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Talk to Your Robot

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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Zeroport raises $10 Million Seed for Non-IP Remote Access Solution

The podcasts I regularly listen to are filled with advertisements for Virtual Private Networks (VPN). These are touted as a way to conduct secure sessions while working, for example, at a coffee house. Side benefits accrue, as well, for example watching your local streaming services while traveling abroad.

Not so fast, says security startup, Zeroport. Several years ago, cutbacks in the Israeli military led to an exodus of talent who founded cybersecurity companies. Most of those have been acquired by now. But here comes a new company also with ancestry with the Israeli military.

Its take on VPN-type security lies in eliminating Internet Protocol (IP) access. Its patented non-IP remote access technology addresses vulnerabilities that led to the CISA breach and countless VPN compromises.

From their news release of January 15, 2026:

Zeroport, a provider of non-IP secure remote access solutions, today announced it has raised $10 million in funding to accelerate global expansion and product development. The round was led by lool ventures, with participation from Clarim Ventures, CyberFuture (Backed by Elron Ventures), and Fusion Fund.

The company will use the funding to expand into North America and APAC markets, grow its team from 25 to 40 employees within a year, and enhance its flagship Fantom platform. The company already secures remote access for large organizations worldwide, demonstrating proven adoption across critical infrastructure, power, financial institutions, and government sectors. Zeroport addresses a $30 billion market growing at 20% annually.

The secure remote access market remains fundamentally broken as all existing solutions rely on IP-based communication that allows malware to penetrate networks and theft of sensitive internal data,  a vulnerability so severe that even CISA, the U.S. cyber defense agency, was breached through its own VPN devices. This forces organizations to either remain completely offline or rely on complex & outdated IP-based remote access systems.

Zeroport’s Fantom platform pioneers the first non-IP-based secure remote access solution, using patented hardware that creates a physical non‐IP bridge at network boundaries. Inbound flows are physically limited to human interaction signals; outbound flows are display-only pixel streams. No packets can physically enter or leave the network; therefore, no malware can get in, and no data can get out.

This unique approach enables organizations to provide secure remote access for the first time, while maintaining complete visibility and control over sessions. This translates into cost savings by both replacing the complex legacy remote access stack and enabling remote operations in situations that were previously not possible. The technology has already demonstrated measurable impact, eliminating $5 million in annual travel costs for one systems integrator by enabling secure remote network monitoring & maintenance, previously impossible with traditional remote access tools.

The founding team brings together exceptional cybersecurity and hardware expertise from elite military intelligence backgrounds. Co-founder and CEO Joseph Gertz brings over 15 years of global business leadership and entrepreneurial experience. Co-founder and CTO Lavi Friedman and Zeroport’s COO, Rotem Kalmi, are both alumni of the IDF’s elite Unit 81 (Technological Intelligence Unit). The team’s unique perspective on remote connectivity challenges emerged when Friedman and Gertz met during reserve duty at Unit 81, where they identified critical gaps in secure remote access solutions.

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Siemens Unveils Technologies and Applications at CES 2026

Siemens seems to have found a home at CES over the past few years. I don’t know what it costs to give a keynote, but it’s probably well worth it, since no other major automation supplier seems to attend. I did write about a robotic exhibitor in my last post. Oh, and I’m still not likely to travel to Las Vegas for the next CES. I’ll save a ton of money and grief by receiving the news at home.

Siemens has maintained strong collaboration with Microsoft for decades—see all the Copilot news below. Recently, NVIDIA has joined the collaboration dance. Also, see news below. I think Siemens thought they’d gain penetration into the North American market through Chrysler’s acquisition by a German company plus the plants constructed by VW and BMW. That market is not so hot—see the proportion of sales into automotive by competitor Rockwell Automation, for example. Check out the customers featured by Siemens at CES this year: PepsiCo, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Meta Ray-Ban, and Haddy.

