Internal R&D Project: INOVATICA AGV
Industry: Robotics / Industrial Automation / Smart Logistics
VDA is the German Association of the Automotive Industry (Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA) e.V., known for creating standards like VDA 5050 to enable seamless communication between AGVs and fleet management systems.
🎯 The Challenge
Enable autonomous operation of existing forklifts with vendor-independent fleet integration – using an open communication standard compatible with multi-vendor environments.
🧠 The Goal
Build a flexible VDA 5050-compliant autonomous forklift system capable of:
✅Seamless integration with 3rd-party fleet managers (FMS)
✅Autonomous navigation and pallet detection
✅Safe transport task execution
Coexistence with AGVs from other vendors in shared environments
🛠️ Our VDA 5050-Based Solution
We developed a full ROS 2-based autonomy stack with native support for VDA 5050 message structure and interfaces. The system includes:
✅ SLAM Navigation – Real-time mapping and localization using multi-LiDAR architecture
✅ AI-Powered Perception – 3D vision for pallet and obstacle detection
✅ Custom ROS 2 Nodes – Interpreting and executing VDA 5050 orders (Move, Pause, Cancel, etc.)
✅ Standardized Communication Layer – MQTT-based VDA 5050 interface for bidirectional task execution and feedback
✅ Safety & Diagnostics – Continuous status updates per VDA 5050 spec (AGV status, errors, battery, etc.)
✅ Modular ROS Architecture – Allows plug-in replacement of FMS or vehicle subsystems
✅ The vehicle runs a local VDA 5050 interpreter integrated into its ROS 2 control layer, making it FMS-agnostic and multi-vendor ready.
📊 The Results
✅ Vendor-neutral AGV integration – Full compatibility with third-party FMS
✅ Interoperability – AGVs from different vendors operate in the same environment
✅ Reduced vendor lock-in – Clients retain flexibility in system scaling and upgrades
✅ ROS 2 + VDA 5050 – A future-proof standard stack for industrial mobile robotics
🤝 Let’s Build Your Next VDA 5050 System
Are you:
✅ Building your own AGV or AMR?
✅ Looking to add VDA 5050 compliance to your fleet?
✅ Needing fleet interoperability across vendors?
🧑💻We’re your VDA 5050 + ROS 2 software house.
🧩 We design and deliver custom ROS 2-based solutions with full VDA 5050 stack support – from message parsing to motion execution.
📅 Book a call here: https://lnkd.in/dAaNiFDb
📩 Or DM me directly to explore a pilot together.
