Humanoid robot safety is on the agenda in Detroit from 3 to 5 November, at the International Robot Safety Conference. Speakers from Nvidia, Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, Amazon Robotics and OSHA will discuss how new standards apply to robots that walk, balance and learn. The sessions are only starting, so this preview covers who speaks, what is on the agenda and what no one has decided yet.
Key takeaways
- What: the International Robot Safety Conference, organised by A3, at Huntington Place, Detroit, 3 to 5 November 2026.
- Topics: the ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025 and ISO 10218 updates, mobile robots, and “AI, physical AI, humanoids, and other emerging systems”.
- Speakers: Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, Nvidia, Amazon Robotics, Procter & Gamble and OSHA, per A3’s release.
- Not decided: no new humanoid robot safety rule has been announced. A conference discusses; it does not set law.
- Status: event preview, no outcomes yet.
Last updated: Tuesday 3 November 2026, 10:30 pm IST. Status: conference under way, no results published.
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What is the International Robot Safety Conference?
The International Robot Safety Conference, called IRSC, is run by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) and has been running for more than 35 years, according to A3’s event page. It brings together safety engineers, manufacturers and system integrators to work through how safety standards apply on a factory floor.
A3’s Carole Franklin said robot safety requirements have to translate into decisions people can make on the plant floor. That focus on practice, not theory, is what makes this event useful for the humanoid industry.
Who speaks on humanoid robot safety
| Speaker | Organisation | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Reese | Agility Robotics | Safety of dynamically stable industrial mobile robots |
| Federico Vicentini | Boston Dynamics | Same session: humanoid and legged robot safety |
| Riccardo Mariani | Nvidia | Physical AI safety and standardisation |
| Jamison Harrell-Latham, Krupal Patel | Amazon Robotics | New requirements in R15.06 Part 3 and R15.08 Part 3 |
| Mark Lewandowski | Procter & Gamble | Auditing safety in existing robot installations |
OSHA also has a session on its view of industrial robot safety, per A3’s release. The speaker list is from A3’s 7 October release and may change.
Why humanoid robot safety is different from a factory arm
Traditional industrial robots are fixed in cages or slow down near people. A humanoid is “dynamically stable”: it actively balances, so cutting power can make it fall instead of stop. That is my plain-English explanation of the term A3 uses, and it is why the Agility and Boston Dynamics session matters.
Humanoids also move among people, carry loads and increasingly run on learned AI behaviour rather than fixed code. That is why physical AI safety is now its own topic. The agenda lists “AI, physical AI, humanoids, and other emerging systems” as one topic, so the standards community is treating them as a new category. See our Meta humanoid robot Max report for why big AI firms are entering the field.
The ISO 10218 and R15.06-2025 updates
The newly updated robot safety standards, ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025 and ISO 10218, are the conference’s core subject. A3 says sessions will explain what the changes mean for existing robot installations, collaborative applications and mobile robots. Neither standard is written specifically for humanoid robot safety, and A3’s pages do not claim a humanoid-specific rule will come out of this event.
Robot market numbers behind the safety debate
A3 market data shows North American companies ordered 8,940 robots in Q2 2026, up 4.3% from Q2 2025. First-half orders were 17,995, up 2.0%. By subtraction, Q1 was about 9,055 units, so Q2 was roughly 1.3% below Q1. That calculation is mine. Non-automotive industries took 55.9% of Q2 units, and collaborative robots took 12.7%, or 1,137 units.
The takeaway: the robot market is growing steadily, not exploding. Humanoids are still a small part, so the humanoid robot safety rules being discussed are mostly for tomorrow’s deployments.
What humanoid robot safety means for readers in India
Indian factories and warehouses are early adopters of mobile robots, and global standards usually reach India through exporters and large employers. If humanoid pilots start in logistics or electronics, buyers will ask suppliers whether the robot meets these standards. Following the IRSC outcome helps you ask the right questions.
What we don’t know yet
- What speakers will actually say about humanoid robot safety.
- Whether a humanoid-specific standard is in drafting.
- Whether any company will announce a safety certification.
- How OSHA will treat humanoids at work.
Watch: humanoid robot safety explained
[Hari: embed a video here, or add your own screenshot of the IRSC agenda page.]
Frequently asked questions
What is the International Robot Safety Conference?
A three-day event run by A3 on robot safety standards, held in Detroit from 3 to 5 November 2026.
Will new humanoid robot safety rules be announced?
Nothing says so. The conference discusses standards and practice. New rules come from standards bodies and regulators later.
What is ISO 10218?
It is the international safety standard for industrial robots. It has been updated, and A3’s R15.06-2025 is the matching North American version.
Is OpenAI speaking?
I found no source for that. A3’s published speaker list does not include it.
Hari’s take
Humanoid robot safety is the unglamorous half of the humanoid story. Everyone shows demos; few show how a 70 kg robot behaves when power fails near a person. A conference where Agility, Boston Dynamics and Nvidia sit in the same room as OSHA is a good sign.
Honest limit: I am writing before the sessions are over. I will update this post only with things I can source.
Sources: A3 via Quality Magazine, 7 Oct 2026 · A3 event page. Last updated 3 November 2026.
