INSTITUTION PROFILE / DRONES AND ROBOTICS
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
The U.S. government laboratory that builds the “yardsticks” for robots and drones
NIST is a research agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. It does not write rules and it does not certify aircraft. For robots and drones, its job is to research test methods and performance measures that let buyers compare machines fairly, and to feed them into private standards bodies so that they can become standards. The rules for flying a drone and the certification of an aircraft belong to another agency (in the United States, the FAA); NIST does not decide them. This profile looks at one question: what NIST can decide, and what it cannot.
- NIST in 30 seconds
- What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
- What it does for drones and robotics
- How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
- Who it works with: how a test method becomes a yardstick
- Outlook
- Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit
1. NIST in 30 seconds
560 at BoulderFederal employees, FY2024. Many visiting associates besides. We could not find a single agency-wide total
What NIST produces is a yardstick, not a rule. For example, it designs the apparatus, the procedure and the scoring for testing whether a drone pilot can fly steadily between set obstacles. But which aircraft may be flown, and what score counts as a pass, are not NIST’s decisions. NIST itself explains that a standard test method is an agreed way of objectively measuring a robot’s capabilities, which is a different thing from writing a specification for a “standard robot” Sourced.
2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
Unlike the companies in this series, none of the institutions in drones and robotics builds aircraft or robots. What separates them is the route by which they influence the industry, and that gives four types.
NIST is a “Standards” type. It does not issue standards itself. It researches test methods and the measurement science behind them, takes them to the committees of standards bodies, and, once the participants agree, they become standards Sourced.
U.S. federal policy is for agencies to rely on voluntary consensus standards (the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act and Office of Management and Budget Circular A-119). A standard has no legal force of its own. It acts as a de facto benchmark only when laws, purchasing rules or training programmes cite it Sourced.
3. What it does for drones and robotics
The work sits in the Intelligent Systems Division of NIST’s Engineering Laboratory. The core is the Measurement Science for Robotics and Autonomous Systems programme (MSRAS). According to a briefing by the programme manager (June 2026), it covers three fields: manufacturing, public safety (air, ground and water) and on-road automated vehicles. The machines it lists include fixed robot arms, mobile robots, drones, underwater robots and humanoids Sourced.
| Area | What NIST does | Link to standards and use | Status found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard test methods for response robots (ground, air, water) | Builds test apparatus, procedures and scoring for the abilities that first responders need (mobility, manipulation, sensors, communications, operator skill and more). NIST’s page says more than 50 test methods | Being standardised in ASTM International committee E54.09. Mainly funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate | NIST page (updated 16 August 2024) |
| Test methods for small drones (sUAS) | Measures moving to set positions, orbiting and close-range inspection in netted spaces, indoors and outdoors. NIST says about 20 test methods are under development | Ten test methods (manoeuvring and payload functions) were adopted as operator-skill requirements in NFPA 2400, the standard for public-safety drones. NIST names ASTM committee F38 (unmanned aircraft) as a key standards body | NIST page (updated 3 October 2024) |
| Use in drone-pilot training and skill checks | Training courses based on the test methods, and the people who run the tests (proctors), exist in many places | NIST’s briefing says NFPA, APSA and LEDA adopted them and that they have been used to certify thousands of pilots. It also shows figures “1000+ Test Proctors” and “200+ in FY2025” but does not explain the unit | NIST briefing (June 2026) |
| Performance measurement for manufacturing robots | Develops measures, datasets and competitions for agility (how fast a robot can be re-tasked), grasping and manipulation, perception and human-robot collaboration | The briefing says NIST’s assembly task boards have been replicated at places such as NVIDIA and Google DeepMind, and that NIST contributed measurements to the collaborative-robot safety specification ISO/TS 15066 | NIST briefing (June 2026) |
| Taking part in international standards work | Takes part technically in ISO/TC 299 working groups (WG3: industrial safety; WG8: biomechanical data for physical human-robot contact; WG4: service-robot performance). Group names follow ISO’s pages | In the briefing’s notation, ASTM E54.09 and NFPA 2400 are marked “leadership (L)” and ISO/TC 299 “technical participation (T)”. It does not say NIST leads ISO’s standards work | NIST briefing (June 2026) |
Note: the figures “more than 50”, “about 20” and “10” date from when NIST’s pages were last updated (2024). The June 2026 briefing also speaks of “over 20 published standards” for the emergency-response robots project. It does not say what is being counted (test methods or published standards), so do not add the numbers together or treat them as the same unit.
NIST’s test methods define how to measure: apparatus, procedure, scoring. They do not say “buy it if it scores this much” or “use it for this kind of flight”. NIST’s own page says that whether to turn the standard test methods into a purchasing specification is left to each user community. From a manufacturer’s side, NIST’s tests are a “public, shared yardstick”. They are used not for regulatory pass/fail but as a way for buyers to compare machines and for agencies to train pilots.
