Why are mobile robot standards important?
Standards are an important part of any industry. Interoperability is a common theme in standards, and with autonomous mobile robots (AMR) gaining in popularity, more and more end users are finding themselves in the situation of managing a heterogeneous fleet of AMRs.
This page contains a list of all of the relevant mobile robot standards along with links to all of the various standards that encompass the operation of AMRs and/or Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV). The standards are listed in alphabetical order.
Who uses mobile robot standards?
Buyers of automation technology are one group who are interested in standards, primarily because a buyer will want to know which standards exist and what kinds of things are covered by a standard. Standards include safety, taxonomy, vocabulary and other topics.
Manufacturers of automation technology need to know which standards exist so that they can design and build solutions that are compliant with the relevant standards. Standards relating to the safe design and operation of automated equipment help manufacturers to work through the liability and risk related issues with deploying automation. Standards around interoperability are important if equipment needs to work together with the equipment from other manufacturers.
Note about this document
If we missed an important or emerging standard, please leave a comment or contact the author, and we’ll add it to the list. This is a living document and is subject to change without notice. However, the following update will alert you to changes since you last visited the article.
Terminology
Various standards attempt to define terminology. Unfortunately there is no meta-standard for terminology, so we’re left with the work of various committees to define the terms used within their body of work. Note however, the following acronyms are used on this page to describe the types of mobile robots:
AGV – automatic guided vehicles
AMP – Autonomous Mobile Platform
AMR – Autonomous Mobile Robot
IMR – Industrial Mobile Robots
UGV – Unmanned Guided Vehicle
Last updated: April 5, 2024
ANSI B11
The ANSI B11 series of American National Standards and Technical Reports consists of nearly three dozen different documents that deal with machine / machinery / machine tool safety, and they specify requirements for both the manufacturers (suppliers) and users of the machines.
Date Effective: 2021
Link to download: https://www.b11standards.org/current-standards
Link to working group: https://www.b11standards.org/
Cost: Varies depending on the document
ANSI/ITSDF B56.5 – 2019, Safety Standard for Driverless, Automatic Guided Industrial Vehicles and Automated Functions of Manned Industrial Vehicles
This standard defines the safety requirements relating to the elements of design, operation, and maintenance of powered, not mechanically restrained, unmanned automatic guided industrial vehicles and the system of which the vehicles are a part. It also applies to vehicles originally designed to operate exclusively in a manned mode but which are subsequently modified to operate in an unmanned, automatic mode, or in a semiautomatic, manual, or maintenance mode.
Date Effective: August, 12, 2020
Link to download: https://www.itsdf.org/action/login.html?itsdf_continue=http%3a%2f%2fwww.itsdf.org%2fforms%2fregusers%2fstandards%2f1633_ITSDF-B56-5-2019-rev-08-12-19.pdf
Link to working group: http://www.itsdf.org/cue/index.html
Cost: Free with registration
ANSI/CAN/UL 3100 – Automated Mobile Platforms (AMPs)
These requirements cover battery-operated mobile platforms with or without a payload. These devices are intended to be used indoors only or as outdoor use devices in a commercial or industrial environment. The device is battery powered using either lead acid batteries or lithium based batteries that, if rechargeable, are charged through a conductive system while either on board or off board the device.
Date Effective: May 26, 2021
Link to download: https://standardscatalog.ul.com/PurchaseProduct.aspx?UniqueKey=39063
Cost:$505
ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 – Industrial Robots and Robot Systems- Safety Requirements
This standard provides guidelines for the manufacture and integration of Industrial Robots and Robot Systems with emphasis on their safe use, the importance of risk assessment and establishing personnel safety. This standard is a national adoption of the International Standards ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2 for Industrial Robots and Robot Systems, and offers a global safety standard for the manufacture and integration of such systems.
Date published: June, 2012
Link to working group: https://www.automate.org/a3-content/global-robotic-standards-committee-application-form
Cost: $325
ANSI/RIA R15.08-1-2020 – Standard for Industrial Mobile Robots – Safety Requirements
This standard specifies safety requirements for industrial mobile robots (IMRs). It describes basic hazards associated with IMRs in an industrial environment (See Clause 3.12), and provides requirements to eliminate or adequately reduce, the risks associated with these hazards.
Date published: August 1, 2020
Link to purchase: https://www.automate.org/store/products/new-part-2-ansi-ria-r15-08-1-2023-american-national-standard-for-industrial-mobile-robots-safety-requirements-part-2-requirements-for-imr-system-s-and-imr-application-s-pdf
Link to working group: https://www.automate.org/a3-content/global-robotic-standards-committee-application-form
Cost: $225
ANSI/RIA R15.08-2-2023 – American National Standard for Industrial Mobile Robots – Safety Requirements – Part 2: Requirements for IMR system(s) and IMR application(s) (PDF)
R15.08, American National Standard for Industrial Mobile Robots – Safety Requirements – Part 2: Requirements for IMR system(s) and IMR application(s) is a companion document to R15.08-1 and builds upon the safety requirements for IMRs contained in R15.08-1.
