A 20 kg test object moving at 0.8 m/s is brought to rest without rebound. The current design stops it in 0.04 s; a longer compressible bumper stops it in 0.16 s. Consider only the contact force along the horizontal direction and use average force = momentum change / stopping time. The proposed design reduces average collision force at the tested speed, but uses aisle space and may limit storage capacity. Evaluate adoption for workers and wheelchair users sharing the aisle, using both a force calculation and wider implications. Evidence limitation: A stationary test block does not reproduce every contact geometry or trapped-limb risk.

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Momentum-change magnitude 16 kg m/s; average force falls from 400 N to 100 N. A conditional, tested adoption is defensible; average force alone does not establish complete safety or best value. The same test mass loses the same speed in both designs, so the impulse magnitude is 20 × 0.8 = 16 kg m/s. The longer stopping time changes the force, not the total required momentum change. The original average force is 16/0.04 = 400 N and the proposed force is 16/0.16 = 100 N. Both act opposite the initial motion. Relate the calculation to the specific benefit: a longer compressible bumper reduces average collision force at the tested speed. The smaller average contact force is evidence for improved performance under this test, not a claim that energy or momentum disappears. Balance that benefit against a practical consequence: the design uses aisle space and may limit storage capacity. Include the needs of workers and wheelchair users sharing the aisle, rather than allowing the cheapest purchase price or lowest force alone to decide. A justified recommendation is a monitored trial with a stated acceptance test before broad adoption. A stationary test block does not reproduce every contact geometry or trapped-limb risk. Report peak force, durability and relevant access constraints alongside the average-force calculation.

Warehouse robot bumper

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