Why Functional Safety Is the Future of Robotics — Insights from Erik Reynolds

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e’re proud to share that our founder and Head of Safety Innovation, Erik Reynolds, was recently featured in an interview with FORT Robotics: What Robot Developers Need to Know About Functional Safety.

In this conversation, Erik shares his perspective on why functional safety is essential—not just for compliance, but for innovation. As robotics systems become increasingly autonomous and integrated into human environments, the risks grow more complex. Functional safety is the discipline that ensures these systems perform safely, even when something goes wrong.

Key themes from the interview include:

  • Why safety should be a strategic advantage, not a checkbox

  • How safety standards like IEC 61508 and ISO 13849 apply to robotics

  • The importance of collaboration between developers, integrators, and safety experts

  • What startups and innovators often overlook about system-level risk

Turning Safety Into a Strategic Advantage

Erik’s insights reflect the mission we live by at Reynolds & Moore: helping clients design systems that are not only cutting-edge, but also trustworthy, resilient, and ready for the real world. Whether you’re building next-gen automation or scaling robotics in high-risk environments, this is essential reading.

Check out the full interview here:
What Robot Developers Need to Know About Functional Safety

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