A standard for mobile robots? Interview with SYNAOS CPO Dr. Lennart Bochmann

Are standards a brake on innovation?

Our feeling may initially suggest that standards slow down innovation and development. But historically speaking, norms have made an immense contribution to efficiency, security, growth and, ultimately, prosperity in human history. After the power supply was standardized, the power grids flourished. Fuels were standardized for mass production of cars. And if you look at the global logistics chain, container standards have revolutionized shipping logistics. Ultimately, standards are therefore more likely to drive innovation forward and enable massive increases in efficiency. If this idea is now transferred to the world of mobile robots, logistics managers can make their intralogistics much more cost-effective if all mobile robots are controlled together despite their diversity. This is achieved with the VDA 5050 interface.

Would such an interface standard be internationally enforceable?

Well-coordinated, automated, intralogistics can make a significant contribution to the success or failure of global supply chains. At this stage, it is unclear whether VDA 5050 will become the standard for mobile robots all over the world. However, various project announcements and tenders show that VDA 5050 is actively in demand not only by customers in Germany, but throughout Europe and also, for example, in the USA.

It would be of great advantage for all market participants to agree on a standard. Because as long as this is not yet the case, customers of mobile robots must adapt to several, different interfaces.

There is another important argument for standards: Whenever a standard is introduced, a large community of experts is formed around it, constantly questioning the status quo. This further increases and strengthens the value and raison d'être of a standard.

Some voices claim that VDA 5050 is not yet ready for use in practice. Is that true?

I am very surprised by such claims about maturity levels. How else would you achieve scalable interoperability? The fact is that we are currently using several VDA 5050 versions productively in some customer projects. For one customer, our SYNAOS Intralogistics Management Platform with the VDA 5050 interface very successfully controls well over 100 transport units at the same time. And without VDA 5050, our world record would not have been possible: During the VDMA AGV Mesh-Up 2022, we controlled seven AGVs and AMRs from different manufacturers simultaneously with our SYNAOS IMP. Our broad partner network of over 25 mobile robot partners, with whom we continue to drive VDA 5050 development and distribution, is also decisive for our success. Next year, we plan to add more VDA 5050 versions to give our customers and partners maximum flexibility.

Can the VDA 5050 interface be used to integrate AGVs and AMRs?

The first versions of the VDA 5050 were deliberately developed with a focus on AGVs. Unfortunately, when centralized and decentralized solutions are consolidated, the respective unique selling points of the AMRs in a fleet are also affected in order to create added value for the customer. We see this quite realistically, and of course we are fully aware that VDA 5050 is not yet a perfect standard solution for the world of mobile robots. But with VDA 5050, AMRs can also be fully integrated, as was shown, for example, in the mesh-up with AMRs from the manufacturer Omron just mentioned.

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