ISO 25785-1: the safety standard being written for legged and humanoid robots

ISO 25785-1 is a safety standard that ISO's robotics committee is drafting for what it calls dynamically stable industrial mobile robots: machines that must keep actively balancing to stay upright, which in practice means walking humanoids and other legged robots. As of mid-2026 it was still under development, not published. It matters because existing robot safety rules assume a machine can simply be switched off safely.

This article explains what is known about the standard, why the industry says older rules do not fit legged robots, and what the work means for anyone booking a humanoid or robot dog for a public event.

What ISO 25785-1 is

The clearest public description comes from Agility Robotics, the maker of the Digit humanoid. In a post published on 22 June 2026, the company wrote that it contributes to ISO TC 299 Working Group 12, the group building ISO 25785-1, which will set safety requirements for dynamically stable industrial mobile robots. TC 299 is ISO's technical committee for robotics.

The same post says a parallel American document is in progress: a technical report, ANSI/A3 TR R15.108, developed through the R15.08 committee run by A3, the US automation trade association. A technical report is guidance rather than a full standard, but it often shapes how the industry interprets a topic while a standard is still being written.

Agility is not the only company involved. In September 2025, Matt Powers of Boston Dynamics told IEEE Spectrum that his company was helping to develop an ISO safety standard for dynamically balancing legged robots, and that other leading developers, naming Agility and Figure, were joining that effort.

Two words in the title deserve explanation:

• Dynamically stable means the robot stays upright only because its control system keeps correcting its balance, much as a person does when standing. A wheeled cart or a robot arm bolted to the floor is statically stable: it stays put when switched off.
• Industrial signals the intended setting. The standard is being written with factories and warehouses in mind, not shopping centres or exhibition halls.

Why existing industrial robot standards do not fit

Classic industrial robot safety rests on two ideas. Keep people out of the robot's working area with fences or sensors, and if someone gets too close, cut power to stop the machine. For a fixed robot arm, removing power is generally the safe state.

For a balancing robot, that logic breaks down. Powers explained to IEEE Spectrum that cutting power may not be a good option for a dynamically balancing system, because the robot will then fall over. A heavy machine collapsing is itself a hazard, so the usual emergency response creates a new risk.

Agility points to a second problem. Its June 2026 post notes that voluntary ISO and ANSI standards have traditionally split robots into industrial robots and service robots, and argues that humanoids blur that line: they are built for industrial work but move around like people and may share space with them.

The practical result has been barriers. Writing in IEEE Spectrum on 19 October 2026, Agility co-founder Jonathan Hurst explained that earlier Digit deployments had to work behind physical barriers, kept apart from people at all times, to satisfy insurers and regulators. In September 2025, IEEE Spectrum's Evan Ackerman noted that robots restricted in where they can safely move will struggle to find work that pays for itself.

How manufacturers are working around the gap

While the standard is drafted, developers are designing conservative safety behaviour into their robots. Agility describes the goal as cooperative safety: working in the same space as people at a safe distance, without barriers.

For Digit 5, Hurst writes that sensors are meant to locate nearby people in a way that can be certified as safe. When someone approaches, the robot is programmed to stop its task, put down what it is carrying, sit on the floor and switch off its motors before the person is close enough to touch it. In other words, the robot first moves itself into a state where losing power no longer means falling.

Agility's announcement, as reported by IEEE Spectrum on 15 September 2026, says the robot will avoid people, stop or sit down as they approach, and that Digit 5 is expected to be available to buyers in the EU and UK in 2027. These are the manufacturer's design claims; the Spectrum report did not state whether any certification had been granted.

Hurst also lists the conformity work behind the design: European CE marking, North American UL electrical-safety certification and US limits on electromagnetic emissions. Boston Dynamics, for its part, told IEEE Spectrum in 2025 that it would begin with relatively low-risk deployments and expand as confidence in its safety systems grows.

Where the work stands

As of 31 October 2026, we could not confirm a publication date or the current ISO development stage for ISO 25785-1. The most recent public statement we found, Agility's June 2026 post, describes the standard as actively being built. The ISO catalogue is the authoritative place to check its stage.

Draft standards are not public and can change significantly before publication. Until the final text exists, no robot can be shown to conform to it, so a claim of compliance with ISO 25785-1 today would at best refer to a draft. That is worth asking about if you hear it.

