NIST Industrial Wireless Systems Team Participates in ASTM F45 Committee Panel Discussion

NIST’s Rick Candell and Mohamed Hany were invited to participate in the ASTM F45.04 Robotics, Automation, and Autonomous Systems panel discussion on Communication and Interoperability on November 1, 2023. Rick Candell fielded questions regarding the importance of understanding wireless aggressors in industrial settings and how to evaluate wireless performance in operational scenarios. In particular, Candell addressed the IEEE P3388 Standard for Radio Frequency Channel Specifications for Performance Assessment of Industrial Wireless Systems. He explained how ASTM and the IEEE could collaborate in a mutually beneficial way to address the performance evaluation of industrial robotic platforms, autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (AUGV), and teleoperation when wireless is used as the primary mode of communications for those scenarios. NIST’s Kang Lee, representing the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society TC-9 sensor technology committee, also explained the modes of collaboration possible. Collaboration between the two standards development organizations does appear beneficial and is being evaluated such that the IEEE P3388 working group, chaired by Rick Candell, would focus on the wireless channel aggressor specifications and testing process, while the ASTM F45.04 committee would focus on the test methods for the operational system utilizing the P3388 standard. IEEE P3388 is written such that profiles representing specific industrial scenarios may be developed for repeatability and performance testing efficiency within industry. Members of the ASTM F45.04 committee are also members of the IEEE P3388 working group; therefore, synergy between the two groups is already underway.