IEC 62849-2025 PDF

Full title and description

IEC 62849:2025 — Performance evaluation methods of robots for household and similar use. This second edition (2025) provides standardized test and evaluation methods for common functions and performance aspects of indoor floor-supported wheeled or wheel‑track robots intended for household and similar use; it updates and replaces the 2016 edition and reorganizes test categories to support reuse by other robotics standards.

Abstract

IEC 62849:2025 specifies methods for measuring and evaluating functional performance (mobility, navigation, energy use, environmental effects and other common items) of indoor household and similar robots that meet defined physical limits (height, width, speed). The document provides test procedures (not safety requirements or normative performance pass/fail levels) and introduces new test methods for obstacle avoidance, ramp handling, lighting effects, transition and threshold negotiation, and energy consumption.

General information

• Status: Published / Active (second edition, replaces 2016 edition).
• Publication date: 24 November 2025.
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
• ICS / categories: 97.030 (Domestic electrical appliances in general).
• Edition / version: Edition 2.0 (2025).
• Number of pages: 54.

Scope

Applies to indoor floor‑supported wheeled or wheel‑track robots for household and similar use whose physical specifications fall within: maximum height 1.75 m, maximum width 700 mm (to fit through doorways), and maximum speed 1.5 m/s. The standard is intended for performance evaluation and is not a safety standard; it does not apply to wet and dry surface‑cleaning robots or combinations that include such cleaning functions. Where other standards define specific test methods for particular robot types, those methods may take precedence.

Key topics and requirements

• Defined physical envelope and operational class (height, width, speed, floor‑supported wheeled/wheel‑track robots).
• Mobility test methods: navigation, obstacle negotiation, ramp and transition overcoming, threshold handling.
• Navigation and obstacle‑avoidance evaluation procedures.
• Energy use and energy‑consumption measurement methods for standardized scenarios.
• Evaluation of effects on environment (lighting effects and related environmental influences on performance).
• Common/basic test structures intended for reuse by other robotics standards (modular test categories).
• Note: the standard provides test and evaluation methods only — it does not set safety requirements or mandatory performance limits.

Typical use and users

Primary users include robot manufacturers (for product development and benchmarking), independent test laboratories (for repeatable evaluation), R&D teams and academic researchers (to compare algorithms and hardware objectively), procurement and specification writers (to define performance claims), and standards committees and regulators who reference common test methods when assessing functional performance. Test houses and compliance teams use the described procedures to produce comparable performance data across products.

Related standards

Revises and replaces IEC 62849:2016 (withdrawn on publication of the 2025 edition). The 2025 edition is being adopted as regional/national variants (for example EN/ISO adoptions and national catalog entries in several markets). Other robotics and appliance standards addressing specific functions (e.g., dedicated cleaning‑robot standards) remain applicable where they specify tailored test methods for those functions.

Keywords

household robots, performance evaluation, mobility, navigation, obstacle avoidance, ramp handling, energy consumption, test methods, indoor robots, wheel‑track robots, IEC 62849

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC 62849:2025 is an international standard that defines performance testing and evaluation methods for robots intended for household and similar indoor floor use.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers common test procedures for mobility, navigation, energy use and environmental effects for floor‑supported wheeled or wheel‑track household robots within specified physical limits (height, width, speed). It introduces new methods for obstacle avoidance, ramp negotiation, lighting effects, transition and threshold overcoming, and measurement of energy consumption. The standard provides methods, not safety requirements.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Manufacturers, test laboratories, R&D teams, procurement/specification authors, and standards/regulatory bodies use IEC 62849:2025 for benchmarking and harmonized performance measurement.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: Current — the 2025 edition (published 24 November 2025) is the active edition and it cancels and replaces IEC 62849:2016.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is a standalone performance‑evaluation standard for household and similar robots but is structured to provide reusable test methods that can be referenced or adopted by other robotics standards and regional variants (EN/IEC adoptions).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: household robot, performance evaluation, mobility, navigation, obstacle avoidance, ramp, threshold, energy consumption, indoor robot, IEC 62849.