A separate effort is mapping the wider gap. The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society lists a study group on humanoid robots among its active standards projects. Its stated aims are to survey which current standards apply to humanoids and which do not, identify gaps and obstacles, and produce a roadmap for standards bodies. The group's page did not link to a published report when we checked it.

How this connects to EU rules

In Europe, the legal requirements for machinery are moving to a new law. The European Commission states that the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 was adopted on 14 June 2023 and becomes mandatory from 20 January 2027, replacing the Machinery Directive. Like the directive, it combines mandatory essential health and safety requirements with voluntary harmonised standards.

An ISO standard does not automatically become a European harmonised standard, and we found no announcement on whether ISO 25785-1 will follow that route. For a fuller picture of the regulation, see our explainer on the EU Machinery Regulation and humanoid robots. This article is general information, not legal advice.

What it means for public events

ISO 25785-1 is, by its title, an industrial standard. Events are different: crowds move unpredictably, children reach out to touch things, and floors are crowded with cables, stands and drinks. Nothing published so far indicates that the standard will address these settings directly, so event organisers should not expect it to answer their questions.

The underlying engineering point still applies. A walking humanoid or robot dog is a balancing machine. If it trips, is pushed or loses power, it can fall, and its emergency stop may not leave it standing.

Carefully run public formats do exist. Researchers from the RAI Institute described in IEEE Spectrum on 5 April 2026 how they ran a pop-up lab at a Cambridge, Massachusetts shopping centre in summer 2025. They report around 10,000 visitors, about 1,000 of whom drove a Spot robot dog through an obstacle course inside a dedicated demonstration area. Supervised, contained formats like this are how legged robots usually meet the public today.

What this means for event organisers

• Ask how the robot behaves when it stops. Does an emergency stop make it sit or crouch first, or does it simply lose power and risk falling? Put this question in your brief to suppliers.
• Treat standards claims with care. ISO 25785-1 was not published when we checked. Ask which published standards, certifications or CE documentation actually apply to the specific robot.
• Plan space for a fall. Keep a clear zone around walking robots and supervise contact with visitors. Our planning guide to robot safety at public events and site safety requirements cover distances and staffing.
• Check insurance against the real setting. Industrial safety approaches assume trained staff, not the public. Confirm cover for visitor contact, as set out in our guide to insurance and liability for robot hire.
• Watch for 2027. The Machinery Regulation and new cooperative-safety products are both due that year, and either may change what suppliers can offer.

Frequently asked questions

What does ISO 25785-1 cover?

According to Agility Robotics, which contributes to the drafting work, ISO 25785-1 will set safety requirements for dynamically stable industrial mobile robots. These are robots that must actively balance to stay upright, such as walking humanoids. It is being developed by Working Group 12 of ISO's robotics committee, TC 299, and its title points to industrial settings such as factories and warehouses rather than public venues.

Has ISO 25785-1 been published?

We could not confirm publication as of 31 October 2026. The latest public statement we found, from Agility Robotics in June 2026, describes the standard as still being built. Draft standards are not public and can change before publication, so the ISO catalogue is the authoritative place to check its current stage and any publication date.

Why can't legged robots use existing industrial robot safety standards?

Traditional industrial robot safety relies on keeping people away and cutting power if someone gets too close. For a fixed robot arm, being switched off is generally safe. A balancing robot, however, can fall over when its power is cut, as a Boston Dynamics engineer told IEEE Spectrum in 2025. Manufacturers also say humanoids blur the old split between industrial and service robots.

Does ISO 25785-1 apply to robots at public events?

By its title, the standard targets industrial mobile robots, and nothing published so far indicates that it will address public settings such as trade shows, shopping centres or galas directly. Its core concern, that balancing robots can fall when stopped, still applies at events. Organisers should ask suppliers how each robot behaves in an emergency stop and plan a clear zone around it.

Can a supplier say their robot complies with ISO 25785-1?

Until the standard is published, there is no final text to comply with, so any claim today could only refer to a draft. It is reasonable to ask a supplier exactly which published standards, certifications and CE documentation apply to the specific robot they are offering, and how its emergency stop behaves. This is general information, not legal advice.

How this article was made: written by the humanoid4rent editorial team with AI assistance; every factual statement was checked against the sources listed below on 2026-10-31. Spotted an error? Write to info@humanoid4rent.com.