Overview
ISO 22166-202:2025 - Robotics - Modularity for service robots - Part 202: Information model for software modules defines a structured information model for software modules used in service robots. It specifies the data elements and organization (interfaces, properties, composition and execution-specific information) that module providers should publish and integrators should consume. The standard supports interoperability, reusability and composability across vendors and targets runtime and design/development stages across the software lifecycle (design, development, operation, maintenance). Note: this document is not a safety standard, but it requires inclusion of safety-related information.
Key topics
- Module identification: rules for Module ID and assignment (Annex A).
- Properties and metadata: descriptive fields that function as a digital datasheet for software modules.
- Interfaces: classification into I/O variables and methods (services); how interfaces are modeled and described.
- Status and runtime information: state reporting and execution-specific attributes.
- Services and composition: description of callable services and component composition.
- Infrastructure and middleware considerations: integration aspects, middleware examples and mappings.
- Safety & security metadata: information necessary for safety and security assessments (informational, not prescriptive).
- Modeling & executable forms: representations for model-driven engineering and executable artifacts.
- Data types and mappings: normative list of data types (Annex H) and informative mappings to common robotics middlewares such as ROS 2 and OMG SDO/RTC/OpenRTM (Annexes F and G).
- Normative references: links to ISO 22166-1, ISO 22166-201 and relevant POSIX guidance.
Applications
- Acts as a digital datasheet for software modules, enabling:
- System integrators to compare and select modules from different vendors.
- Faster, more reliable integration of modules into composite systems and service robots.
- Automated tooling for compatibility checks, deployment planning and runtime orchestration.
- Useful in both design-time (selection, architecture, safety assessment) and runtime (monitoring, configuration, lifecycle management).
- Supports module providers (developers, documentation and product teams) in publishing consistent module descriptions and integrators (robot makers, integrators, safety engineers) in making evidence-based decisions.
Who should use it
- Service robot manufacturers and system integrators
- Software module developers and middleware engineers
- System designers, safety and security assessors
- Tool vendors building integration, discovery, and composition tools
Related standards
- ISO 22166-1:2021 - Modularity general requirements
- ISO 22166-201:2024 - Common information model for modules
- IEEE/Open Group POSIX (referenced)
- Informative mappings: ROS 2, OpenRTM/RTC profiles and other middleware (Annexes F–G)
Keywords: ISO 22166-202, robotics modularity, information model for software modules, service robots, interoperability, software lifecycle, ROS 2 mapping.