by Gary Mintchell | Jun 25, 2025 | Robots, Sensors, Software, Technology
This is part two of my reports from the Hexagon Live Global Event. I had been to one previous event for only a day. Hexagon is such a large company comprised of many parts that I had a bit of struggle understanding it all.
The core Hexagon involves measurement, metrology. They have precision measurement tools for the small, medium, and very large targets. Tools for building applications complement these instruments.
Hexagon also comprises much software, having acquired Intergraph years ago and others since. Company focus has become easier with the announced spinoff of much of the software business into a new company called Octave.
Octave
Mattias Stenberg, who is leading Octave, explained the new company’s focus taking the musical analogy of an octave—taking it to the next level. The core of the new company consists of these four businesses from Hexagon:
- Asset Lifecycle Intelligence—Intelligence that drives decision-making efficiency and lifecycle value creation
- SIG—Safety, Infrastructure, and Geospatial—Act on information to save lives, improve infrastructure and enhance services
- ETQ—ETQ Reliance—ETQ Reliance is a cloud-native quality management system solution (QMS), powered by an agile platform that drives 40+ best-in-class applications adaptable to your unique environment. ETQ is the leading provider of quality, EHS and compliance management SaaS software, trusted by the world’s strongest brands.
- Bricsys—Hexagon AB, a global leader in digital solutions, today announced the acquisition of Bricsys, a fast-growing developer of CAD (computer-aided design) software that has been at the forefront of providing open, collaborative construction technology solutions since its founding in 2002. Its CAD platform, BricsCAD, supports 2D/3D general, mechanical, and sheet metal design and building information modelling (BIM) in one system.
I don’t know if this was supposed to be another musical reference, but as a guitarist, I’ll take it as such. Octave is Intelligence at Scale. They see themselves not just as a builder of software, but as helping customers evolve, adapt, predict, prevent by providing pre-trained agents. The platforms will be embedded, context aware, mission critical systems, validated.
This comment struck me. I concluded my first report with the thought that software becomes more powerful, yet it’s still trying to solve the problems I had in 1977. With power comes complexity. Stenberg noted a survey they conducted with C-level executives see more software, more complexity, more dashboards…and yet, less actual visibility. Systems that don’t talk to each other creating silos.
My concluding thought on my last essay was that we must not have a technical problem—we must have a people problem.
Only 20% of execs told them they are getting something from digital transformation. OK, I can’t resist thinking of an irony—yet they order their employees to use AI, or else???
They envision a process where customers build digital first, where the digital twin is a reality (he calls it “mirrorworld”). These will enable the movement from reactive to predictive (another future vision I’ve written about for 20 years or more).
A final vision—Create self-aware, resilient infrastructure.
Robotics
Moving on to another product line—robotics. I shot a short video of Hexagon’s newest robot—Aeon. This “humanoid”, or human-form-factor, robot exhibits quite advanced ability to do the work of human assemblers. When I asked why they developed the robot to look and act like a robot, they told me that existing work stations are designed for humans. Therefore, this is an easy replacement for non-existent human workers on the assembly line.
Digital Twins
Returning to digital twins. I spoke with Jeremy Treverrow about uses of digital twins. Initially, customers could use Hexagon’s precision measurement technology to create a digital twin of a component part. Perhaps this is a service and repair part no longer in production with perhaps no good design information existing.
Using the Hexagon Design X software set, the imported digital twin can be exported in an igis file, used for simulation, and can even design a manufacturing process around it.
A lot of power.
by Gary Mintchell | May 14, 2025 | Manufacturing IT, Sensors, Technology
Most of the interesting developments for the past several years have been in software. But not in the MES area that I began my software career working with. The companions to software have been security and artificial intelligence (AI). The AI component assumes many forms. In today’s news, we have AI assisting visual inspection (in a way a quite old application updated with new developments) integrating with MES. The companies involved are Cybord and Siemens.
Cybord, a leading provider of advanced visual-AI electronic component analytics, and Siemens Digital Industries Software have signed a new OEM agreement to integrate Cybord’s cutting-edge AI technology with Siemens’ Opcenter software for Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). The collaboration expands a previous OEM agreement and enables Siemens to offer Cybord’s powerful AI solutions to Opcenter customers and Siemens’ factories globally.
