VDA 5050: The standard for mobile robots

When was the last time you came across a standard? And when were you last affected by a standard? Maybe this morning when you were pouring milk into your coffee. The sheer number of laws and regulations at national and European level relating to the quality assurance of milk and dairy products is pretty staggering. We are all surrounded by standards and norms. Anytime, anywhere.

This also applies to mobile robots and their interoperability: The VDA 5050 is an interface for standardized communication between driverless transport units such as AGVs and a control system. It was developed jointly by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and the Association of German Mechanical and Plant Engineering (VDMA). It was designed as a completely centralized feature with an explicit master control or a central fleet manager designed in mind that controls and monitors a fleet of various shop floor vehicles.

Our approach is based on standard protocols such as VDA 5050 and enables smooth integration and maintenance of various types of robots. You benefit from the freedom of Vendor independence and easy management of a hybrid fleet. Be at the forefront of mobile robotics with technology designed for flexibility, efficiency, and growth.

The VDA 5050 standard is of central importance for automation, particularly in the area of intralogistics. It defines a uniform interface for communication between various driverless transport systems (FTS) and higher-level control systems. This enables a smooth integration and coordination of various systems, resulting in increased efficiency, flexibility and scalability leads. As a result, you as a company can react quickly to changing market requirements and make your automation solutions future-proof.

In contrast, there is middleware, software that serves as a bridge between various robots, applications, and databases. Although it played an important role in the integration of various systems in the past, it is increasingly seen as unsustainable. That's because middleware is often cumbersome, complex, and expensive to maintain. In addition, it is not always ableto keep pace with the rapid development of new technologies.

To keep you and your company fit for the future, you should prefer a system with standardized communication protocols.