5. Emergency Stop & Recovery

Goal: Know how to stop the robot immediately in an emergency and how to safely resume operation.

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WARNING

Always keep the emergency stop button accessible during operation. In any situation where the robot poses a risk to people or property, press the emergency stop button immediately.

Physical Emergency Stop Button

[ Emergency stop push button — located on the rear of the robot ]

When the emergency stop button is pressed:

• All joints switch to High Damping mode.
• The robot resists external motion but does not accept torque or position commands.
• The robot may lose its posture and settle to the ground under gravity.

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NOTE

High Damping mode protects both the user and the robot. The robot will not execute any motion commands until the emergency stop is cleared and the robot is re-initialized.

Emergency stop from the app

The RBQ app has an E-STOP button at the right of the top bar on the control home, and in the same place on the other screens while a robot is connected — if the link drops it stays live for 8 seconds. It asks for confirmation and then has the same effect as the physical button — all joints enter High Damping mode. See Emergency Stop for the confirmation dialog and what happens when another device takes control; the forced-recovery tools are on Developer mode.

Recovery Procedure

After an emergency stop, follow these steps to safely resume operation:

1. Ensure safety — Confirm that all people and animals have moved at least 2 m away from the robot.
2. Release the button — Rotate the physical emergency stop button clockwise to return it to its original (unlocked) position.
3. Return to initial pose — If the robot has fallen or shifted, manually return it to the correct initial pose on a flat surface.
4. Re-initialize — Run the automatic start sequence or the Stand motion from the control home.
5. Verify — Confirm that the robot state in the top bar is normal and that every start item has completed before resuming operation.

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CAUTION

Do not attempt to force-move the joints while the robot is in High Damping mode. Return the robot to the initial pose carefully and only after the emergency stop has been released.

Related

• General Safety Guidelines
• Emergency Stop Procedures (detailed)
• Initial Pose & Power On