Robots and Equipment Policy

As a member of MItHRIL, you will have access to shared equipment and facilities. You are able to use this equipment to conduct your research, build prototypes, conduct experiments, etc. However, there are some rules you must follow:

• As you may know, these activities may cause you to make a mess of workbenches and equipment. Making a mess is fine, as long as you clean it up at the end of the day so that others can use the shared resources. If you need to leave a mess for longer than a day, let the director know and put a paper note stating your name, contact information, and the date that you'll be done with the shared workbench/equipment. See Lab Etiquette and Cleanliness for the full policy on keeping shared spaces usable.
• You must be trained on lab equipment before you can use it. If you use equipment without proper training, you will be liable for any damage that you cause.
• Lab equipment cannot be removed from the lab without permission. That includes moving equipment from MItHRIL to Ingenuity Labs and vice versa. If you need to take equipment home with you, ask permission from the lab director. You will also need to fill out a sign out/sign in form so that we can keep track of items that leave the lab.

Any damage to lab equipment must be reported to the director immediately. Place a note on the damaged equipment stating that no one should use the equipment until the director can inspect its condition.

Robots

Robot safety

The robots that we have are inherently dangerous. Failure to follow the safety instructions below could result in injury or death. Be vigilant.

Having robots and humans work more closely together is what we do. However, that doesn't make the robots we operate any less dangerous (particularly when testing new algorithms/code or behaviours). Thus, there are some very important rules that all members must abide by:

• You are never allowed to work on a robot alone. You must always have someone present in the lab if you wish to use or work on a robot.
• When operating a robot, someone must always have their hand on the e-stop in case something goes wrong.
• Robot hardware must never be opened, altered, and/or repaired by lab members without the express permission of the lab director.
• The robot's operating space needs to be cordoned off using stanchions at all times unless an experiment is underway involving a human subject.
• When human subjects are involved, research ethics must be followed and a General Research Ethics Board (GREB) certificate must be granted.

There are no exceptions to these rules. Blatant and flagrant disregard of these rules will result in temporary or permanent suspension of the student from working on the robots or from the labs.