CertX and SGS join NVIDIA’s robotics safety program

NVIDIA has announced Halos for Robotics, a full-stack safety system for robotics and physical AI that extends the company’s autonomous vehicle safety architecture to machines operating alongside people in factories, warehouses and logistics operations. Two organizations from Western Switzerland are part of the certification landscape around the program: CertX, based in Fribourg, and SGS, headquartered in Geneva.

At the heart of the announcement is the NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab, described as the first program accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board for functional and AI safety in physical AI. The lab helps companies prepare their integrations for third-party certification against standards such as IEC 61508, ISO 13849 and ISO/IEC TR 5469, and brings together more than 40 companies spanning manufacturers, certification bodies and safety vendors. CertX and SGS recognize the lab as part of their certification process, alongside TÜV Rheinland, TÜV SÜD, UL Solutions and exida.

Founded in 2018 as a spin-off of the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA-FR), CertX specializes in certification for cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and functional safety, and was the first Swiss certification body for functional safety and cybersecurity accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service with international validity. Its team has co-authored standards for automated systems, autonomous mobility, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, acquired CertX in December 2024 to strengthen its Digital Trust portfolio.

The system itself spans several layers, combining NVIDIA IGX Thor and Holoscan Sensor Bridge for AI compute and sensor connectivity with the Halos OS software stack for safety functions. Humanoid robotics company Agility is the first to incorporate elements of Halos for Robotics into its own safety system, for its Digit robot deployed in logistics and manufacturing operations.