by Gary Mintchell | Feb 11, 2026 | Operator Interface, Robots, Technology
Just heard of a company based both in San Francisco and Trondheim, Norway working in the robotic space. The problem it is solving is commanding industrial robots to perform pre-trained tasks without programming. Using AI training specific to the robot and applications, Trener Robotics’ Acteris platform allows operators to talk to robots in their own words to execute pre-trained skills.
I guess it’s inevitable that Alexa and Siri (hopefully better than the Apple version) gain industrial employment.
Trener Robotics today announced this week it has raised a $32 million Series A round of funding. Co-led by existing investor Engine Ventures and new investor IAG Capital Partners with participation from strategic investors Cadence and Geodesic Capital, through Nikon’s NFocus Fund, the new capital brings Trener Robotics’ total funding to over $38 million and will be used to support training Trener Robotics’ platform Acteris with new industrial robot processes, distribution expansion into new markets, and hiring talent to address rapidly scaling demand.
Unlike brittle, narrowly scripted systems or research-first generalist platforms, Acteris is a practical, shop-floor-proven solution. Trener Robotics’ first focus area is robotic CNC machine-tending with other high-demand applications to follow in 2026. Manufacturers using Acteris gain:
- A groundbreaking agentic user interface that enables robots to be controlled through natural conversation, intuitive task sequences, and high-fidelity simulation. It empowers any user, regardless of robotics expertise, to effortlessly run high-performance robotic applications.
- Part identification and handling even under adverse conditions.
- Optimized robot motions that react to changes, delivering unprecedented robustness.
- Intelligent collision avoidance and enhanced safety features that mimic common sense.
- Real-time production dashboards for performance monitoring.
Trener Robotics has built rapid momentum with more than 15 solution and integration partners across Europe and the U.S. that now provide Acteris-powered turnkey solutions—including the robot, gripper, and software—all pre-integrated and production-ready. Acteris is currently directly compatible with ABB, Universal Robots, and FANUC, with more leading robot brands to follow.
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by Gary Mintchell | Nov 20, 2025 | Generative AI, Operator Interface, Process Control
Every day brings more press releases about AI in something. Every one consistently uses the term AI completely undefined. I asked Honeywell if they could explain anything further about their AI. I waited a week. No reply.
Suffice it to say that some sort of AI “transforms” the experience for operators. So, forgetting the AI part, I continue to applaud refining ways to communicate the status of operations to operators (and others).
Honeywell announced a collaboration with TotalEnergies for the ongoing pilot of its AI-assisted Experion Operations Assistant at TotalEnergies’ Port Arthur Refinery in Texas. The initiative aims to support and empower operators to make timely and informed decisions while also providing the opportunity to enhance operational autonomy.
Built on Honeywell’s flagship distributed control system, Experion Operations Assistant is an advanced AI-powered solution designed to transform the way operators monitor plant operations from the control room. By merging operational analytics with real real-time predictive insights, the solution facilitates a more efficient workflow within critical refinery operations. With the integration of this new solution, operators in the control room can forecast potential maintenance events before they happen and minimize risks associated with unsafe operations and production losses.
TotalEnergies has already implemented an initial pilot of Experion Operations Assistant at the Port Arthur site’s Delayed Coking Unit (DCU). Preliminary results show the AI-assisted solution has successfully forecasted five potential events, helping to minimize downtime and reduce emissions from flaring. The predictions were made an average of 12 minutes in advance of an alarm incident, enabling operators to quickly implement corrective actions before an event.
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by Gary Mintchell | May 5, 2025 | Operator Interface
News from the upcoming Automate 2025 show continues to dribble in. This looks like an update on HMIs. Let’s take it to Android (I assume some of you are on that platform).
Olis will launch a remote automation monitoring, diagnostic and error recovery app that turns Android smartphones and tablets into gateways for any automation cell without the need for additional hardware at Automate 2025.
By connecting their mobile device to a PLC through the new Olis app, attendees can experience how easy it is to get going with Olis. They will also be able to remotely control a robot arm and view live video of a remote robot with PLC/telemetry data overlaid, enabling users to diagnose automation issues instantly from anywhere in the world.