4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
| Aspect | What NIST has | What NIST does not have |
|---|---|---|
| Powers | Research and publication of test methods, performance measures and datasets. Proposing and leading work in standards committees (ASTM E54.09 and the NFPA 2400 work). Running test facilities and competitions | Power to impose regulation (NIST is a non-regulatory agency). Aircraft certification and flight approval (the FAA in the United States). Radio-spectrum allocation and device authorisation (FCC). Issuing standards (done by ASTM, NFPA and ISO) |
| Geography | As a U.S. government research agency, it links directly to U.S. purchasing and training by fire, police and similar agencies. It says its test methods are replicated and used by dozens of organisations worldwide | Authority over other countries’ laws or certification schemes. A list of where its methods are used abroad |
| Force | None. Its methods take effect only when a standard adopts them or when purchasing specifications or training programmes cite them | Power to make passing a test mandatory, or to bar machines that have not taken it |
| Scale | Federal staff of 2,800+ at Gaithersburg and 560 at Boulder (FY2024). The robotics programme’s briefing says it takes part in more than 10 standards bodies, more than 20 committees and more than 80 published standards | Budget or headcount for drones and robotics alone. NIST reported cutting 420 staff by May 2025 and says it is assessing the impact |
Statements that NIST test methods are “used” or “adopted” are examples of adopters given in NIST’s own materials. They do not mean that a machine that took the tests is safe or high-performing, or that NIST has “certified” it. We found no statement in NIST’s materials that it runs a certification scheme for aircraft or robots. For flight rules and aircraft certification, see our profiles of the FAA, EASA and Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
5. Who it works with: how a test method becomes a yardstick
The figure below shows how NIST’s test methods reach the field, using only the relationships stated on NIST’s own pages.
| Organisation | Relationship stated in NIST’s materials |
|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate | Main sponsor of the response-robot test-method work. The Department of Justice also gave substantial support |
| ASTM International (committees E54.09 and F38) | E54.09 is where the test methods are being standardised. NIST names F38 as a key standards body for small drones |
| NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) | Its standard for public-safety drones, NFPA 2400, adopted ten of NIST’s test methods as operator-skill requirements |
| APSA and LEDA | The briefing lists them with NFPA as adopters of the drone tests, and among the hosts of monthly courses |
| ISO/TC 299 | NIST takes part technically in working groups on industrial robot safety and related topics (chapter 3) |
| Companies (Amazon Robotics, NVIDIA and others) | The briefing mentions use of the ARIAC competition’s results (Amazon Robotics) and replication of the assembly task boards (NVIDIA). NIST does not endorse or certify any company’s machines |
6. Outlook
| What we can read from the sources | Primary source | Category |
|---|---|---|
| NIST lists tactile-sensing performance, mobile-manipulator performance, a humanoid baseline benchmark and drone-pilot credentialing as future activities. The briefing gives no format, timing, or whether any will become a standard | The item names under “Current & Future Activities” in NIST’s briefing (June 2026) | Not yet confirmed |
| How the 2025 staff reductions will affect programmes including robotics is still being assessed by NIST itself; no conclusion has been published | NIST budget briefing (June 2025) | Not yet confirmed |
| Humanoid evaluation measures start at NIST’s research and benchmark stage, and turning them into standards needs ASTM or ISO consensus procedures, so it will probably take time before they become actual standards | NIST’s briefing lists the humanoid benchmark as a future activity and writes ISO 25785-1 as a working draft (WD). ISO’s own page (checked 25 October 2026) shows it at committee-draft (CD) stage. Either way it is unpublished | Inference |
| Use of the test methods for drone-pilot skill checks may widen as credentialing develops | The briefing says NFPA, APSA and LEDA have already adopted them, and lists “drone pilot credentialing” as a future item | Inference |
7. Glossary
- Non-regulatory agency
- A body that does not impose legal obligations on companies or issue licences or certificates. NIST carries out research and supports standards-making.
- Standard test method
- An agreed set of apparatus, procedure, scoring and rules for failures, so that a robot’s abilities are measured the same way everywhere. It is different from a specification for a “standard robot”.
- sUAS (small unmanned aircraft system)
- A small drone and its equipment, flown remotely by an operator on the ground.
- ASTM International
- A private standards body headquartered in the United States that writes standards by consensus. We did not consult ASTM’s website for this article.
- NFPA
- The National Fire Protection Association, a private body that writes standards for fire services and related fields.
- Voluntary consensus standard
- A standard written by agreement among interested parties, not by law. It becomes a de facto benchmark when laws or purchasing rules cite it.