The integration of Cybord’s visual AI platform with Siemens’ Opcenter empowers manufacturers to enhance quality control of their Surface Mount Technology (SMT) processes. The solution will provide real-time detection of defective components, help build component repositories, and integrate visually verified traceability across the supply chain. Customers will be able to streamline their operations without the need for additional dashboards as the solution is fully integrated into Opcenter MES. This integration also allows customers to take immediate action on product integrity issues, improving their ability to address problems on the fly and helping to ensure consistent product quality.
by Gary Mintchell | May 9, 2025 | Sensors
Second of a series of Automate announcements. This technology enables better response for autonomous mobile robots. Another company I’ve only just learned about.
‘ADAR’, an award-winning 3D ultrasonic sensor poised to challenge the dominance of LiDAR in robotics perception, will launch at Automate 2025, May 12-15 in Detroit, Michigan. The first orders are already in place and the sensor is on track to achieve safety certification, an industry-first for 3D ultrasonic sensing in air.
Sonair, a Norwegian sensor firm, introduces ADAR, said to be the world’s first safe 3D ultrasonic sensor designed to boost safety in spaces shared by humans and robots to North American audiences May 12 at Automate 2025.
A typical 2D LiDAR safety scanner in an AMR only sees a person’s legs in one horizontal plane. In contrast, Sonair’s patented ADAR (acoustic detection and ranging) technology detects people and objects in 3D. A single ADAR sensor provides a full 180 x 180 field of view (FoV), and a 5 meters range, for the robot’s safety function.
The core technology behind ADAR has been in development at the MiNaLab sensor and nanotechnology research center in Norway for more than twenty years. The imaging method is called beamforming; it’s the backbone of processing for SONAR and RADAR, as well as in medical ultrasound imaging, and now ready for ultrasound in-air applications.
More than 20 global companies, including AMR manufacturers, industrial manufacturing conglomerates, automotive technology suppliers, and vendors within the autonomous health and cleaning industries, have quietly validated the Sonair ADAR sensor’s effectiveness as part of a successful Early Access Program launched in Summer 2024.
Acoustic detection and ranging (ADAR) uses airborne sound waves to interpret spatial information. ADAR is developed according to ISO13849:2023 performance level d/SIL2. The sensor creates a virtual safety shield with a range of 5 meters, that enables people and robots to share space safely. The innovation lies in combining wavelength-matched transducers with efficient signal processing for beamforming and object recognition algorithms.
Sonair ADAR is scheduled to be ready for shipment in July 2025.
by Gary Mintchell | Mar 14, 2025 | Sensors, Technology
I’ve had a soft spot for visual systems ever since my introduction to the technology in the mid-1980s. Trends of more powerful video sensors plus AI have combined to form a number of interesting new products.
This news comes from a company called Cybord (that I previously wrote about here), who bills itself as “the leading provider of advanced AI-powered electronic component analytics.” They have announced the launch of its Real-Time Interception (RTI) solution, an advanced visual AI-powered software that prevents defective components from being assembled onto Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs) in real time. By identifying and discarding faulty components within milliseconds before placement, Cybord’s RTI safeguards product quality, integrity, and compliance while significantly reducing manufacturing waste and costs. The solution, which is already integrated into Fuji’s NXT III placing machines, is currently expanding to manufacturing lines globally.
The solution provides:
- Instantaneous Detection and Rejection: The solution identifies every type of defect and discards defective or unauthorized components in real time before they are assembled onto electronic circuit boards, ensuring only top-quality and approved components are utilized.
- Seamless Manufacturing Integration: The flexible, drop-in software solution easily integrates into existing manufacturing lines to enhance quality control without disrupting production workflows.
- Data-Packed Insights: The platform provides manufacturers with crucial analytics and monitoring and ensures compliance with IPC standards.
- Value-Add for Machine Manufacturers: RTI allows machine manufacturers to empower their EMS customers with enhanced production efficiency and quality control by reducing rework and scrap. EMSs, in turn, prevent unnecessary revenue loss.
The RTI solution builds on Cybord’s successful Quality Component Inspection (QCI) and Traceability Component Inspection (TCI) offerings, addressing a critical need voiced by manufacturers: the ability to prevent faulty components from penetrating the assembly line rather than detecting them post-assembly. The RTI solution has already driven high demand from leading industry players and is currently integrated in Fuji America’s pick-and-place machines.
