[BLOG] Why Functional Safety Is Crucial in AMR and AGV Control Systems

From automation to autonomy

The shift from traditional AGVs to autonomous AMRs brings new opportunities, but also new risks. Instead of following fixed routes, AMRs navigate dynamically through their environment. They continuously collect information from various sensors and must make autonomous decisions, often in shared spaces where people are also present.

Where older systems displayed predictable behavior, modern vehicles must deal with uncertainty. That is exactly where functional safety becomes essential — not as an additional feature, but as the foundation of the entire system.

Common pitfalls in practice

In practice, we see that functional safety is still too often underestimated in the development of AGV and AMR systems. Whether it concerns startups or experienced OEMs, many projects encounter the same recurring pitfalls.

1. Functional safety is considered too late
   Safety requirements are only clearly defined once the design has already been largely finalized. As a result, the architecture and selected solutions do not sufficiently align with the required safety standards.
2. Components turn out to be unsuitable for the required PL or SIL
   Sensors, drives, or controllers may function perfectly from a technical perspective, but are not certified for the required Performance Level (PL) or Safety Integrity Level (SIL). This inevitably leads to reselection and redesign.
3. Complexity caused by separating safety and non-safety
   When safety and non-safety systems are developed separately, additional integration complexity arises. This increases the risk of errors and makes validation and maintenance more difficult.
4. Certification gets stuck
   Choices that seemed logical early in the project later turn out not to comply with normative requirements. As a result, certification is delayed or even blocked.

How we support AGV and AMR development

We help companies embed functional safety into their AGV and AMR designs from the very beginning. We do this by actively contributing to risk assessment, architecture design, and component selection — always in relation to the complete system.

Our support includes guidance with risk analyses, the design of safety architectures, and the integration of safety functions into the control system. In addition, we advise on certified components and ensure proper alignment between individual parts and the overall system architecture.

The result is a faster development process, a smoother certification trajectory, and a robust, future-proof control system that is ready for further growth.