Perhaps the best acquisition, and most successful, that Siemens ever made was with UGS years ago. While rivals have struggled with software (and competitors have nibbled at some of the Siemens applications), Siemens continues to strengthen Xcelerator and Copilot technologies. And check out the launch of Digital Twin Composer. Digital Twin technology and application seems to be finally gaining traction.

In short, Siemens announcements:

  • Siemens and NVIDIA expand their partnership to build the Industrial AI Operating System, reinventing the entire end-to-end industrial value chain through AI – from design and engineering to manufacturing, production, operations, and into supply chains.
  • Siemens launches Digital Twin Composer software, available on Siemens Xcelerator Marketplace mid-2026, to power the industrial metaverse at scale
  • PepsiCo using Siemens Digital Twin Composer to simulate upgrades to its facilities in the U.S. with plans to scale globally
  • Siemens unveils nine industrial copilots to bring intelligence across the industrial value chain
  • Siemens highlights new technologies for accelerating drug discovery, autonomous driving and shop floor efficiency

“Industrial AI is no longer a feature; it’s a force that will reshape the next century. Siemens is delivering AI-native capabilities, intelligence embedded end-to-end across design, engineering and operations, to help our customers anticipate issues, accelerate innovation and reduce cost,” said Roland Busch, President and CEO of Siemens AG.

“Just as electricity once revolutionized the world, industry is shifting toward elements where AI powers products, factories, buildings, grids and transportation. Industrial AI is no longer a feature; it’s a force that will reshape the next century. Siemens is delivering AI-native capabilities, intelligence embedded end-to-end across design, engineering and operations, to help our customers anticipate issues, accelerate innovation and reduce cost,” continued Busch. “From the most comprehensive digital twin and AI-powered hardware to copilots on the shop floor, we’re scaling intelligence across the physical world, so businesses realize speed, quality and efficiency all at once. This is how we scale a once-in-a-generation technology shift into measurable outcomes.”

Siemens and NVIDIA are expanding their partnership to build the Industrial AI Operating System – helping customers revolutionize how they design, engineer, and operate physical systems. They will work together to build AI-accelerated industrial solutions across the full lifecycle of products and production, enabling faster innovation, continuous optimization, and more resilient, sustainable manufacturing. The companies also aim to build the world’s first fully AI-driven, adaptive manufacturing sites globally, starting in 2026 with the Siemens Electronics Factory in Erlangen, Germany, as the first blueprint.

To support development, NVIDIA will provide AI infrastructure, simulation libraries, models, frameworks and blueprints, while Siemens will commit hundreds of industrial AI experts and leading hardware and software. The companies have identified impact areas to make this vision a reality: AI-native EDA, AI-native Simulation, AI-driven adaptive manufacturing and supply chain, and AI-factories.

Integration with Siemens software.

Siemens also announced that it will be integrating NVIDIA NIM and NVIDIA Nemotron open AI models into its electronic design automation (EDA) software offerings to advance generative and agentic workflows for semiconductor and PCB design. This will both maximize accuracy through domain specialization and significantly lower operational costs by enabling the most efficient model to handle and adapt to every specific need.

Product Launch

Siemens’ primary product launch at CES 2026 is the Digital Twin Composer, available on the Siemens Xcelerator Marketplace mid-2026. This new technology brings together Siemens’ comprehensive digital twin, simulations built using NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, and real-time, real-world engineering data.

With the Digital Twin Composer, companies can create a virtual 3D model of any product, process, or plant; put it in a 3D scene of their choosing; then move back and forth through time, precisely visualizing the effects of everything from weather changes to engineering changes. With Siemens’ software as the data backbone, the Digital Twin Composer builds Industrial Metaverse environments at scale, empowering organizations to apply industrial AI, simulation and real-time physical data to make decisions virtually, at speed and scale. Digital Twin Composer is part of Siemens Xcelerator, an industry proven portfolio of software used by companies worldwide to develop digital twins.