This is a companion document to R15.08-1 and builds upon the safety requirements for IMRs contained in R15.08-1.
R15.08-2-2023 is a critical starting point toward ensuring the safe integration practices for industrial mobile robots and will be a solid foundation for future work in this area.
This new standard provides the IMR systems and systems integration requirements for industrial mobile robots (IMRs). Part 1 provides safety requirements for the IMR; Part 3 of this standard will provide safety requirements for IMR users
Date published: October 2023
Link to purchase: https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/ria/ansiriar15082020
Link to working group: https://www.automate.org/a3-content/global-robotic-standards-committee-application-form
Cost: $225
ASTM F3200-20a Standard Terminology for Driverless Automatic Guided Industrial Vehicles
This terminology covers terms associated with unmanned (that is, driverless), ground (that is, land-based and in continuous contact with the ground), industrial vehicles. By providing a common and consistent lexicon, the purpose of this terminology is to facilitate communication between individuals who may be involved in the research, design, deployment, and use of unmanned ground vehicles, including but not limited to, for manufacturing, distribution, security, etc. The terminology covers terms used in performance test methods of automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), autonomous mobile robots, and all other driverless, ground vehicles. In addition, with increasingly intelligent vehicle systems with onboard equipment, robotics industry terms that are used in associated test methods and descriptions are also included.
Date published: 2020
Link to purchase: https://www.astm.org/Standards/F3200.htm
Link to working group: https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F45.htm
Cost: $52
ASTM F3218-19 Standard Practice for Recording Environmental Effects for Utilization with A-UGV Test Methods
This practice describes a means to record the following environmental conditions that may affect the performance of A-UGVs: lighting, external sensor emission, temperature, ground surface, air quality, humidity, and electrical interference.
Date published: 2019
Link to purchase: https://www.astm.org/Standards/F3218.htm
Link to working group: https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F45.htm
Cost: $75
ASTM F3243-21 Standard Practice for Implementing Communications Impairments on A-UGV Systems
A-UGVs operate in a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications that include many communications challenges that can affect A-UGV control and monitoring. An A-UGV system or A-UGVS as defined in Terminology F3200 includes the A-UGV and all associated components, equipment, software, and communications necessary to make a fully functional system. Communications impairments can cause: (1) changes in A-UGV operation, (2) changes in behavior in system components such as control and scheduling, or (3) changes in operation or timing of infrastructure equipment coordination. This practice is intended to record the task performance of an A-UGV while communications are impaired in a specified and repeatable manner (for example, standard test method).
Date published: 2021
Link to purchase: https://www.astm.org/Standards/F3243.htm
Link to working group: https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F45.htm
Cost: $58
ASTM F3244-17 Standard Test Method for Navigation: Defined Area
A-UGVs operate in a wide range of applications such as manufacturing facilities and warehouses. Such sites can have both defined and undefined areas that are structured and unstructured. The testing results of the candidate A-UGV shall describe, in a statistically significant way, the ability of the A-UGV to traverse the commanded path. Whether or not an A-UGV is able to deviate from its path, or uses features of the local environment as input to its navigation method or both, should not result in a different test method. Rather, the capabilities of the A-UGV to adapt its navigation method in a given environment will be objectively determined by its performance in the test method..
Date published: 2017
Link to purchase: https://www.astm.org/Standards/F3244.htm
Link to working group: https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F45.htm
Cost: $58
ASTM F3265-17 Standard Test Method for Grid Video Obstacle Measurement
This test method measures an automatic/automated/autonomous-unmanned ground vehicle (A-UGV) kinetic energy reduction when objects appear in the A-UGV path and within the stop-detect range of the vehicle safety sensors in situations in which the desired reaction is for the vehicle to stop as opposed to avoiding the obstacle by traveling on an alternative path.
Date published: 2017
Link to purchase: https://www.astm.org/Standards/F3265.htm
Link to working group: https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F45.htm
Cost: $58
ASTM F3327-18 Standard Practice for Recording the A-UGV Test Configuration
The significance of the information to be recorded in a test report allows for A-UGV performance to be contextualized with A-UGV configuration. Limitations of the practice are that not all A-UGVs have the same capabilities or configuration parameters. For example, for capabilities, a vehicle that remaps during navigation versus another vehicle that uses a static map may behave differently in repeated runs of an obstacle avoidance test. For configuration, a vehicle that remaps during navigation may have varying times that obstacles remain in the map for test recreation.
