Events and Trade Fairs

Safety technology is becoming increasingly relevant in the context of new technologies – VDE conference to show opportunities and risks

The smart charger for the lithium-ion battery had performed the charging process incorrectly – the battery burst into flames. The digital protection device for the electric motor was configured incorrectly – it caused a smoldering fire. The control system for the autonomous driverless industrial truck had determined its position incorrectly – it fell down the loading ramp with its load and caused an accident.

These are three of many possible scenarios that we must avoid at all costs in our world of networked, intelligent, autonomous systems, because otherwise people will lose confidence in our technology. In all three cases, functional safety was not given. The question immediately arises as to what contribution standardization can make to prevent such accidents; e.g., whether standardization can keep pace at all and what role new technologies play in the revision of IEC 61508, the international basic safety standard for functional safety. This is why the following questions, among others, will be addressed in Erfurt in May 2023:

• What changes are planned for the upcoming third edition of IEC 61508?
• How will cybersecurity be dealt with in the design of functionally safe systems in the future?
• Can the innovative technologies we are planning be implemented in a functionally safe manner on the basis of IEC 61508?
• What development is taking place in standards related to IEC 61508, for example in the field of automotive technology?

Fraunhofer IESE will also take part with a keynote address:

09.05.2023, 9:10 a.m.
Are machines allowed to assess risks? [in German]
Rasmus Adler, Fraunhofer IESE