In this Arm white paper, developed in collaboration with EnSilica as an Arm Functional Safety Partner, the authors present architectural concepts and safety analyses for industrial robot controllers implemented as system-on-chip (SoC) designs.
The paper focuses on how high-power motor-driven robots—common in manufacturing and automation—pose significant safety risks to people and equipment, and how robust hardware and software architectures can be engineered to meet modern safety standards such as ISO 13849 Performance Level d / Category 3. Two SoC design concepts are outlined that segregate control domains, incorporate redundancy, and facilitate clear fault containment while supporting real-time motion control and safety monitoring at the chip level. The white paper includes block-level proposals and safety case analysis, offering functional safety engineers and architects practical guidance on structuring SoCs for industrial robotics where safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance are essential.
Read the full white paper on Arm: https://www.arm.com/resources/white-paper/safety-concepts-robot-controller