Customer application of digital twins

PepsiCo and Siemens are digitally transforming select U.S. manufacturing and warehouse facilities by converting them into high-fidelity 3D digital twins that simulate plant operations and the end-to-end supply chain to establish a performance baseline. Within weeks, teams optimized and validated new configurations to boost capacity and throughput, giving PepsiCo a unified, real-time view of operations with flexibility to integrate AI-driven capabilities over time.

Leveraging Siemens’ Digital Twin Composer, NVIDIA Omniverse libraries and computer vision, PepsiCo can now recreate every machine, conveyor, pallet route and operator path with physics-level accuracy, enabling AI agents to simulate, test, and refine system changes – identifying up to 90 percent of potential issues before any physical modifications occur. This approach has already delivered a 20 percent increase in throughput on initial deployment and is driving faster design cycles, nearly 100 percent design validation and 10 to 15 percent reductions in capital expenditure (Capex) by uncovering hidden capacity and validating investments in a virtual environment.

New Industrial Copilots Streamline Manufacturing Operations

Siemens also spotlighted its partnership with Microsoft highlighting co-building the industrial copilot.

Siemens also announced that it is expanding its set of AI-powered copilots across the industrial value chain. This will embed intelligence that extends from design and simulation to product lifecycle management, manufacturing, and operations.

Siemens will deploy nine new AI-powered copilots for its software offerings, this will include Teamcenter, Polarion, and Opcenter. These copilots, respectively, streamline product data navigation, reducing errors and accelerating time to market; automate compliance, helping to ensure faster regulatory approvals and lower risk; and transform manufacturing processes, driving cost savings and operational efficiency.

These copilots, along with the rest of Siemens’ expanding portfolio of industrial AI solutions, are available to companies of every size on the Siemens Xcelerator Marketplace.

AI-Driven Innovations in Life Sciences, Energy and Manufacturing

  • Siemens acquired Dotmatics whose Luma platform enables scientists to unify billions of data points generated across instruments and labs, creating a coherent foundation for AI-driven exploration. Combined with Siemens Simcenter simulation and digital twins, teams can rapidly test molecules, identify promising candidates, and virtually scale production to help life-changing therapies reach patients up to 50% faster and at a lower cost.
  • Bob Mumgaard, CEO and co-founder of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, described how the company uses Siemens’ technologies as it leads the path to commercial fusion. Commonwealth Fusion Systems uses design software and a strong data backbone to help it accelerate the development of fusion machines that promise clean, limitless energy for generations to come.
  • In manufacturing, Siemens announced a collaboration to bring Industrial AI to Meta Ray-Ban AI Glasses. With hands-free, real-time audio guidance, safety insights, and feedback, shop floor workers will feel empowered to solve problems efficiently and confidently.
  • Haddy is reshaping manufacturing through AI-powered 3D printing and localized micro factories that deliver sustainable, high-quality products faster and closer to customers. Facing challenges around supply chain disruption, sustainability, and production agility, Haddy partnered with Siemens to streamline design, optimize operations, and scale efficiently.

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Robotics Palletizing Solution At CES

I haven’t been to a general technology trade show for years. Going to the manufacturing mecca known as Hannover costs more than I wish to pay for the experience. My company exhibited at the old Comdex in Las Vegas and Chicago back in the late 80s-early 90s. That folded. Consumer Electronic Show (CES) replaced it as the huge tech show. I’ve never been. I’m not interested in TVs.

It’s still more expense and hassle than I wish to pursue to travel to Las Vegas for a huge show. However, more manufacturing technology companies exhibit there. I probably still won’t make the trip the first week of a new year. I do watch for news.

Something I never thought I’d see from CES was news about industrial robotics. This piece is a collaboration with Universal Robots, Robotiq, and Siemens. One trend is growing collaboration among companies. Another is digital twin or what once was called “cyber-physical systems.”

