New ISO Standard Enables Interoperability for Mobile Robots

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2 Min Read New standard connects mobile robots. 2296316644 for iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) has published ISO 21423:2026 , a new international standard for communication and interoperability among industrial mobile robots (IMRs), regardless of vendor or model. ISO 21423 provides a common set of communication requirements for mobile robots from different sup

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pliers operating in the same industrial facility. Developed by ISO Technical Committee 299, ISO 21423 Robotics Communications and Interoperability specifies how IMRs, IMR fleet managers, and other equipment exchange information and request actions. Robots can share their location, speed, direction, condition, tasking, and availability. Interoperability can spark innovation For end users, this means fewer cases of rob

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ots interfering with each other’s paths or path planning, which improves robot availability and system efficiency. A common protocol is also expected to increase competition in the market and support innovation. An important benefit of an ISO standard on this topic is that it can be adopted in countries all around the world. Related: How to Build a Better Autonomous Mobile Robot The standard will allow companies to s

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elect robots based on factors other than compatibility. “Companies want to choose the robots that fit their applications and have those robots work together on the same floor,” said Carole Franklin, A3’s director of standards development, robotics. “Many leading industrial users of mobile robots have asked for an interoperability standard for years. Now, ISO 21423 gives manufacturers and users a common basis for comm

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unication across fleets, no matter where in the world their facility is located. This standard can help companies expand automation with equipment from different vendors and make better use of the robots they already have.” Taking the standard beyond robots The standard also covers communication with machines tended by robots, enterprise resource planning tools, and industrial building systems such as lifts, automate

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d doors, and alarms. People using mobile devices can share similar information, so their work can be coordinated alongside the robots. ISO 21423 represents the first non-safety robot standard that A3 has helped produce. The standard is available through A3’s online store . About the Author Senior Editor, Design News Rob Spiegel has covered technology since the dot com boom when he joined the thousands of journalists

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drinking from the firehose of upside-down business ideas. When the crash came, he moved to Electronic News and then its sister publication, Design News. Rob now serves as a senior editor for Design News . He started with the magazine by running the RoHS Electronics Transition site. He went on to cover automation, manufacturing, 3D printing, robotics, and AI. When a new industrial technology shows up, Rob covers it. H

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ere's a video of Rob driving the prototype of a John Deere EV tractor: Prior to his work with Design News , Rob worked as a senior editor for Electronic News and Ecommerce Business . He served as a contributing editor to Automation World for eight years, and he has contributed to Supply Chain Management Review , Ecommerce Times , and many other trade publications. Writing awards Rob received a Maggie Award from the W

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