Glossary Updates12 new terms added to the glossaries · October 2, 2026, 22:44 CEST
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Glossary · System coordination, integration and orchestration

Multi-robot coordination

Also known as: Multi-robot cooperation

German: Mehrroboterkoordination

In robotics, multi-robot coordination is the planning and control of several robots working in the same cell or area, so that they share work and space without collisions or deadlocks, either through a central controller or through signal exchange between robot controllers.

  • System integration

In one sentence

Multi-robot coordination lets several robots share work and space in one cell without collisions or deadlocks.

Example

Two welding robots on one fixture use interference zones: before entering the shared area, each robot requests the zone and waits until the other has released it.

How it applies

  • Engineering: Common techniques are interference zones (Mutual exclusion zones), task allocation between robots and, for tightly coupled work, one controller that plans the paths of all robots together. Robot manufacturers offer their own options for this.
  • Commissioning: Test the zone logic with every robot program combination, including stops and restarts inside a shared zone, to rule out collisions and Deadlocks.
  • Safety: Collision avoidance between robots protects equipment. Protection of people in the cell is a separate matter handled by safeguards and safety-rated functions according to the robot safety standards.
  • Documentation: Document the shared zones, the coordination signals and how to recover when a robot stops inside a shared zone.

Multi-robot coordination vs. robot coordination

Robot coordination is the general term for aligning a robot with other equipment, such as conveyors, machines or people. Multi-robot coordination is the specific case of several robots coordinating with each other.

By knowledge.aitechdoc.world · Published September 26, 2026 · Last reviewed

Source: AI TechDoc Knowledge editorial definition, based on industrial robotics practice and ISO 10218

Definitions follow the cited standards and specifications. Where a source is a copyrighted publication, such as an ISO, IEC or EN standard, the definition is a close paraphrase, not a verbatim quotation, so as not to infringe copyright. We recommend reading the original publication. The sections “How it applies” are editorial commentary by AI TechDoc Knowledge and are not part of any standard.

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