Universal Robots (UR), part of Teradyne Robotics, and Robotiq have unveiled a robotic palletizing solution at CES 2026 in collaboration with Siemens. The joint demonstration in Las Vegas highlights how advanced robotics and digital twin technology can accelerate industrial transformation for manufacturers worldwide.

The solution combines Robotiq’s PAL Ready palletizing cell with Universal Robots’ UR20 robot arm, integrated into Siemens’ automation hardware and new Digital Twin Composer software – launched at the event. Visitors to the Siemens booth #8725 in the LVCC North Hall will experience a digital-meets-physical showcase, where a fully simulated palletizing cell is rendered photo-realistically in real time and paired with a live hardware demonstration.

Designed to support a company’s operational needs, the system palletizes boxes of chips and beverages, leveraging digital twin analytics to optimize gripper performance and suction points dynamically.  With data captured using Siemens’ Industrial Edge hardware, and then streamed to Siemens’ Insights Hub Copilot , the demonstrator provides real-time insights into cell behavior, reinforcing the theme of ‘digital AI meets physical AI’ and presents it in a real-time photorealistic environment built using Siemens’ new Digital Twin Composer software.

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Trends and Predictions

I have shunned new year predictions for the entire time I’ve been writing about technology and manufacturing. As has been said (attributed to physicist Niels Bohr and philosopher Yogi Berra), predictions are hard, especially about the future.

Usually these reflect either wishful thinking about the future or recognition of trends that may play out.

Marketing guru Seth Godin noted, “The Paradox of ‘On Trend’—By the time you get around to embracing the fashion of the moment, it’s almost certainly too late. The leading edge is defined by the fact that most of us aren’t on it.”

However, I have chosen to highlight two sets of predictions that came my way late last year. One is from Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing (OWC); the other from Michael Weller, Practice Leader for Manufacturing, Energy and Utilities at Verizon Business.

OWC makes high performance compute and networking equipment mostly targeted to markets not ours. The Verizon release was a bit surprising. I do think about networks. Usually not from the major carriers.

Their thoughts and my thoughts. Enjoy.

I looked at these OWC compute predictions mostly because I think that these have been happening. I don’t know to what degree adoption will occur, but it will be interesting.

2026 Prediction 1: On-Prem Comes Back, Not as a Rebellion Against Cloud, but as the Sensible Default for Performance, Cost, and Control.

“In 2026, more teams are going to rediscover the joy of having their data and workflows close to where the work actually happens. Not because the cloud is bad. The cloud is a great tool. It is just not the right answer for everything, especially when you are talking about performance, predictable costs, and keeping control of your own data.

It is easy to move a workflow up into the cloud, and then you wake up one day and realize you are paying for every little thing, and you are also at the mercy of a lot of services you cannot fix or influence. If your internet is flaky, or the provider has an outage, or you get hit with egress costs at the exact moment you need your data, that is not a strategy. That is a hope. In 2026, the smart shops will keep cloud as redundancy and reach, but they will rebuild the core on-prem so they can get their job done with less drama.”

I saw this play out last year by the company called 37 Signals. They looked at their monthly bills and decided their was a better way. 

2026 Prediction 2: The Real Differentiator Will Be ‘Boring’ Infrastructure: High Performance Tech That Disappears into the Workflow.

“I think 2026 is the year more people stop buying ‘fancy numbers’ and start buying results. Everybody can show a chart. Everybody can promise the sky. But in the real world, what matters is whether the product is low overhead, dependable, and actually makes your day easier. The best compliment we can get is that someone forgets we are there, because they are too busy getting real work done.

More buyers are going to get tired of the enterprise pattern where you buy the thing, and then you learn you need ten other modules, another server, and a pile of add-ons to get what you thought you already purchased. That is not delight. That is aggravation. In 2026, the winners are going to be the companies that show up, evaluate the environment honestly, and deliver what the customer actually needs, with the least amount of fuss. Under promise. Over deliver. And make it work in the real workflow, not just in a lab.”

