by Gary Mintchell | Oct 10, 2025 | Generative AI, Robots, Technology
I’ve been trying to guide AI discussion toward useful applications rather than overly hyped general visions. Let the people dealing in billions of dollars promote themselves. For those who have real work to do, look into the details of AI news to discern real benefits. Perhaps this news from ABB fits that model. This news also follows the trend of larger companies investing in specialist companies in order to drive additional benefits for their products and solutions.
In this case, ABB (robotics) has invested in LandingAI in order to improve the company’s robotic applications for customers. Oh, and we get a new TLA (three-letter acronym). Note the specific examples.
In brief:
- Strategic investment secures ABB’s use of LandingAI’s vision AI capabilities, such as LandingLens, for robot AI vision applications
- Pre-trained models, smart data workflows and no-code tools reduce training time by 80% and accelerate deployment in fast-moving sectors including logistics, healthcare, and food & beverage
- First of its kind collaboration marks a major step towards ABB Robotics’ vision for Autonomous Versatile Robotics – AVR
This first of its kind collaboration will integrate LandingAI’s vision AI capabilities, like LandingLens, into ABB Robotics’ own software suite, marking another milestone in ABB’s journey towards truly autonomous and versatile robots.
“This announcement is the latest in our decade-long journey to innovate and commercialize AI, benefitting our customers by enhancing robot versatility and autonomy to expand the use of robots beyond traditional manufacturing,” said Sami Atiya, President of ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation. “The demand for AI in robotics is driven by the need for greater flexibility, faster commissioning cycles and a shortage of the specialist skills needed to program and operate robots. Our collaboration with LandingAI will mean installation and deployment time is done in hours instead of weeks, allowing more businesses to automate smarter, faster and more efficiently.”
As part of the collaboration ABB has made a venture capital investment through ABB Robotics Ventures, the strategic venture capital unit of ABB Robotics, driving collaboration and investment in innovative early-stage companies that are shaping the future of robotics and automation. Financial details of the investment were not disclosed.
LandingAI’s LandingLens is a vision AI platform that enables the rapid training of vision AI systems to recognize and respond to objects, patterns or defects with no complex programming or AI expertise required.
Through this collaboration, ABB Robotics will reduce robot vision AI training & deployment time by up to 80 percent. Once deployed, system integrators and end users can retrain the AI for new scenarios on their own, unlocking a new level of versatility. This is a critical step in scaling robot adoption in dynamic environments, beyond traditional manufacturing, especially in fast-moving sectors such as logistics, healthcare and food and beverage. ABB is already piloting LandingAI’s technology and actively working to integrate it into existing vision AI applications, including item-picking, sorting, depalletizing and quality inspection.
More information about RobotStudio with generative AI assistant:
- RobotStudio Al Assistant provides real-time, step-by-step guidance for robot programming
- More intelligent and easy-to-use generative Al interface creates faster, easier commissioning and boosts productivity
- Another step in enhancing robot accessibility and versatility beyond traditional manufacturing
Powered by a Large Language Model (LLM) that understands and interprets human language, RobotStudio AI Assistant draws from ABB’s comprehensive library of manuals and documentation to deliver high-quality, context-rich responses to questions, enabling users to set up faster and find rapid answers to questions and technical challenges.
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by Gary Mintchell | Oct 3, 2025 | Automation, Robots
Many complications have interfered with my keeping up with news. I could not make it to FABTECH this year held in early September. Collaborative Robot (cobot) developer Universal Robots (UR) introduced an extended reach cobot.
UR8 Long’s extended reach combined with coordinated multi-axis motion allows for complex weldments at consistent quality. Motion performance optimization also delivers smoother movements at maximum speed to significantly enhance fast-paced bin picking.
UR8 Long has the same 1750 mm (68.9 in) reach as the UR20 and a significantly slimmer profile, UR8 Long combines reach, stability and precision featuring an 8 kg (17.6 lbs) payload.
UR8 Long runs with both PolyScope 5 and PolyScope X, UR’s software platform, and can be extended with MotionPlus – UR’s new advanced motion control technology that allows for ease of integration with linear axis, rotary positioners and rotary turntables for precise control, smoother trajectories, and consistent accuracy.
Combined with UR’s upgraded freedrive capabilities, users can manually guide the arm with precision and ease – making lead-to-teach programming more intuitive and enabling quick, ergonomic setup even on complex parts, all without the need for layered interfaces or external tools. UR8 Long’s lighter mass – 30% less than the UR20 – and compact wrist design also makes it perfect for mounting on gantries, rails, or overhead systems, where external axes can operate more efficiently.
