Universal Robots Engages Security Expert Roberta Nelson Shea

Roberta Nelson Shea joined the Danish company Universal Robots in mid-September as a new Global Technical Compliance Officer. It is one of the world's leading experts in robot safety and technical standards. When Shea heard about the open position at Universal Robots, she applied. "The opportunity seemed perfectly tailored to my resume," said Nelson. “I wasn't actively looking for a new job, but a lot of happy circumstances came together. Robotics is about to reach a new level. "Universal Robots looks at robots from a different perspective and brings a breath of fresh air to this industry."

35 years of experience in manufacturing automation

Mogens Saigal, head of the development department at Universal Robots, is very satisfied with the new recruitment. “The news that Roberta Nelson Shea will be with us is sure to make waves in the global robot industry. She is an asset and a strong voice in the area of ​​robot safety. We are proud and delighted that it will now be part of our company.”

Shea has more than 35 years of experience in manufacturing automation, including senior positions at Rockwell Automation, Symbiotic LCC, Pilz Automation Safety, Applied Manufacturing Technologies, Honeywell and Procter & Gamble Manufacturing. The specialist has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a Master of Engineering in advanced safety engineering and management and was chosen by the Association of American Safety Engineers (The American Society of Safety Engineers, ASSE) as one of the 100 leading women in safety issues. In addition, Shea chaired the U.S. Robotics Committee for 23 years, which develops and defines technical standards for industrial robots.Recently, as chair of the ISO committee, she published technical specifications with guidelines for safety assessments of collaborative robots.

Technical specification an important first step

Universal Robots developed and sold the world's first collaborative robot or cobot, which can work in close proximity to humans after a successful risk assessment. The Danish pioneer for lightweight robotics thus opened up a market on which established robot manufacturers subsequently developed cobots. “Thanks to our technological advances, there is growing potential for combining the power and precision of robots with the creativity and problem-solving skills of people in a safe manner. Technical standards and specifications often lag behind technological change. This year, however, the ISO committee published a new technical specification that opens up many opportunities for the entire industry,”explains Saigal.These specifications are an important first step in formulating guidelines for robot safety and risk assessments. Universal Robots wants to advance the topic. “Now in collaboration with Roberta Nelson Shea. In addition, she will train our employees and sales partners in general in the subjects of robot safety and risk assessment."

The new representative for global technical compliance succeeds Lasse Kieffer, who was the first full-time employee in 2007 to be hired by the founders of Universal Robots. “It was an absolutely fantastic journey with a flood of inspiring challenges. We started out as three nerds and soon the company will employ 300 people.”Now I want to turn Lasse Kieffer back to a start-up mission. "I loved my job at Universal Robots, but it was time for me to start something completely new."