Powered by a database of nearly five billion components and counting, Cybord utilizes deep learning and AI algorithms to advance the next generation of AI in electronics manufacturing. During placement on the assembly line, the visual AI solution prevents defective, damaged, and counterfeit components from being assembled onto PCBA in real time with 99.9% accuracy. Cybord currently works with industry leaders including Fuji America, Siemens, and Flex.
by Gary Mintchell | Jan 21, 2025 | Internet of Things, Sensors, Wireless
Following the “fieldbus wars” came the “wireless wars.” Bringing the entire automation and control community together for standards seemed to be The Impossible Dream. I predicted that the market would settle things, and it did.
Wireless sensors ushered in the Industrial Internet of Things era. One constant concern for engineers was powering the many sensors—many, or most, requiring batteries.
I didn’t have to attend CES to get news. I preferred the vacation in Australia and New Zealand we took instead of a crowded Las Vegas. This news comes from a company I’ve never heard of (always a joy).
G-Lyte to Introduce Sensitized Solar Cell Technology To Create a Durable Alternative to Disposable Batteries
(Aside: I take about 75 lbs. Of household batteries to recycling from our community every month. This keeps the toxic chemicals out of the landfill. Plus, companies really do recover the chemicals for reuse.)
Every day, consumers discard more than 72 million non-rechargable batteries contributing to high levels of toxicity that pose a serious risk to the environment while also needlessly driving up consumer prices. Recognizing this urgent need for alternative device powering solutions, G-Lyte has perfected their best-in-class, proprietary Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) technology to create a durable, high-efficiency power source in low light environments that’s eco-friendly and 99%-plus recyclable.
Created as an embedded technology for product integration at the OEM level, G-Lyte is designed to power such products as computer accessories, remote controls, electronic shelf labels (ESLs), smart watches, trackers, sensors and more.
Manufactured for integration into both existing and new electronic devices, G-Lyte’s dynamic team of scientist-inventors work with product manufacturers at every level of the engineering process to evaluate their products’ power requirements and the prevailing lighting conditions in which the device will ultimately operate to first determine if the photovoltaic in-dye solution is, in fact, the best approach before deploying standard or custom sized and shaped products to power the device. G-Lyte also offers the only cell efficient in indoor conditions and stable under prolonged direct sun exposure.
by Gary Mintchell | Oct 11, 2024 | Automation, Sensors
My marketing communications colleague has another new client from outside my usual comfort zone. The autonomous mobile robot (AMR) continues to grow becoming more valuable not only for warehousing, but also for manufacturing. One of the more costly components is the 3D LiDAR sensor.
She introduced me to Sonair. This Norwegian technology company has closed a new funding round, led by Skyfall Ventures. The investment introduces a completely new category of sensors said to transform a mobile robot’s spatial awareness from 2D to 3D, offering a significantly improved safety performance over traditional vision systems while cutting costs by 50-80%. The company’s Early Access Program now counts AMR manufacturers, automakers, and distributors from across the world. This technology uses ultrasound for 3D spatial awareness.
A typical 2D LiDAR scanner in an AMR only sees a person’s legs in one horizontal plane. In contrast, Sonair’s patented ADAR (Acoustic Ranging and Detection) technology detects people and objects in 3D, with low energy and computational requirements.
Sonair has now raised a total of $6.8M with Skyfall Ventures leading the latest $1.6M round. RunwayFBU, another early-stage VC fund, also contributed to the round.
Ultrasonic sensors are less affected by environmental factors such as poor lighting, dust, or changing temperatures, ensuring reliable performance in diverse conditions where traditional sensors may fail. Sonair’s sensor can also detect reflective or see-through surfaces such as glass or mirrors without difficulty. Benefits recently recognized at the international Sensors Converge event in Santa Clara, California in June this year, where Sonair won the Best of Sensors Award 2024 in the Automotive & Autonomous sensor category.
The patented ADAR technology has been in development at the world-renowned MiNaLab sensor and nanotechnology research center in Norway for more than twenty years. The imaging method is called beamforming; it’s the backbone of processing for sonar and radar, as well as in ultrasound imaging known in medicine but now used in the air.
By combining wavelength-matched transducers with cutting-edge software for beamforming and object-recognition algorithms, Sonair makes 3D spatial information available simply by transmitting sound and listening. This allows mobile robots to detect distance and direction to all objects in a 180×180 field of view with a range of up to 5 meters, providing a wider field of view than existing technologies, while also detecting obstacles above and below the 2D plane of the LiDAR.
