Safety Expert Jens Müller Joins Terra Robotics

Terra Robotics

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Terra Robotics expands its expertise in robot safety and compliance: Jens Müller, CMSE®, takes on the new position of Director Robotics Safety & Compliance. With his many years of experience in machine safety, robotics, and standards-compliant integration, he will build and strategically develop the new area of expertise at Terra Robotics.

The trade publication Automationspraxis also picks up the story and reports on the expansion of safety and compliance expertise at Terra Robotics.

For us, this step is an important part of our further development: Modern robotics must not only be efficient and economical. It must also be able to be integrated safely, transparently, and responsibly into real working environments.

Automationspraxis reports on the expansion of Safety & Compliance

Under the title "Safety expert Jens Müller strengthens Terra Robotics", Automationspraxis reports on the new area of expertise and Jens Müller's future role.

The focus is not only on adding personnel.

With the new position, Robotics Safety & Compliance becomes its own strategic area of expertise within Terra Robotics.

Jens Müller will build and develop this area. His responsibilities include, among others:

  • safety consulting for companies

  • risk assessments for robotics systems

  • development of safety concepts

  • support with standards-compliant integration

  • evaluation of new robotics technologies

  • consulting on human-robot collaboration

  • classification of regulatory and normative requirements

This means that safety will be even more closely linked to consulting, integration, and concrete robotics projects in the future.

From collaboration to a permanent role at Terra Robotics

The collaboration between Terra Robotics and Jens Müller did not start with his new position.

We had already worked together on questions surrounding the safe integration of modern robotics. The focus was particularly on humanoid robotics, industrial pilot projects, machine safety, human-robot interaction, and current standardization issues.

This collaboration is now taking the next step.

As Director Robotics Safety & Compliance, Jens will now contribute his expertise directly within Terra Robotics.

Safety must be part of a robotics project from the start

In robotics projects, performance data is often discussed first.

How fast does the robot work? What is its payload capacity? How precise is it? What tasks can it perform?

These questions are important. However, technical performance alone is not enough for productive use.

Even during planning, companies must consider:

  • Where does the robot move?

  • Who is in the work area?

  • What movements does the system perform?

  • What forces can be generated?

  • What sensors are available?

  • How does the system react to errors?

  • What safety zones are required?

  • What emergency concepts are necessary?

  • Who is responsible for operation and changes?

Safety, therefore, should not be added just before commissioning.

Safety must be considered when selecting the use case.

Consider technical feasibility and safety together

A central approach of the new area of expertise is to consider technical feasibility and safety together, rather than separately.

A process may be technologically automatable, but still unsuitable if safe operation is only possible with disproportionately high effort.

Conversely, a safety concept developed early on can play a crucial role in making a robotics application practically feasible in the first place.

This is precisely why we do not only consider technical potential in our robotics consulting with Terra Consulting.

Processes, infrastructure, organization, economic viability, and practical conditions are also taken into account in the evaluation.

The new safety & compliance area adds another central perspective to this approach.

Humanoid robotics places new demands on safety

This topic is particularly important for humanoid robots.

Humanoid systems are intended to be used in the future exactly where people work today.

They move through existing work areas, pick up objects, use tools, or interact with machines and equipment.

This creates different challenges than those associated with a conventional industrial robot within a closed safety cell.

Relevant questions include, for example:

  • dynamic stability

  • loss of balance and fall risks

  • arm and hand movements

  • gripping forces

  • tool use

  • autonomous motion planning

  • person detection

  • collision avoidance

  • functional safety

  • software- and AI-based decisions

This development is even more complex with Physical AI.

The more autonomously a system can make decisions and adapt its movements, the more important the question becomes of how this behavior can be assessed and limited safely.

Physical AI requires clear safety concepts

Physical AI combines artificial intelligence with physical robot systems.

The robot not only processes data but also acts directly in the real world. It recognizes objects, plans movements, picks up, transports, or interacts with people and machines.

This creates new requirements for:

  • validation of AI functions

  • safe motion planning

  • sensor fusion

  • condition monitoring

  • error responses

  • access controls

  • software updates

  • cybersecurity

  • responsibilities

These topics will play an increasingly important role in the coming years.

Therefore, the new safety & compliance area at Terra Robotics will not only deal with existing standards but also continuously keep pace with new developments in standardization and regulation.

Safety as a prerequisite for scaling

Many companies are currently starting with robotics through a proof of concept.

This makes sense.

A pilot project makes it possible to test processes, identify technical limitations, and collect initial operating data.

However, safety should be considered from this early stage.

A well-structured pilot, therefore, considers not only:

Does the task work?

But also:

Can the task be operated safely and at scale later?

This is especially true for applications in assembly and handling, where humanoid robots, cobots, or mobile manipulators are integrated directly into existing workflows.

If safety requirements are only considered after a successful technical test, later adjustments can become expensive and time-consuming.

Safety builds trust in robotics

For companies, safety is not just a regulatory obligation.

It is also a key prerequisite for acceptance.

Employees must understand how a robot system works, what its limitations are, and what rules apply during operation.

Clear safety concepts help to:

  • assess risks transparently

  • define responsibilities clearly

  • involve employees

  • document processes

  • build trust in new technologies

This point is especially crucial with humanoid robotics.

The technology is visible, new, and often moves in close proximity to people.

Professional integration therefore always also means professional communication.

Jens Müller brings many years of safety experience

Jens Müller has been working with machine safety, robotics, and automation for many years.

As a CMSE® and expert, he has extensive experience in evaluating and safely integrating technical systems.

He will now bring this experience directly into Terra Robotics' customer projects.

His focus is not on slowing down innovation with additional complexity.

On the contrary:

Clear safety and compliance structures are intended to enable sustainable innovation in the first place.

Because only when companies know under what conditions a technology can be used reliably and safely can it be scaled in the long term.

Safety becomes part of our full-service approach

Terra Robotics is increasingly developing into a full-service solution partner for professional robotics.

In doing so, we do not only consider the hardware.

Our approach includes, among others:

  • robotics consulting

  • multi-brand hardware

  • implementation

  • financing and robot as a service

  • software and fleet management

  • cloud infrastructure

  • service and maintenance

  • training

  • safety & compliance

With the new area of expertise, safety will thus be even more closely integrated into the entire project lifecycle.

From the initial assessment through the proof of concept to productive operation.

Automationspraxis reports on the development

The fact that Automationspraxis picks up Jens Müller's new position also shows how strongly robot safety is now coming into focus in the industry.

This is especially true with humanoid robotics and Physical AI, where the discussion is increasingly shifting.

It is no longer just about what is technically possible.

The crucial question is:

How can we introduce these technologies safely, economically, and responsibly into real working environments?

It is precisely at this intersection that Jens Müller will work together with the Terra Robotics team in the future.

You can find the full article by Automationspraxis here:

Safety expert Jens Müller strengthens Terra Robotics – Automationspraxis

Integrating robotics safely into your company

Are you planning a robotics project and would like to consider technical feasibility, processes, and safety requirements together from the start?

At Terra Consulting, we analyze existing processes, evaluate automation potential, and develop a structured robotics roadmap.

For projects in the field of humanoid robotics, you can also find further information on our page about humanoid robots.

Together we assess how robotics can be integrated technically sensibly, economically, and safely into your working environment.

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