8. References
- NIST About NIST: founding year, part of the Department of Commerce, mission, headquarters. Checked 25 October 2026. https://www.nist.gov/about-nist
- NIST Our Leadership Team: “NIST is a non-regulatory agency within the U.S. Commerce Department”. https://www.nist.gov/director/leadership
- NIST NIST in Maryland: more than 2,800 federal employees at Gaithersburg; total budget stated for FY2024. https://www.nist.gov/states/maryland
- NIST NIST in Colorado: 560 employees at Boulder, FY2024. https://www.nist.gov/states/colorado
- NIST Budget Update (11 June 2025): staff reduced by 420 as of May 2025, impact under evaluation. https://www.nist.gov/document/budget-updates-and-discussion-june-2025
- NIST Intelligent Systems Division: mission and main programmes of this Engineering Laboratory division. https://www.nist.gov/el/intelligent-systems-division-73500
- NIST Measurement Science for Robotics and Autonomous Systems Program: aims and deliverables. https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/measurement-science-robotics-and-autonomous-systems-program
- NIST Standard Test Methods for Response Robots: standardisation in ASTM E54.09 and sponsors. Updated 16 August 2024. https://www.nist.gov/el/intelligent-systems-division-73500/standard-test-methods-response-robots
- NIST Standard Test Methods for Response Robots: Aerial Systems (Background): more than 50 test methods, about 20 sUAS test methods, adoption in NFPA 2400, standard test method versus standard robot. Updated 3 October 2024. https://www.nist.gov/el/intelligent-systems-division-73500/standard-test-methods-response-robots/aerial-systems/aerial
- NIST Robotics update: programme briefing by the programme manager (file name dated June 2026): three fields, adopters of the drone tests, standards committees joined, future activities. https://www.nist.gov/document/robotics-update-vcat-62026
- ISO ISO/TC 299 Robotics: working-group names; ISO 25785-1 shown at committee-draft (CD) stage in the list of standards under development. https://www.iso.org/committee/5915511.html
- NIST Standards.gov: What We Do: U.S. federal standards policy; the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act and OMB Circular A-119 promote reliance on voluntary consensus standards. https://www.nist.gov/standardsgov/what-we-do
9. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the article | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Founded 1901, part of the Department of Commerce, headquarters location, mission of promoting measurement science and standards | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.nist.gov/about-nist |
| NIST is a non-regulatory agency | Sourced | Reference 2 https://www.nist.gov/director/leadership |
| More than 2,800 federal employees at Gaithersburg; a total budget of about US$1 billion stated for FY2024 | Sourced | Reference 3 https://www.nist.gov/states/maryland |
| 560 employees at Boulder | Sourced | Reference 4 https://www.nist.gov/states/colorado |
| Staff reduced by 420 as of May 2025, with the impact under evaluation | Sourced | Reference 5 https://www.nist.gov/document/budget-updates-and-discussion-june-2025 |
| The responsible unit (Intelligent Systems Division of the Engineering Laboratory) | Sourced | Reference 6 https://www.nist.gov/el/intelligent-systems-division-73500 |
| Aims and deliverables of the MSRAS programme (measures, information models, datasets, test methods, protocols) | Sourced | Reference 7 https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/measurement-science-robotics-and-autonomous-systems-program |
| Response-robot standard test methods, standardisation in ASTM E54.09, funding by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate | Sourced | Reference 8 https://www.nist.gov/el/intelligent-systems-division-73500/standard-test-methods-response-robots |
| More than 50 test methods, about 20 sUAS test methods, ten adopted in NFPA 2400, ASTM F38, standard test method versus standard robot, and that the pass mark is left to user communities | Sourced | Reference 9 https://www.nist.gov/el/intelligent-systems-division-73500/standard-test-methods-response-robots/aerial-systems/aerial |
| Three fields (manufacturing, public safety, automated vehicles), adopters of the drone tests (NFPA, APSA, LEDA), standards committees joined (including ISO/TC 299), replication of assembly task boards (NVIDIA and others), names of future activities | Sourced | Reference 10 https://www.nist.gov/document/robotics-update-vcat-62026 |
| Names of ISO/TC 299 working groups and the committee-draft stage of ISO 25785-1 | Sourced | Reference 11 https://www.iso.org/committee/5915511.html |
| Federal policy of relying on voluntary consensus standards; standards have no legal force of their own | Sourced | Reference 12 https://www.nist.gov/standardsgov/what-we-do |
| The grouping into four types of institution, and the “cannot decide” box in Fig. 2 | Our calculation | This article’s own grouping (based on References 2, 9 and 12 and on the FAA and FCC remits in this series) |
| Format and timing of future activities; effect of staff reductions | Not yet confirmed | Not stated in References 5 or 10; this article does not estimate them |
| The two outlook items in chapter 6 (humanoids, pilot credentialing) | Inference | This article’s reading of the classification in Reference 10 and the adopter list |
Last updated 25 October 2026 / Troy Technical
Figures come from NIST’s official pages and from a briefing that NIST published. Items marked “Inference” are this article’s reading of the primary information. Counts in NIST’s materials may use different definitions depending on the date of each page.