DEKRA iST was invited to participate in the "Tips for evaluating AMR solutions" seminar hosted by the Autonomous Mobile Robot Alliance on April 25. Ken Chang, Technical Manager at DEKRA iST, delivered a presentation titled "Reliability Planning and Management for AMR Systems," where he shared his extensive experience in reliability validation. He also explained how reliability testing can support industry partners in enhancing the durability and overall quality of AMR products.
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are a key technology in smart manufacturing and logistics applications. Unlike traditional automation equipment, AMRs offer a higher degree of autonomous mobility and environmental perception, which also brings greater challenges in terms of reliability. Behind every smooth AMR operation lies more than just system integration; the keys are consistent component quality and the robot's ability to adapt diverse operational environments. As AMR application scenarios become increasingly varied, manufacturers are pressed to address market demands for customized functionality and performance in the phases of product design and validation.
Ken Chang illustrated the standards of mechanical reliability involved in AMR systems using a pyramid framework. He also introduced three commonly used methods for estimating mean time between failures (MTBF).
- Prediction：This is a software-based calculation that relies on component parameters or measured thermal data to estimate product lifespan.
- Reliability Demonstration Test：It is typically conducted under accelerated conditions and high temperatures, combining experimental results with statistical analysis.
- Field Data Collection/RMA：This involves gathering real-world feedback from the market and customers to collect and analyze data.
Early-stage product failure is often rooted in design flaws, subpar components, or process deviation. To enhance overall quality and reliability, Ken Chang emphasized the importance of early failure screening. For example, highly accelerated stress screening (HASS) is a method that subjects products to intense environmental stress over a short period to trigger potential defects. By weeding out weak units early on, manufacturers can boost the overall reliability of AMR systems.
In the seminar, Ken Chang stressed that while "quality" and "reliability" are closely related, they are fundamentally distinct. Quality focuses on manufacturing yield, on the other hand, Reliability concerns the product’s stability over its entire lifecycle. It requires modeling how failure rates evolve over time (t) and under varying environmental conditions (e.g., temperature differences ΔT), in order to estimate product lifetime. He further explained that failure modes across different types of products. For example:
- Tires experience 「linear wear-out failure」
- Light sources like LEDs exhibit 「lumens attenuation」
- Safety-critical components, such as the supplemental restraint system, are 「Zero-defect」. They must maintain full functionality throughout their service life, designed to exceptionally high reliability standards.
Ken Chang delivered an in-depth analysis of key strategies of reliability validation for AMR systems, covering failure analysis, lifetime prediction methods, and empirical validation. His insights provided practical guidance for industry partners. As the AMR technology and application scenarios continue to evolve, reliability validation is taking center stage. DEKRA iST remains committed to supporting the industry and alliance members with professional validation capabilities and comprehensive reliability solutions to drive greater value.
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