Date published: 2018
Link to purchase: https://www.astm.org/Standards/F3327.htm
Link to working group: https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F45.htm
Cost: $58
ASTM F3381-19 Standard Practice for Describing Stationary Obstacles Utilized within A-UGV Test Methods
This standard lists and explains the characteristics that are used to describe a stationary obstacle. It is essential that sufficient information about the obstacle is recorded using this practice so that the obstacle can be replicated. This will allow comparisons to be made between test method performances that use obstacles with similar characteristics.
Date published: 2019
Link to purchase: https://www.astm.org/Standards/F3381.htm
Link to working group: https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F45.htm
Cost: $58
ASTM F3499-21 Standard Test Method for Confirming the Docking Performance of A-UGVs
A-UGVs operate in a wide range of applications such as manufacturing facilities and warehouses. The testing results of the candidate A-UGV shall describe, in a statistically significant way, the ability of the A-UGV to position itself at a fixed location or relative to a dock. This test method defines tests for use by manufacturers and users of A-UGVs to measure and record the docking performance. The test applies to different types of A-UGV, applications and test apparatus.
Date published: 2021
Link to purchase: https://www.astm.org/Standards/F3499.htm
Link to working group: https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F45.htm
Cost: $75
ASTM F3588-22 Standard Guide for Set of Objects used with A-UGVs
This standard guide provides a standard set of reference objects for use with automatic, automated, or autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (A-UGVs). The objects set includes typical objects found within industrial areas including, but not limited to: warehouses, hospitals, office spaces, and manufacturing facilities. Also, the objects set includes three test pieces from ANSI/ITSDF B56.5. The objects set is intended for use by A-UGV manufacturers and users to test the performance of A-UGVs when near the object(s). The objects set is minimized to include characteristics that have proven to cause interrupted A-UGV operation.
Date published: Nov 9, 2022
Link to source: https://www.astm.org/f3588-22.html
Link to working group: https://www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F45.htm
Cost: $63
IEEE P1872.2 – Standard for Autonomous Robotics (AuR) Ontology
This standard is a logical extension to IEEE 1872-2015 Standard for Ontologies for Robotics and Automation. The standard extends the CORA ontology by defining additional ontologies appropriate for Autonomous Robotics (AuR) relating to: 1) The core design patterns specific to AuR in common R&A sub-domains; 2) General ontological concepts and domain-specific axioms for AuR; and 3) General use cases and/or case studies for AuR.
Date published: June, 15, 2017
Link to download: https://development.standards.ieee.org/myproject-web/public/view.html#pardetail/6152
Link to working group: https://sagroups.ieee.org/1872-2/
Cost: Free
ISO 10218-1:2011 – Robots and robotic devices — Safety requirements for industrial robots — Part 1: Robots
This International Standard specifies requirements and guidelines for the inherent safe design, protective measures and information for use of industrial robots. It describes basic hazards associated with robots and provides requirements to eliminate, or adequately reduce, the risks associated with these hazards. Note: a revision is currently under development, it is: ISO/DIS 10218-1.2
Date published: July, 2011
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/51330.html
Link to working group: https://www.iso.org/committee/5915511.html
Cost: $174
ISO 12100:2010 – Safety of machinery — General principles for design — Risk assessment and risk reduction
This International Standard specifies basic terminology, principles and a methodology for achieving safety in the design of machinery. It specifies principles of risk assessment and risk reduction to help designers in achieving this objective. These principles are based on knowledge and experience of the design, use, incidents, accidents and risks associated with machinery. Procedures are described for identifying hazards and estimating and evaluating risks during relevant phases of the machine life cycle, and for the elimination of hazards or sufficient risk reduction. Guidance is given on the documentation and verification of the risk assessment and risk reduction process.
Date published: 2010
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/51528.html
Link to working group: https://www.iso.org/committee/54604.html
Cost: $218
ISO 13482:2014 – Robots and robotic devices — Safety requirements for personal care robots
ISO 13482:2014 specifies requirements and guidelines for the inherently safe design, protective measures, and information for use of personal care robots, in particular the following three types of personal care robots:
Date published: February, 2014
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/53820.html
Link to working group: https://committee.iso.org/home/tc299
Cost: $196
ISO 13849-1:2015 – Safety of machinery — Safety-related parts of control systems — Part 1: General principles for design
ISO 13849-1:2015 provides safety requirements and guidance on the principles for the design and integration of safety-related parts of control systems (SRP/CS), including the design of software. For these parts of SRP/CS, it specifies characteristics that include the performance level required for carrying out safety functions. It applies to SRP/CS for high demand and continuous mode, regardless of the type of technology and energy used (electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, etc.), for all kinds of machinery.
