FORT Robotics Launches Wireless E-Stop to Boost Autonomous Safety

PHILADELPHIA, PA – January 26, 2026 – As autonomous machines and mobile robots become fixtures in warehouses, factories, and construction sites, the traditional red emergency stop button bolted to a wall is becoming a relic of a bygone era. Addressing this critical safety gap, FORT Robotics today announced the launch of its Wireless E-Stop Pro, a safety-certified wearable device that puts fail-safe control directly into the hands of human operators.

The new device is engineered to prevent accidents and maximize uptime in complex industrial settings by allowing a worker to instantly halt a machine from up to 200 meters away. This launch marks a significant step in reconciling the need for stringent safety with the demand for ever-increasing productivity in the age of automation.

Beyond the Fixed Button: Safety at the Speed of Modern Work

The proliferation of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), and other mobile machinery has fundamentally changed the factory floor. Where workers once interacted with stationary equipment, they now share dynamic spaces with machines that move freely. This new paradigm renders fixed E-stops inadequate, as a hazard may arise far from the nearest button.

FORT’s Wireless E-Stop Pro addresses this challenge by untethering safety from a fixed point. Worn by an operator, the device ensures that the power to stop a machine is always within reach. This shift is about more than just convenience; it’s a redefinition of the human-machine relationship in the workplace.

"Safety shouldn't be a restraint on productivity; it should be the catalyst for it," says Amod Damle, Head of Product at FORT Robotics. "With the Wireless E-Stop Pro, we've eliminated the compromise between risk and throughput. Whether it's worn as a wearable or configured for a unique environment, this is about providing people with absolute peace of mind. We are redefining the relationship between human and machine, giving operators the green light to move at full speed and the power to dominate their workflows with total flexibility."

By empowering workers with immediate, reliable control, the technology aims to foster a culture of trust and confidence, enabling human teams and their robotic counterparts to work more efficiently and safely in close proximity.

The Technology of Trust: SIL 3 and Robust Wireless

For any safety system, especially a wireless one, trust is paramount. Skepticism around wireless reliability in noisy, signal-congested industrial environments has historically been a major barrier to adoption for safety-critical functions. FORT Robotics confronts this head-on with a combination of rigorous certification and advanced communication technology.

The Wireless E-Stop Pro is 3rd-party certified to Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3 per the IEC 61508 standard, a stringent international benchmark for the functional safety of electronic systems. Assessed by the independent agency exida, this certification signifies an extremely low probability of dangerous failure, providing a quantifiable assurance of reliability that is essential for protecting personnel and high-value assets. Achieving SIL 3 for a wireless device is a significant engineering feat that places the product at the top tier of industrial safety solutions.

Underpinning this reliability is the device's use of an advanced Long-Range Bluetooth communication protocol. Unlike competitors who may use proprietary radio frequencies that can create logistical hurdles, FORT has engineered a specialized implementation of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.2. It features a transmission power ten times higher than standard modules and leverages Isochronous Channels, a feature designed for time-sensitive data transmission. This ensures a rock-solid, low-latency connection even in warehouses and plants crowded with competing Wi-Fi, cellular, and other radio signals. This robust connection maintains its integrity over a 200-meter range, providing ample coverage for large-scale operations.

Breaking Down Borders for Global Robotics Deployment

One of the most significant strategic advantages of the Wireless E-Stop Pro lies in its global compatibility. For Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) building robots and smart machines, navigating the patchwork of regional radio frequency regulations is a major source of cost, complexity, and delay. A machine certified for use in the United States may require significant hardware and software changes to be sold in Europe or Japan.

By building its system on a globally accepted Bluetooth standard, FORT eliminates this critical friction point. The Wireless E-Stop Pro comes with regulatory certifications for major markets including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, and Australia. This allows an OEM to integrate a single, standardized safety component into their machines, regardless of their final destination.

This "build once, deploy anywhere" capability streamlines international market access, drastically reduces development time, and simplifies inventory management and support. For a robotics company looking to scale globally, this standardization is not just a feature—it's a powerful competitive advantage that accelerates time-to-market and reduces operational overhead.

A Connected Ecosystem for Scalable Fleet Safety

The Wireless E-Stop Pro does not operate in a vacuum. It is the latest addition to the FORT Pro Series, a comprehensive ecosystem of control solutions designed to manage the safety and security of smart machines at scale. The wearable E-Stop communicates with FORT's Endpoint Controller, a SIL 3-certified receiver that can be installed on a machine to process safety commands.

This ecosystem approach allows for sophisticated, fleet-wide control. A single Endpoint Controller can manage commands for up to 30 machines simultaneously, enabling actions like a universal stop, pause, or crawl speed for an entire fleet of AMRs in a warehouse. The system also integrates with the FORT Safe Remote Control Pro for more granular, manual operation when needed.

All these devices are configured and managed through the FORT Manager cloud application, providing a centralized platform for device management, diagnostics, and over-the-air updates. This integrated platform is already trusted by over 600 customers worldwide, including Fortune 500 leaders and innovators like Agility Robotics, Hexagon, and Moog. From enabling Greenzie's autonomous commercial lawn mowers to securing heavy equipment in construction and mining, FORT's foundational technology is proving essential in the safe deployment of automation. The new Wireless E-Stop Pro extends this proven capability, making robust, flexible safety more accessible and personal than ever before.