GCS helps factories in all the countries we serve see how it fits local rules.

How to Plan a Safe Cobot Project

Safe cobot projects follow a clear path. Each step protects workers and keeps your records in order.

1. Check Current Standards and Editions

Find out which standards your buyer, contract or regulator names. Start with ISO 10218-2:2025 for the collaborative application.

2. Define the Collaborative Task

Describe what the cobot will do, where it will work and who will stand nearby.

3. Choose the Collaborative Method

Pick the method that fits your task. Some applications need more than one.

4. Assess Tool, Part and Contact Risks

Review the end-effector shape, the payload weight and every point where contact with a person could happen.

5. Validate the Application

Test the setup in real conditions. Confirm that stops, speed limits and force limits work as designed.

6. Train Staff and Write Instructions

Make sure everyone who works near the cobot knows what to expect and what to do.

7. Review After Every Change

When the task, tool or layout changes, review your risk assessment again. Cobot safety never stops.

Request a Cobot Safety Readiness Review

Cobot Safety by Industry

Each industry uses cobots in its own way. Here is how the collaborative methods often apply.

Electronics Assembly

Workers and cobots often share small, tight spaces. Hand guiding and power and force limiting are common here. See our ISO certification for electrical and electronics industries page.

Packaging and Palletising

Workers move in and out of the area during loading. Teams often combine speed and separation monitoring with monitored stops.

Machine Tending

Cobots load and unload machines. Speed and separation monitoring lets operators come close for setup changes without stopping the whole process.

Laboratory and Light Assembly

Light cobots handle small parts or samples. Power and force limiting supports safe, close handoffs between people and robots.

ISO/TS 15066 and Global Regulations

ISO/TS 15066 is not a law, and no government requires it on its own. Many buyers and regulators still treat ISO 10218 and ISO/TS 15066 as good practice for cobot safety.

European Union: The EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from January 2027. Cobot projects for Europe should align with ISO 10218-2:2025 before then.
North America: The US adopts ISO 10218 as ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025, and Canada as CSA Z434.
GCC, Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Asia: Check your local safety rules. Aligning with ISO 10218-2:2025 supports your wider compliance and ISO 45001 goals.

See the countries we serve for region-specific support.

Cobot Safety Checklist

Go through this list before you install or expand a cobot application:

You mapped the task and workspace in full
You chose and justified the collaborative method
You reviewed the payload and end-effector
You completed and dated the risk assessment
You checked body contact data in the official ISO text
You considered ISO/PAS 5672 test methods
You tested speed, separation and stop functions on site
You backed every guarding decision with the risk assessment
You trained operators and briefed nearby workers
You checked ISO 10218-1:2025 and ISO 10218-2:2025 requirements
You set a review plan for future changes and stored all records

How GCS Supports Cobot Safety

Global Certification Services (GCS) helps businesses build safer, better-documented cobot projects. Our support includes:

Standards guidance: ISO 10218-2:2025 and ISO/TS 15066 explained in plain language
Gap review: your current setup compared with the collaborative method requirements
Documentation support: clear, audit-ready risk assessment records
Readiness assessment: a practical view of what is in place and what still needs work
ISO 45001 and ISO 9001 support: your cobot safety work linked to your management systems

We work with SMEs, factories adding their first cobot and teams scaling cobots across several sites. Explore the industries we support or our ISO 45001 certification service.

Plan a Safer Cobot Project With GCS

Starting a cobot project, or unsure whether your current one meets the right standards? GCS reviews your setup, explains how ISO 10218-2:2025 and ISO/TS 15066 apply to your work and helps you put the right records in place.

Discuss Your Cobot Safety Needs

ISO/TS 15066 FAQs

What is ISO/TS 15066?

ISO/TS 15066:2016 is an ISO Technical Specification for collaborative robot applications. It describes four collaborative methods and gives body contact data that safety teams use in their risk assessments. ISO published it in February 2016. Since 2025, ISO 10218-2:2025 holds most of its requirements.

Is ISO/TS 15066 still valid?

Yes, ISO still lists it as published, but ISO has flagged it for revision. Most of its requirements, including power and force limiting, now sit in ISO 10218-2:2025. For new cobot projects, use ISO 10218-2:2025 as your main reference and check which documents your buyer or contract names.

What will replace ISO/TS 15066?

ISO is developing ISO/AWI 15066-1, Robotics — Physical contact with robots — Part 1: Biomechanical thresholds and data. ISO approved the project in June 2025, and it has no publication date yet. Until it arrives, use ISO 10218-2:2025 for collaborative applications and ISO/TS 15066 for background data.

What are the four collaborative methods?

ISO/TS 15066 names four methods: safety-rated monitored stop, hand guiding, speed and separation monitoring, and power and force limiting. Each one controls how a cobot and a person share space. ISO 10218-2:2025 now covers these methods and calls the first one a monitored standstill.

Does ISO/TS 15066 include force limits?

Yes. ISO/TS 15066 includes body contact data for transient and quasi-static contact, set out by body region. We do not repeat those values here, because they belong in the official ISO text. A qualified safety engineer should apply them to your specific task, tool and payload.

Are cobots safe without guards?

Not by default. A cobot label alone does not make an application safe. Whether you need guards depends on the task, the tool, the payload, the speed and the collaborative method. Base every guarding decision on a documented risk assessment, never on a product brochure or a supplier’s claim.

How can GCS help with cobot safety?

GCS reviews your cobot setup and explains how ISO 10218-2:2025 and ISO/TS 15066 apply to it. Our team helps you build clear risk assessment records and prepares you for customer checks. We also support ISO 45001 and ISO 9001 certification for businesses at any stage of a cobot project.