Safely deploying mobile robots – what users need to know
About standards, responsibility and risk assessment when deploying AMRs, AGVs & Co.
The VDMA offers a well-founded overview of safety standards for mobile robots in this article – from Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV/AMR) to collaborative manipulators. It covers key standards such as EN ISO 3691-4 and ISO/TS 15066, as well as the most important aspects from a user perspective: risk assessment, responsibilities, planning and IT security. The article is aimed at manufacturers as well as operators and explains what needs to be considered when implementing driverless systems – for greater safety in warehouses and production facilities.
Precisely because they operate driverless and automated alongside employees in production halls and warehouses, the topic of safety has high priority for mobile robots. Depending on their design, different requirements apply to them. Not only the manufacturers of such devices have obligations here, but also users and operators.
Which safety standards for which mobile robot?
For Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV or AMR for short), the DIN EN ISO 3691-4:2023-12 (Industrial trucks - Safety requirements and verification - Part 4: Driverless industrial trucks and their systems (ISO 3691-4:2023); German version EN ISO 3691-4:2023) applies in Europe.
Among other things, this standard specifies the structural, mechanical and electrical requirements of the current Machinery Directive 2006/42, defining what AGVs (individually or as an automated guided vehicle system) must be like and how this is tested. It distinguishes less according to areas of application; the focus is on load handling.
For mobile robots with gripping arms, so-called manipulators, the technical requirements come from the EN ISO 10218 series of standards and the technical specification ISO/TS 15066 "Robots and robotic devices – Collaborative robots", which define the safety measures and concepts for human-robot collaboration.
In addition, there may be national laws and safety standards outside of Europe that apply to the placing on the market of mobile robots. This must be checked on a country-specific basis. In the USA, for example, ANSI/RIA R15.08 applies, which was published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for industrial mobile robots.
The most important points from a user perspective
Analysis and planning – that's roughly what needs to be considered from a user perspective regarding safety. A detailed process analysis is the first step. How material flow will later be designed with mobile robots can have safety-relevant aspects and in any case helps with the risk assessment. It is also important to clarify responsibilities and competencies precisely in advance, so that implementation and later operation are clearly regulated.
A risk assessment is mandatory under German law. Users who previously had industrial trucks in operation and now want to replace them with mobile robots should already be very familiar with the topic of risk assessment.
The following points, among others, should be considered in the risk assessment:
- What potential hazards or disruptions can arise from the environment, for example from structural obstacles such as columns or gates?
- What must be considered when AGVs and people work together in the planned operating environment?
- Are other vehicles, e.g. forklifts, still traveling on the routes where the mobile robots will later operate?
- What hazards can arise from the transported load?
- What training and instruction should be planned for employees, among other things to improve acceptance – especially when AGVs are being used in the company for the first time?
The topic of data transmission combined with IT security should also be considered during planning:
- Are the capacities of the existing WLAN sufficient to reliably transmit the data necessary for communication with the mobile robots?
- Is the WLAN generally stable and is latency low?
- Do structural elements such as pallet racks or larger installations interfere with the radio signal?
- Is the data transmission secure from access by unauthorized third parties?
- How secure is the company network generally against external access?
Looking for more input?
The VDMA specialist association has compiled important notes prior to commissioning on the topic of placing on the market and labeling requirements in a free publication. This is aimed, among others, at manufacturers, authorized representatives, importers and dealers as well as operators.
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