New Update for VDA 5050: Version 2.1.0 Brings Greater Autonomy to Mobile Robotics

The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and the VDMAMaterials Handling and Intralogistics Association have released an update to the VDA 5050 directive. Version 2.1.0 marks a significant advancement in the development of mobile robot fleets. This update integrates in-house material transport with various mobile robots and a control system, providing flexible and demand-driven commissioning and management of heterogeneous fleets through the open interface protocol. VDA 5050 standardizes communication between the control system and the vehicles. The new version introduces key enhancements that further empower mobile robots in terms of flexibility and productivity. 

Enhancements in Version 2.1.0  

Version 2.1.0 of VDA 5050 builds on the strengths of the previous Version 2.0.0 and introduces the following new features: 

1. Introduction of Navigation Corridors:  
   One of the standout innovations is the introduction of corridors within which vehicles that behave in a line-guided manner can freely avoid obstacles. This improvement allows vehicles with higher levels of autonomy to utilize their navigation capabilities more effectively in dedicated areas, thereby enhancing their flexibility in complex production environments.
2. Standardization of Map Distribution and Management to Vehicles:  
   The new version standardizes the process for updating and managing navigation maps on vehicles. While the directive intentionally does not prescribe a uniform map format to avoid limiting the specific capabilities of manufacturers, it defines consistent communication between the control system and the vehicles. This allows for efficient loading, activation, and management of maps on the devices.
3. Revised Documentation:  
   The illustrations in the document have been updated to facilitate the implementation of the directive and ensure a more precise application.
4. English Release: 
   VDA 5050 is now being released exclusively in English for the first time to enable wider international use. This unified release creates a ‘Single Point of Truth,’ eliminating potential interpretational differences between German and English documents. This version remains backward-compatible with Version 2.0.0.
5. Public Availability and Feedback: 
   The new version is available onGitHub, where associated software components can also be downloaded. Users can provide feedback in the discussion forum on GitHub, which is regularly reviewed by the VDA 5050 core team and integrated into further development. 
    

Impacts on Companies  

With the innovations in Version 2.1.0, companies can deploy their mobile robot fleets even more efficiently and flexibly. The enhanced navigation capabilities provided by the new corridors open up new opportunities in material transport logistics and facilitate the integration of vehicles with varying levels of autonomy. 

“With idealworks being part of the VDA 5050 core team, we are particularly excited to integrate these developments into our automation platform AnyFleet, thereby offering our customers an even better solution,” says Susanne Junghans, Project Engineer at idealworks. 

VDA 5050 is continuously being developed to meet changing market demands and project experiences. This bottom-up approach remains the guiding principle of the working group, which is already working intensively on Version 3.0.0. This new version will represent a significant step towards even more comprehensive integration of vehicles with varying levels of autonomy. It addresses key topics such as path-sharing and the definition of zones for freely navigating vehicles. A preliminary version of VDA 5050 3.0.0 is expected to be released on GitHub later this year.