How can buyers compare robot vendors for a commercial property?
Compare vendors on the same measured route, building interfaces, safety evidence, security, support model, and total cost of operation.
Short answer
What to know
Use one site-specific request for information and test each supplier against the same workflow, route, access systems, safety controls, data questions, support coverage, and commercial terms. Ask for demonstrated compatibility at the actual site and document what requires a third-party interface or future building work.
Compare against the same task and site
Give vendors an identical workflow description, floor plan or site plan, operating schedule, load or passenger requirements, and exception scenarios. Request vehicle dimensions, turning and clearance needs, supported doors or elevator interfaces, charging requirements, communication assumptions, and routes already validated in comparable settings.
Ask suppliers to distinguish standard capability from custom integration and site-specific commissioning. Clarify which third parties must participate, who pays, how software updates are tested, and how systems revert if an interface fails. A standards-based interface can help interoperability but does not eliminate the need to validate the complete site configuration.
Evaluate safety, security, and support
Request the supplier’s safety case or relevant documentation, operating limits, incident history available for disclosure, cybersecurity practices, data flows, retention, and vulnerability process. Have qualified internal reviewers assess whether the evidence applies to the intended use and local requirements; a certificate in one domain is not blanket approval for every building.
Compare response times, parts availability, local service coverage, training, spare equipment, uptime definition, termination support, and data export. Model total cost over the intended period, including installation, integration, facilities work, recurring support, and staff supervision. Define acceptance criteria in a site trial before selecting a long-term deployment.
Put it into practice
A site-planning checklist
- Identical site-specific vendor brief
- Supported interface and custom-work disclosure
- Safety and cybersecurity evidence
- Local service and lifecycle-cost comparison
- Trial acceptance criteria
Further reading
Primary references
- ISO — ISO 3691-4:2020
International safety requirements and verification for driverless industrial trucks and their systems; confirm current editions and scope before use.
- VDA — VDA 5050
Interface specification for communication between mobile robots and a master control system; it does not certify a building or robot.