The Olis app synchronizes real-time video with system logs, providing a complete picture of what went wrong.
Full set-up takes less than five minutes – including a simple online purchase – making it an efficient retrofit for legacy automation systems. Users download the Olis app onto an Android tablet or phone and connect an ethernet connection to the controller. From there, they can configure IP addresses and start collecting diagnostic data.
In addition to receiving synchronized telemetry and video in parallel, engineers can set up alerts regarding irregular activity before it escalates into a costly hard stop. The Olis app also supports screen-sharing functionality, enabling troubleshooting teams to collaborate in real-time.
by Gary Mintchell | May 3, 2024 | Automation, Networking, News, Operator Interface, Organizations
A merger of these industrial communication protocol organizations is probably overdue, but certainly timely. As the industrial technology marketplace matures further consolidation makes sense. Each organization has achieved many advancements helping engineers and operations professionals do a better job. Most of the development work is done. It’s time to do more evangelizing and convince more companies to invest in the technologies.
After years of close collaboration, these two leading global standards-based non-profit entities have executed a term sheet to combine resources into a single business focused on creating device integration technology standards and products serving the user and vendor communities of industrial process, hybrid, and factory automation.
FieldComm Group and FDT Group are pleased to announce the completion of a term sheet outlining a plan to create a single business aimed at advancing integration technology and harmonizing control system applications across multiple protocol topologies supporting both process and factory automation. Subject to the completion of a definitive agreement, the new business will continue to support all existing FieldComm Group and FDT Group technologies, including Field Device Integration (FDI), Field Device Tool / Device Type Manager (FDT/DTM), Process Automation Device Information Model (PA-DIM), HART, and FOUNDATION Fieldbus. FieldComm Group will acquire all FDT technology and resources, and an independent Strategic Integration Committee will be formed to guide future directions for protocol-independent device integration technologies.
This strengthened relationship represents a significant step forward in streamlining process automation and factory manufacturing device management, enhancing interoperability throughout the industry. The unified organization is pioneering a transformative vision where industrial device management seamlessly bridges the present and future, ensuring support for the current installed base while facilitating evolution towards harmonized technologies.
This particular strategic integration idea is also long overdue. I’m happy to see this initiative. These mini-battles among major automation suppliers trying to tie customers to proprietary systems has long been a thorn in customers’ sides.
The new Strategic Integration Committee focused on a protocol-agnostic device integration approach will foster alliances with major field protocol organizations, including CC-Link Partner Association, EtherCAT Technology Group, FieldComm Group, ODVA, OPC Foundation, Modbus, Profibus/Profinet International, and others, spearheading innovations to improve engineering efficiency, plant uptime, and user satisfaction across various industrial automation fields. Within this strategic committee, cutting-edge technologies, tools, and certifications will streamline cost-effective adoption for members while providing a single device package compatible with any operating system that will enable effortless data access from field devices to cloud, edge, and mobile applications. This initiative promotes comprehensive integration between Information Technology and Operational Technology (IT/OT) systems.
“This collaboration is a strategic move aimed at providing the best service to our members and the industry at large,” emphasized Ted Masters, President and Chief Executive Officer of FieldComm Group. Steve Biegacki, Managing Director of FDT Group, echoed this sentiment, highlighting that “the enhanced harmonization of standards and technologies will significantly empower end users and manufacturers in their quest to achieve out-of-the-box Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) capabilities across their systems.”
by Gary Mintchell | Mar 27, 2024 | Automation, Industrial Computers, Operator Interface, Technology, Workforce
Still more catching up on news from the recent MODEX trade show in Atlanta. Zebra Technologies has grown from a specialty printer company that I used for a couple of projects in the 90s to an interesting automation solutions company. It has introduced extensions to its wide range of mobile compute and connectivity devices. This news details a number of new products designed to enable quality work from your front-line workers.
First a note about some research the company conducted. None of these findings shock me.
