Service robots. Launching 2027, certified from day one.

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies on 20 January 2027 and replaces Directive 2006/42/EC. Contrary to popular belief, it does not require a notified body for all machines. Its Article 25 establishes three procedures based on category: for machines outside Annex I, the manufacturer assesses his machine by internal production control; for Annex I Part B, he may do so if he has followed harmonised standards covering all applicable requirements; only Annex I Part A systematically requires a procedure with a notified body.

Annex I Part A is not about autonomy. It targets machines whose integrated systems exhibit self-evolving behaviour and use machine learning to ensure safety functions. A robot that navigates autonomously, but whose emergency stop and obstacle detection rest on deterministic components, does not fall within this category by virtue of autonomy alone. For a buyer, the practical question is not whether the machine is autonomous, but what conformity assessment procedure has been applied, and whether a notified body has been involved, and for which legislation it is designated.

This is precisely where we place our requirement above the legal minimum. Rather than settle for manufacturer self-assessment as the law permits for many machines, we require evaluation by a notified body for each robot in this range. We have also chosen to sell nothing before the deadline rather than sell conditionally: the range opens when machines pass that threshold, not before.