Robots are built for precision. Manufacturers already design for the risks of static electricity, but what often gets overlooked is the role of the floor itself. The surface your robots run on can be the difference between consistent performance and hidden reliability issues.
As AMRs and AGVs roll across a surface, their wheels naturally generate charge. Add moving internal components, and robots become little charge generators. Like rubbing your feet on a carpet, they build static, but unlike humans, who only feel a shock at around 3,000 volts, robots can be damaged at as little as 200 volts sometimes even lower. That charge can damage a CPU or disrupt a sensor without warning.
This is why Electrostatic Dissipative (ESD) flooring matters.
Anti-Static vs ESD – Know the Difference
- Anti-static flooring is designed to prevent build up of static, crucial in environments with flour dust, cement, fuel, or other flammable risks.
- ESD flooring is designed to dissipate charges safely, even at low voltages, protecting delicate electronics in robots.
For robot manufacturers, ESD maybe the only option that safeguards sensitive systems against invisible equipment-damaging shocks.
Electronic Components:
Most robots contain microcontrollers, sensors, and communication modules that are vulnerable to ESD. ESD can damage or degrade integrated circuits, leading to malfunction or complete failure.
Communication Systems:
ESD can disrupt data transmission between components, especially in robots using wireless or serial communication.
Sensors:
Precision sensors (e.g. LIDAR, IMUs, capacitive touch sensors) are particularly sensitive and can give false readings or be permanently damaged.
Actuators and Motors:
While generally more robust, motor controllers and driver circuits can still be affected by ESD.
The Role of Humidity
Static doesn’t behave the same everywhere. Humidity changes the rules:
- Dry environments → charges build up quickly, increasing risk.
- Humid environments → resistance values drift; in extreme cases, ionised air creates more discharge paths.
- High humidity → corrosion risks grow, damaging hardware before static even comes into play.
Robot Floor is engineered to stay stable across these ranges, providing consistent resistance whether it’s a dry European winter or a humid US summer.
What Makes Robot Floor Installations Reliable?
Robot Floor doesn’t rely on coatings, tiles, or bolt-ons. Our flooring is inherently anti-static throughout the whole depth of the product. It also has potential to made fully ESD.
That means:
- No surface coating to wear away – as the floor wears, it keeps dissipating charge. In fact, performance often improves over time.
- No intrusive earthing bolts – unlike panel systems, we don’t need surface studs or connectors that disrupt robot paths.
- True ESD performance – comfortably meeting resistance requirements from 10⁹ ohms.
- Seamless, joint-free surface – no tiles, no panels, no edges. Just a smooth runway for robots.
Why This Matters to Robot Manufacturers
When robots fail, end users rarely blame the floor. They blame the robot. That makes flooring a hidden part of a manufacturer’s reputation.
Robot Floor gives robot manufacturers:
- Fewer false failures – uptime is protected by floors that dissipate static.
- Scalable solutions – from trials to multi-level rollouts, performance stays consistent.
In short: Robot Floor makes robots look good.
The Bottom Line
ESD is an invisible factor, damaging components, degrading performance, and damaging reputations. Competing systems rely on coatings or panels that potentially wear out.
Robot Floor installations are different. With inherent ESD performance, no surface wear-out, and stability across environments, they provide the reliability manufacturers need to showcase, sell, and scale their robots.
👉 Robot manufacturers — want to see your robots perform at their best?
Talk to us about trials, and full-scale installations designed with only with robotics in mind – contact us today.