They showcased applications in welding and bin picking among others.
by Gary Mintchell | Jul 31, 2025 | Robots
In further AMR news, this from ABB. Notably, much news in this market emanates from a geographical axis of Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland.
As ABB explains:
- ABB extends leadership in AI-powered autonomous mobile robots with ultra-compact, high payload Flexley Mover P603 platform AMR
- AI-driven Visual SLAM and integrated load sensing enable stable and autonomous navigation, including in challenging conditions
- AMR Studio 4.0 version simplifies deployment with no-code programming and real-time fleet management
My previous blog post was about Siemens who also claimed the “most compact” AMR to handle 1500 kg.
ABB launched Flexley Mover P603 platform AMR, the most compact model in its class to handle payloads of up to 1500 kg. Designed to boost intralogistics efficiency, the P603 combines compact design with AI-driven Visual SLAM navigation and the latest version of AMR Studio software that maximizes flexibility by enabling different modules to be integrated into the AMR.
Features and benefits
The AMR P603 is part of ABB’s new era of Autonomous Versatile Robotics, where robots can seamlessly switch between tasks, in real time and with minimal effort. With its AI-driven Visual SLAM navigation, the AMR P603 is smarter, faster and safer (meeting ISO 3691-4 and ANSI 56.5 standards) while delivering industry-leading agility and positioning accuracy of ±5 mm, with no need for reflectors or change in infrastructure. Its differential bidirectional drive system enables smooth movement in tight production and warehouse layouts, while its integrated load detection capabilities optimize stability and safety during transport.
The P603’s agility and compact design makes it ideal for intralogistics applications, including end of line, goods to robot, line supply, inter-process connection, and kitting. It supports a wide range of load types and dimensions, including open and closed pallets, containers, racks, and trolleys, all handled with a single AMR and flexible top model configuration.
Designed with modularity in mind, the AMR P603 can be easily adapted with various ‘top modules’ to handle different load types. Combined with the AMR Studio upgrade, it enables rapid setup and seamless customization, with system integrators and end users able to build and modify applications using drag-and-drop tools. With this and other features such as intuitive no-code mission programming, AMR Studio reduces commissioning time by up to 20 percent. ABB’s Fleet Manager software is also integrated, allowing users to coordinate multiple AMRs in real time across large and dynamic production environments.
Future vision
ABB will continue to focus on fusing its precision hardware with artificial intelligence and software, towards further autonomy and versatility.
by Gary Mintchell | Jul 31, 2025 | Robots
This post and the next are Autonomous Guided Vehicle news items from June’s automatica show in Germany. First up, Siemens.
The news in brief:
- Operations Copilot to interact with physical AI agents
- Vision: Multi-agent systems with physical and virtual AI agents for autonomous transport systems and mobile robots
- New software-based safety solution Safe Velocity
Robots and autonomous vehicles come in a wide variety of form factors and use cases. Companies continue to reveal new innovations. This news from Siemens.
Siemens is announcing plans to integrate its Operations Copilot into driverless transport systems and mobile robots. The Operations Copilot is an industrial copilot for machine operation and maintenance. As mobile transport robots increasingly operate as autonomous physical agents powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the Operations Copilot will serve as a user interface for humans. Through this agent-based interface, users will be able to configure autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs), assigning them tasks like transporting materials and goods across the shop floor. This is yet another building block for automating automation in a factory with the help of generative AI.
Future Plans
Siemens plans to expand the capabilities of the Operations Copilot by introducing AI agents specifically developed for use with AMRs and AGVs. These agents support both the commissioning and operation of individual vehicles and entire fleets. Commissioning in particular is a complex and time-intensive process: AGVs need to be integrated into the factory’s existing IT and OT infrastructure and configured for specific conditions like routes and transfer stations. To streamline this task, engineers can rely on the Operations Copilot: It leverages AGV sensors and cameras to generate a detailed understanding of their environment. The Operations Copilot can access all relevant technical documentation of the installed components and retrieve real-time system data through its agent interface. This enables commissioning engineers and operators to work more efficiently, resolve issues faster, and ensure rapid deployment.
Safe Velocity
AGVs are equipped with navigation and sensor technologies, that allow them to move safely and reliably through production and intralogistics environments – with no direct human intervention. When people or objects appear in their path, AGVs automatically slow down, stop, or navigate around these obstacles. Siemens’ new software solution, Safe Velocity, enables the fail-safe monitoring of vehicle speed, which permits the protective fields of safety laser scanners to be dynamically adjusted in real time. The TÜV-certified software is compatible with the hardware and software from a variety of AGV manufacturers and enhances existing safety systems to meet stringent industrial safety standards. Safe Velocity reduces the need for additional safety hardware. This simplifies system architecture, saves valuable vehicle space, lowers engineering complexity, and minimizes cabling requirements – without compromising functional safety.