Date published: 2015
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/69883.html
Link to working group: https://www.iso.org/committee/54604.html
Cost: $196
ISO 18646-1:2016 – Robotics – Performance criteria and related test methods for service robots – Part 1: Locomotion for wheeled robots
This document describes methods for specifying and evaluating the locomotion performance of wheeled robots in indoor environments.
Date published: September, 2016
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/63127.html
Link to working group: https://committee.iso.org/home/tc299
Cost: $97
ISO 18646-2:2019 – Robotics — Performance criteria and related test methods for service robots — Part 2: Navigation
This document describes methods of specifying and evaluating the navigation performance of mobile service robots. Navigation performance in this document is measured by pose accuracy and repeatability, as well as the ability to detect and avoid obstacles. Other measures of navigation performance are available but are not covered in this document.
Date published: April, 2019
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/69057.html
Link to working group: https://committee.iso.org/home/tc299
Cost: $97
ISO 19649:2017 – Mobile Robots Vocabulary
ISO 8373 defines fundamental terms relating to robotics, but it does not define terms relating to mobile robots fully. This document defines terms for mobile platforms and mobile robots based on the definitions in ISO 8373:2012.
Date published: March, 2017
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/65658.html
Link to working group: https://committee.iso.org/home/tc299
Cost: $42
ISO 22166-1:2021 – Robotics — Modularity for service robots — Part 1: General requirements
This document presents requirements and guidelines on the specification of modular frameworks, on open modular design and on the integration of modules for realizing service robots in various environments, including personal and professional sectors.
Date published: February, 2021
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/72715.html
Link to working group: https://committee.iso.org/home/tc299
Cost: $196
ISO 3691-4:2020 – Industrial trucks — Safety requirements and verification — Part 4: Driverless industrial trucks and their systems
This standard specifies safety requirements and the means for their verification for driverless industrial trucks and their systems. It is not applicable to trucks solely guided by mechanical means (rails, guides, etc.) or to remotely controlled trucks, which are not considered to be driverless trucks.
Date published: February, 2020
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/70660.html
Link to working group: https://www.iso.org/committee/51600.html
Cost: $174
ISO 8373:2012 – Robots and robotic devices — Vocabulary
This International Standard specifies vocabulary used in relation with robots and robotic devices operating in both industrial and non-industrial environments. The document is the revision of ISO 8373:1994 by developing new terminologies for service robots. With existing 96 terms, 6 terms are removed and 67 terms are introduced.
Date published: March, 2012
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/55890.html
Link to working group: https://committee.iso.org/home/tc299
Cost: $174
ISO 9787:2013 – Robots and robotic devices — Coordinate systems and motion nomenclatures
This International Standard defines and specifies robot coordinate systems. It also provides nomenclature, including notations, for the basic robot motions. It is the revision of ISO 9787:1999 by including mobile coordinate system for service robots. Total 8 coordinate systems are defined in this document by adding 3 coordinate systems to existing 5 coordinate systems. 15 terms are added.
Date published: May, 2013
Link to purchase: https://www.iso.org/standard/59444.html
Link to working group: https://committee.iso.org/home/tc299
Cost: $64
MassRobotics AMR Interoperability Standard
This standard aims to help enable organizations to deploy autonomous mobile robots AMRs from multiple vendors and have them coexist effectively, better realizing the promise of warehouse and factory automation. This standard will allow autonomous vehicles of different types to share information about their robot(s) location, speed, direction, health, tasking / availability and other performance characteristics with other similar vehicles to help them be better teammates on a warehouse or factory floor.
Date published: May 18, 2021
Link to download: https://github.com/MassRobotics-AMR/AMR_Interop_Standard
Link to working group: https://www.massrobotics.org/project/amrinteroperability/
Cost: Free
UL583-10 – Electric-Battery-Powered Industrial Trucks
These requirements cover electric powered industrial trucks, such as tractors, platform-lift trucks, fork-lift trucks, and other vehicles designed for specific industrial uses, with respect to a risk of fire, electric shock, and explosion. These requirements do not cover such electric powered industrial trucks with respect to other possible risks that may be associated with the use of such trucks.
Date published: August 2012
Link to source: https://standardscatalog.ul.com/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=UL583
Link to working group: https://standardscatalog.ul.com/Default.aspx
Cost: $505-$1,258
VDA 5050 V 1.1 – AGV Communication Interface
This document describes the communication interface for exchanging order and status data between a central master control and automated guided vehicles (AGV) for intralogistics processes.
Date published: July, 10 2020
Link to source: https://github.com/VDA5050/VDA5050
Link to working group: https://www.vda.de/en/association/members.html
Cost: Free
