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Safety is no longer a side issue – it has become the pivot point and often the decisive barrier in development: safety architecture, certification, redundancy, and degradation behavior. These factors determine whether a technology reaches the field or stays in the lab.

"Experts identify safety assurance as a major hurdle." – Fraunhofer IESE, White Paper “Sustainable Agriculture through AI and Autonomous Systems – But with Safety!”, 2023) Nachhaltige Landwirtschaft durch KI und autonome Systeme – aber mit Sicherheit!

Redundancy rules – What makes machines fault-tolerant

A field robot that shuts down on failure is inefficient. One that continues uncontrolled after a signal loss can be dangerous. Modern systems must therefore be able to:

• Detect faults early
• Transition to safe operating states (fail-operational rather than just fail-safe)
• Seamlessly activate redundant control paths
• Demonstrate certifiable safety according to international standards

NX NextMotion was developed precisely for this purpose: with a multi-channel safety design combining real-time diagnostics, deterministic decision logic, and electrical redundancy – all on a TÜV-certified hardware stack.

System-level safety – not just a feature

NX NextMotion complies with all relevant international standards for functional safety and cybersecurity:

• ISO 26262 (ASIL D)
• SIL3 according to IEC 61508
• ISO 21434 (Cybersecurity)
• UNECE R79, FMVSS 126 – prepared for mixed and road operations

Inside, a fourfold redundant control architecture operates with 2oo3 sensor validation, dual decision logic, and safety-rated power supply. The platform also features real-time diagnostics with over 2,000 safety checks at system start-up – and continuous monitoring during operation.

A recent research project from the Technical University of Munich emphasizes: "Safety in agricultural robotics must not be treated as an afterthought – it must be embedded into every level of the system architecture, from sensors to decision logic." – TUM, ICRA 2025 – New Safety Model for Autonomous Tractors (https://www.mirmi.tum.de/…)

And expectations from regulators are rising as well: "To earn public trust and regulatory approval, autonomous systems must demonstrate provable safety – not just functional redundancy, but verifiable behavior under fault conditions." – arXiv, 2025 – Safety Assurance Methodology for Robotic Autonomous Systems (https://arxiv.org/…)

Practice over PowerPoint – Safety in real-world applications

NX NextMotion is already in use in safety-critical agricultural applications: from autonomous sprayers to semi-autonomous implement carriers and remotely operated supply vehicles – across fields, roads, and farmyards. The platform not only secures driving functions, but also safeguards implements, secondary functions, and communication interfaces – including fallback layers in case of signal loss or system error.

Safety is not the end of development – it’s the beginning of trust

Safety determines whether autonomous systems are deployable. Not as an add-on, but as a core element of control and system architecture. NX NextMotion provides the foundation for this – certified, field-proven, and ready for the demands of modern agtech.

We control what moves.

Live at AGRITECHNICA 2025

Experience NX NextMotion in real-world use: with safety-centric vehicle architecture, live redundancy demos, and insights from our engineering team.