By: Isaiah Dominguez

Whenever you’re planning to implement robotics—whether across a full-scale operation or for a single application—there are countless factors to consider. Upfront investment, projected productivity gains, user training, and potential infrastructure changes are just the beginning. But at the core of every successful automation strategy is one critical element: safety.

News headlines occasionally highlight incidents of robots overheating, catching fire, or malfunctioning in ways that put people and equipment at risk. Since safety underpins every other aspect of launching and scaling a robotics fleet, it’s vital to know—at a glance—whether the products you’re using have been rigorously tested for compliance, safety, and reliability.

For those familiar with the industry, certifications like FCC and CE are well-known benchmarks. Achieving these marks is a foundational goal for manufacturers, signaling that a product has undergone thorough testing and meets stringent regulatory standards. These certifications provide integrators and end users with peace of mind, ensuring that their technology not only performs as expected but does so within safe and legal operating parameters. That’s why WiBotic has prioritized obtaining FCC and CE certifications for all our products. But what does that process entail? What kinds of tests are involved? And most importantly, what does it all mean for the end user?

To answer that, it helps to first define these certifications. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a U.S. government agency responsible for regulating communications. FCC certification ensures that electronic devices do not emit excessive electromagnetic interference (EMI), which could disrupt other critical systems like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or radio communications. When a product—such as WiBotic’s recently certified 1kW wireless charging system—demonstrates acceptable EMI performance, it is added to the FCC’s official equipment authorization database, validating its compliance.

The CE mark, short for Conformité Européenne, is required for many products sold in the European Economic Area (EEA). The CE process places the onus on manufacturers to ensure their products meet all applicable European safety, health, and environmental protection directives. This can involve third-party testing by a Notified Body, particularly for higher-risk products. Once verified, a Declaration of Conformity is issued, and the CE mark allows a product to be sold across all 30 countries in the EEA.

Products undergoing certification are subjected to a rigorous and often costly battery of tests performed by accredited third-party laboratories. These evaluations ensure the product operates safely, consistently, and within the technical parameters defined by regulatory bodies. For FCC certification, testing typically focuses on three main categories: (1) radiated emissions, which protect against electromagnetic interference (EMI), measured in decibels per microvolt per meter (dBµV/m) across specific frequency bands; (2) conducted emissions, which protect devices connected to the same electrical circuit or network; and (3) maximum permissible exposure limits, which protect people from harmful wireless frequencies by ensuring emissions from radio frequency equipment are below acceptable specific absorption rate (SAR) limits. WiBotic’s 1kW wireless charging system, for instance, was tested to ensure it did not emit interference outside the FCC’s allowable limits for Class A devices—which are designed for use in industrial environments. This required precise engineering of shielding and circuit layout to keep emissions below the defined thresholds across the 30 MHz to 1 GHz range. The testing was conducted at an FCC-accredited lab, and the results were used to secure an official listing in the FCC’s equipment authorization database.

For CE certification, the 1kW system was assessed for compliance with multiple European directives, including the EMC Directive for electromagnetic compatibility and the Low Voltage Directive (LVD) for electrical safety. Specific tests included electrostatic discharge (ESD) resilience, surge immunity, radiated and conducted emissions, and thermal stress evaluations. For example, our system had to demonstrate that it would not overheat under continuous 1kW operation, maintaining surface and internal component temperatures below safety thresholds. CE certification also involved mechanical stress testing to ensure the dock and transmitter hardware could withstand repeated contact with mobile robots under real-world conditions.

The cost of this certification process is non-trivial. For the 1kW system alone, WiBotic invested tens of thousands of dollars to cover the full range of testing required.. Some of the most rigorous testing was performed in partnership with Intertek, while additional validation was carried out in collaboration with NASA, subjecting the system to vacuum chamber tests, radiation exposure, and extreme thermal cycling to simulate conditions encountered during space missions. While these aren’t required for FCC or CE certification, they underscore our broader commitment to safety and reliability in even the most extreme environments.

For robotics operators, fleet managers, or system integrators, certified products eliminate uncertainty. Certifications are also a requirement in many cases for importing and exporting products. And most businesses looking to adopt the usage of robotics have their own certification requirements that align with these federal compliance standards.

When a charging solution is FCC and CE certified, you’re not just checking a regulatory box—you’re minimizing liability, avoiding downtime, and ensuring seamless operation within complex digital ecosystems. Certified systems are less likely to interfere with other electronics, more likely to pass safety inspections, and more readily approved for deployment across diverse geographies. For users with tight deployment timelines or global operations, these certifications can mean the difference between delay and success.

In a world increasingly reliant on automation, the products you choose must meet more than just functional requirements—they must meet global standards for safety and reliability. FCC and CE certifications are not just technical milestones; they are critical indicators of product quality and manufacturer integrity. By choosing solutions that carry these marks, like those offered by WiBotic, end users gain confidence, accelerate deployment, and ensure long-term system stability—no matter where or how their robotics are put to work.