Electric drive for an industrial robot, wherein the drive comprises an inverter with a first half-bridge and a second half-bridge for generating a rotating field voltage from a DC intermediate circuit, a control electronics for generating control signals (S1 - S6) for actuating all of the power switches (T1, T3, T5) of the first half-bridge and all of the power switches (T2, T4, T6) of the second half-bridge, and a rotary field motor energized by the inverter by means of a motor electric circuit, wherein the inverter comprises a first connection device for providing control signals for influencing the operational mode of the drive by a functional controller of the robot, and an interface device (14, 15) for supplying at least one safety signal (STO1, STO2) for a forced disconnection of the rotating field voltage by a safety controller of the robot, wherein a driver circuit (O1 - O6) with an optocoupler is assigned to each power switch (T1 -T6), which optocoupler forms a two-pole control input (I1 - I6) for the respective power switch (T1 - T6), which is galvanically isolated from the motor electric circuit, wherein the respective driver circuit (O1, O3, O5) for the power switches (T1, T3, T5) of the first half-bridge is configured to set the power switch (T1, T3, T5) respectively assigned to the driver circuit (O1, O3, O5) to a non-conducting state when the two-pole control input (I1, I3, I5) of the optocoupler assigned to the respective driver circuit (O1, O3, O5) is in a voltage-free or current-free state, characterized in that the respective driver circuit (O2, O4, O6) for the power switches (T2, T4, T6) of the second half-bridge is configured to set the power switch (T2, T4, T6) respectively assigned to the driver circuit (O2, O4, O6) to a conductive state when the two-pole control input (I2, I4, I6) of the optocoupler assigned to the respective driver circuit (O2, O4, O6) is in a voltage-free or current-free state, and a switching device is provided which is configured to use the safety signal (STO1, STO2) for the forced disconnection of the rotating field voltage to simultaneously switch the two-pole control inputs (I1 - I6) of the optocouplers of the driver circuits (O1 - O6) for all of the power switches (T1 -T6) of the inverter to a voltage-free and/or current-free state. wherein the inverter comprises a first connection device for providing control signals for influencing the operational mode of the drive by a functional controller of the robot, and an interface device (14, 15) for supplying at least one safety signal (STO1, STO2) for a forced disconnection of the rotating field voltage by a safety controller of the robot, wherein a driver circuit (O1 - O6) with an optocoupler is assigned to each power switch (T1 -T6), which optocoupler forms a two-pole control input (I1 - I6) for the respective power switch (T1 - T6), which is galvanically isolated from the motor electric circuit, wherein the respective driver circuit (O1, O3, O5) for the power switches (T1, T3, T5) of the first half-bridge is configured to set the power switch (T1, T3, T5) respectively assigned to the driver circuit (O1, O3, O5) to a non-conducting state when the two-pole control input (I1, I3, I5) of the optocoupler assigned to the respective driver circuit (O1, O3, O5) is in a voltage-free or current-free state, characterized in that the respective driver circuit (O2, O4, O6) for the power switches (T2, T4, T6) of the second half-bridge is configured to set the power switch (T2, T4, T6) respectively assigned to the driver circuit (O2, O4, O6) to a conductive state when the two-pole control input (I2, I4, I6) of the optocoupler assigned to the respective driver circuit (O2, O4, O6) is in a voltage-free or current-free state, and a switching device is provided which is configured to use the safety signal (STO1, STO2) for the forced disconnection of the rotating field voltage to simultaneously switch the two-pole control inputs (I1 - I6) of the optocouplers of the driver circuits (O1 - O6) for all of the power switches (T1 -T6) of the inverter to a voltage-free and/or current-free state.