In intralogistics, companies are obliged to ensure physical safety in production halls, regardless of industry or location. With the introduction of AMR in industrial working environments, work processes are undergoing a transformation that also poses new challenges for safety concepts. In particular, the focus must be on preventing accidents that can result from the interaction between people and machines. In this context, AMR offers technical approaches to meet safety requirements.

Lidar sensors based on three-dimensional laser scanning, for example, improve the precision of distance measurement and enable 360-degree detection of the surroundings. This ensures a high detection rate even in unfavorable lighting conditions. In addition, 3D cameras help to capture spatial depth and identify objects, people and their movements. To increase safety in the vicinity of people, the speed of the robots can be reduced, which reduces the likelihood of collisions. In the event that an immediate danger is detected, emergency stop switches are required to allow the robot to stop immediately. In addition, warning signals can be used to increase the attention of surrounding people both acoustically and visually, thus helping to prevent accidents.

Overall, these technologies are an integral part of a comprehensive safety concept that aims to ensure the smooth interaction of humans and autonomous machines within industrial processes. AMR support people in tasks with a high risk of injury, such as lifting and transporting heavy loads. This helps to improve the health and well-being of employees.

Cyber resilience on the manufacturer and integrator side

However, AMR is not just about their physical presence. Due to their connection to the IT infrastructure, special protective measures are crucial. This networking makes them potential targets for cyber attacks. A loss of control over the robots can lead to their loss and to physical risks for employees and company assets. Manufacturers, integrators and end users share responsibility for minimizing the risk of cyber attacks.

Manufacturers of AMRs are required to pay attention to the security of their industrial robots right from the start. Particular attention must be paid to protecting the code. This includes carrying out static code analyses to identify vulnerabilities in the source code before market launch. Such analyses help to identify and eliminate common security vulnerabilities such as code injections or buffer overflows. In addition, regular testing for potential vulnerabilities is essential to gain a comprehensive overview of possible risks in the IT ecosystem. Continuous system hardening is necessary to minimize attack surfaces and reduce potential points of attack. Important aspects are:

• The need for software updates cannot be overemphasized. Hackers are constantly looking for new exploits; therefore, software components must always be updated to ensure protection against newly discovered vulnerabilities. Manufacturers should be able to provide targeted software updates and enable controlled rollbacks when required.
• Authentication and authorization of users is another crucial factor. It is essential to confirm that people on the network are who they say they are and to determine what information and resources they have access to. Finally, embedded hardware security also requires attention at the kernel level of the operating system, including disk encryption and secure BIOS.
• Integrators need to familiarize themselves with the broader Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) network. Their task is to securely integrate new AMR systems into existing security programs while supporting future security practices. This includes physical protection of hardware as well as updating software applications, implementing security measures such as firewalls and encryption, and securing databases and network communications.

Cybersecurity measures for end users

To ensure safe cooperation between man and machine, it is also essential for autonomous mobile robots: the emergency stop switch.

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End customers, i.e. the companies that use AMR, especially their IT management, must follow cybersecurity best practices to protect the systems they use from unauthorized access. Application security is another important aspect that includes measures such as role-based access controls and session time limits based on user inactivity. Strong password management and separation of roles for password resets or account unlocks are also critical.
The challenge in implementing these security strategies is to strike a balance between accessibility and security. It is essential that the integration of robots into existing system landscapes is smooth and that authorized personnel can operate the devices effectively without compromising security standards.

Standardization: Safety at industry level

The standard ISO 13849-1, with the full title "Safety of machinery - Safety-related parts of control systems - Part 1: General principles for design", is a further building block for ensuring the safety of AMR at industrial level. This international standard specifies the basic concepts and principles for the development and design of safety-related parts of control systems. The standard provides manufacturers and developers of AMR with a framework for implementing the following important safety aspects:

• Risk assessment: ISO 13849-1 supports the identification of hazards that may arise from AMR and the evaluation of the risk of these hazards. Suitable safety measures can be defined on the basis of this assessment.
• Performance Level (PL): The standard defines various Performance Levels (PL) that determine the required safety level for AMR control systems. The PL depends on the severity of possible injuries and the frequency of occurrence of a hazard.
• Design principles: ISO 13849-1 describes various design principles for safety-related parts of control systems. These principles are intended to help prevent errors in the control system and minimize the effects of errors.

ISO 13849-1 plays a decisive role in the development and use of safe AMR. By complying with the standard, manufacturers can ensure that their AMR systems meet the required safety standards and protect people and machines in the industrial environment.

The future of AMR in the industry

The author: Jörg Faber is Sales Director DACH & Benelux at Mobile Industrial Robots.

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The integration of AMR in industry offers enormous potential for innovation and increased productivity. At the same time, this leads to an evolution of safety standards in the workplace and increased protection against cyber threats. Companies are faced with the challenge of introducing advanced technologies to ensure a high level of safety. The future of AMR will largely depend on how well this is achieved.