Standardization News

Proposed standard practices focusing on the measurement of mobile manipulator performance and recording the workpiece test configuration are being developed by ASTM International’s robotics, automation, and autonomous systems committee (F45). The proposed standard currently at ballot, WK86116, is intended for use by mobile manipulator manufacturers, suppliers, integrators, and end-users to further study performance measurement and testing of mobile manipulators.

The first in its area, the proposed standard will drive innovation through the contextualization of mobile manipulator performance with respect to workpiece configurations, the identification of adjustable workpiece parameters, allowing comparison of performance across different workpieces and tests, and the replication of the mobile manipulators’ performance testing.

Lastly, the grasping and manipulation subcommittee (F45.05) also proposed the standard to reinforce testing measures and procedures that are important in documenting key characteristics of test configurations of mobile manipulator workpieces.

“Mobile manipulators are robot systems that combine a mobile robot (referred to as an Autonomous Uncrewed Ground Vehicle in ASTM terminology) with a robotic arm to perform manufacturing tasks,” said Omar Aboul-Enein, F45 committee member helping to develop the standard. He continued, “mobile manipulators offer additional flexibility and adaptability because the robot arm is no longer restricted to a single workspace or task.”