Slow Isn't Always Safe
■ Driving safely, and still making people late
In a narrow hallway, Hakobukun rolled slowly in front of Takasugi, who was carrying an urgent IV bag. When she tried to pass on the right, Hakobukun drifted right too. A meal cart was parked against the left wall, so all she could do was follow. At the end of the hallway she said, "Safe, sure. But I'm the one running late!" Hakobukun replied, "I am driving safely." Neither of them was wrong.
■ A slow robot holds up the people behind it
A study of hospital robots by Aalborg University reported that staff were delayed in their work because there was no room to pass robots moving slowly. Slowing down near people is the right move for avoiding collisions. But in a narrow hallway, that slowness turns directly into a delay for whoever is behind. If you only look at not bumping into people, you miss the time you are taking from them.
■ Conclusion: Give people a place to pass, and a habit of stepping aside
Shiraishi marked an open spot partway down the hallway. When someone comes up behind, Hakobukun pulls into it, stops, and says, "After you." Takasugi's verdict: "Now that's the safest." Put the places for yielding on the map, not just the routes. When the robot notices someone behind it, it moves aside on its own.
Safe movement is also movement that lets people go first.