Operations leaders in the manufacturing, warehouse, retail, and transportation and logistics industries worldwide continue to grapple with fostering resilient supply chains amid heightened omnichannel demands for speed and accuracy, ongoing labor shortages, and economic uncertainty. Recognizing the criticality of an optimized supply chain, 89% of decision-makers surveyed in Zebra’s 2023 Global Warehouse Study say if their organizations do not invest in technology to improve operations, they will not meet their business objectives.
According to Zebra’s study, eight in 10 decision-makers and frontline workers said using more technology and automation would help meet or exceed productivity goals. In addition, decision-makers (54%) and workers (49%) agree addressing worker comfort and ergonomics is a top workforce initiative.
And something about a number of new products.
Zebra’s new RS2100 wearable scanner – the industry’s smallest back-of-hand (BOH) scanner – enhances productivity and delivers new levels of comfort to workers. The unique mount on the RS2100 leaves the palm completely unobstructed, providing greater freedom to handle items.
Zebra will also launch the WT6400 and WT5400 wearable computers. Engineered to streamline hands-free workflows while enhancing comfort, the WT6400 and WT5400 provide more flexibility for picking orders, sorting items, and managing inventory with greater efficiency and accuracy. With a larger display and integrated keyboard, the WT6400 is easily accessible for right- and left-handed workers, and its integrated angled camera captures images to document damaged items or completed tasks. The WT6400 is designed for demanding environments, including freezer operation (-30°C), while the WT5400 introduces a new class of wearable computers for hands-free retail workflows.
A new addition to Zebra’s TC5X series are the TC53e/TC58e/TC53e-RFID mobile computers. Designed to meet today’s latest standards, the TC5Xe series offers 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, integrated RFID, premium security features and contains 25% post-consumer recycled plastic by mass. The TC53e-RFID offers integrated short-range UHF RFID, enabling associates to take inventory in the backroom, validate tickets at a concert or verify all items in a shopping cart from up to nearly 4 ft/1.2m away with the same device ergonomics as the standard TC53e.
The TC5Xe series, WT6400 and WT5400 are all powered by the Qualcomm QCM4490 processor and Qualcomm QCS4490 processor which provide long lifecycles and more processing power compared to previous generations. These devices can run multiple applications including apps powered by augmented reality and AI, apps designed for voice and line of business as well as simple ‘green screen’ legacy apps.
Beyond its new wearables and mobile computers, Zebra will also showcase its recently launched MC9400 series, the ultra-rugged mobile computer designed to enhance workflow efficiency and device security across the retail, warehouse, manufacturing, and transportation and logistics industries.
by Gary Mintchell | Mar 1, 2024 | Automation, Operator Interface, Standards, Technology
Modern flow control software driver based on FDT/DTM technology extends standardized device management to mobile and OPC UA applications.
Glad to see movement with the latest technology from the FDT Group. It certified the first Device Specific DTM based on FDT 3.0 standard supporting the HART protocol from Flowserve Corp. The newest certified Logix 3820 Series DTM is deployable using their positioners supporting HART 6 / 7, tackling flow control challenges designed for modern IIoT architectures.
FDT DTM certification to the FDT 3.0 specification and webUI is a process whereby rigorous compliance testing using dtmINSPECTOR5 ensures the viability of the states of the DTM; its correct installation, de-installation, and multi-user environment capability; mandatory and optional user interface functionality and robustness; network scanning communication performance and the ability to import and export the topology; and the audit trail capability.
FDT 3.0 DTMs are crucial to unlocking universal device integration with essential advantages such as platform independence, mobility solutions, and a contemporary development environment to reduce costs and expedite the DTM certification process. Users can use secure and seamless data exchange/interrogation from the sensor to the cloud and achieve new levels of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) integration.
“This certification is a milestone in market penetration and technology development,” says Steve Biegacki, FDT Group managing director. “Flowserve has always been a leader in flow control using DTM technology and now offers the first flow control management DTM standardized for IIoT architectures based on FDT 3.0 for HART applications. HART users can deploy this new DTM and reap the benefits by using an FDT 3.0-based device management tool, such as PACTware 6.1, and can enjoy an IT/OT data-centric model by deploying an FDT Server, extending the data reach to mobile applications and the enterprise.”