In the future, the Operations Copilot will interact with AI agents such as Safe Velocity to analyze targeted data from safety laser scanners and monitor the speed of AGVs. The virtual Safe Velocity agent supervises autonomous vehicles and can cooperate with other agents designed for AGV and AMR applications. This way, Siemens is building a multi-agent system where the Operations Copilot orchestrates both physical and virtual AI agents, enabling seamless interactions and deeper integration between the real and the digital worlds.
by Gary Mintchell | Jul 22, 2025 | Robots
More robot news emanating from a trade show in Germany. This one concerns additions to the ABB product line.
- Company launches the IRB 6730S, IRB 6750S and IRB 6760 with class-leading performance
- New robots, powered by OmniCore, offer significant performance and sustainability benefits
- ABB’s industrial robot portfolio is the most comprehensive in the market – 11 next generation robot families offering 60 variants
ABB Robotics is expanding its large robot portfolio with the launch of the IRB 6730S, IRB 6750S and IRB 6760. The lineup of 11 next generation robot families comprising 60 variants offers customers new levels of flexibility and choice as well as class-leading performance and sustainability benefits.
The IRB 6730S and IRB 6750S are both shelf-mounted robots and have been designed to support an increase in robot density in the production line. Capable of handling industry-leading payloads of up to 350 kg, the shelf robots can be installed at a height (or on a second floor) and can work with floor-mounted robots to maximize productivity. In addition, the robots provide excellent full vertical and horizontal motion to increase downward reach, making them ideal to optimize the space for die casting, injection molding, and spot welding for use in automotive, foundry, construction, and general manufacturing industries.
The new IRB 6760, a member of ABB’s latest generation of press tending robots, is the highest performance solution to date for mid-sized press lines. When combined with ABB’s carbon-fiber tooling boom, it can boost production output to a market-leading rate of up to 15 strokes per minute or 900 parts per hour. The IRB 6760 press tending robot is recommended for automotive, electronics and general manufacturing industries.
All three new robots are powered by OmniCore, ABB’s advanced controllers for automation, delivering a 20% reduction1 in energy consumption and class-leading performance. For example, the IRB 6750S in conjunction with an OmniCore controller can deliver path accuracy down to 0.9 mm.
The comprehensive lineup of next generation robots has been launched to work in partnership to further optimize plant performance. For example, ten IRB 6730S or IRB 6750S shelf-mounted robots can work in unison with eight floor-mounted IRB 6710~IRB 6740 robots to increase the number of spot welds on a car body from 70 to 80 joints in just 15 seconds, compared to predecessors. In addition, the groundbreaking modular design of the lineup can help reduce total cost of ownership through shared spare parts and service tools.
by Gary Mintchell | Jul 21, 2025 | Robots
Innovation continues in the collaborative robot market in Denmark. And to think I once thought the robot market was mature and not interesting.
Universal Robots (UR), a part of Teradyne Robotics, has presented UR Studio, a powerful online simulation tool built on PolyScope X, UR’s most advanced, open and AI-ready software platform.
UR Studio enables customers, partners and integrators to build 1:1 online simulations of their work cell and simulate every key aspect of their setup. With UR Studio, users can test robot movements, simulate reach, speed and workflow, and calculate cycle time, making it the simplest way to configure an optimized cell, maximizing return on investment before deployment even starts.
UR Studio gives users the ability to interact with UR’s robot portfolio and various components – such as pallets, machines and workpieces – and end effectors, including standard grippers often used with UR cobots. Items can be configured to the user’s preferences with the option of importing elements to mimic the workspace. This ensures the final solution fits within the real-world environment, which results in smoother deployments and faster return on investment. UR Studio also allows for potential issues to be identified early on, reducing downtime and avoiding the risk of costly adjustments.
UR Studio is provided without charge and runs directly on desktop browsers requiring no installation – users simply log into the UR Studio website, to get started. With the intuitive interface, navigation of the simulated environment is effortless with pre-made templates for the most common applications such as machine tending, screwdriving, palletizing and pick-and-place, fast-tracking the building and configuration of the virtual work cell. New application templates will be added continuously.
UR Studio is designed to work hand-in-hand with the PolyScope X software platform, which is built to support simulation from the ground up, bridging the gap between concept and operation.
UR Studio is initially available in English and will soon be released in German, Spanish, Chinese (simplified) and Japanese.