The real question—when will the big AI players realize this.

2026 Prediction 3: AI Becomes a Creative Partner – but the Creativity Remains Human.

“AI finally settles into its proper role for creatives, in 2026. It stops trying to be the artist and starts becoming the best assistant a cinematographer, editor, or photographer has ever had. The true creative spark still lives with the human, not in the machine. You can’t automate taste, timing, instinct, and storytelling. What AI can do is clear the runway so creators can spend more time making decisions that actually matter.

Those that rethink where AI lives in the workflow will be the teams that get this right. Instead of pushing raw footage and unreleased work into distant clouds, they will bring AI closer to the media and closer to the creator. When AI runs next to your storage, things happen at the speed of thought. You can test an idea, throw it away, try another, and never break your flow. That immediacy changes how people create. In 2026, the most successful creative teams will not be the ones chasing the biggest models. They will be the ones who build infrastructure that keeps humans in control, keeps their content private, and lets AI quietly do the heavy lifting in the background while the creativity stays exactly where it belongs.”

I think AI and AgenticAI have been way over-hyped. On the one hand, AI has been embedded in much technology we already use. Industrial companies are embedding Microsoft Copilot. We’ll see continued searching for ways to use it as a tool to help workers do a better job.

Where I pick at OWC’s comments a little, I think Michael Weller is a bit optimistic. Check his thoughts. As I just wrote above about AI, don’t buy the hype.

AI moves from paralysis to production: “Many manufacturers are worried about AI, and uncertain where to put compute power. Next year brings breakthrough deployments focused on computer vision for quality control and AI ‘shells’ that wrap legacy systems in protective security layers. This finally moving innovation ‘out of the drawer.'”

He should say that manufacturing executives are worried about AI. The hype has consumed so much media space, that they feel they must tell the board they’re working on it.

Factories will embrace visual technology in a larger way: “Manufacturing floors will become highly visual environments, driven by computer vision, digital twins, AR/VR headsets, and gamification. Humans learn visually far more effectively than through text, and visual content. From just-in-time training videos to 3D schematics, visual environments will transform worker engagement and productivity.”

I’m not with him here. I’ve tried out the headsets for 10 years. There are selected places (training?) where there is a bona fide use case. If Zuckerberg is dropping the metaverse from Meta, I’d take a hint.

Connected worker technologies will deliver on their promise: “After years of hype, 2026 is when connected worker technologies prove their value on the factory floor. Wireless-enabled tools – especially mobile equipment – finally deliver on promises of improved safety, real-time asset tracking, and operational flexibility. Manufacturers are realizing they can modernize without extensive infrastructure overhauls.”

This is the one I expected from Verizon. We’ve been through the 5G hype. Not sure what wireless he’s promoting, but actually workers have had mobile tools for a decade. And, I expect to see evolving applications.

Increased importance of wireless tech as a sustainability achievement: “Beyond operational benefits, eliminating copper cabling and reducing network power consumption represents measurable environmental progress they can actually quantify. The math is compelling: a single cellular antenna can displace 3-10 Wi-Fi access points, significantly reducing energy needs across large facilities.”

Cellular in place of WiFi? The jury is still out.

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NIST Launches Centers for AI in Manufacturing and Critical Infrastructure

I wonder how many technology firms with headquarters in the US consider themselves American and how many think (thought?) they are global.

Before MAGA, these were global companies by my observation. Suddenly it dawned on many that there is actually another country vs country competition striving for first place.

Now, everyone not technical, and some who are, is panicking about AI. There are many unknowns and much hype. The current administration sees the competition looking to put some financial and public muscle behind further developments in AI—especially using AI to benefit scientific research and manufacturing.

I am currently digesting the Genesis Mission under the Dept. of Energy announced last week. Today’s news concerns AI both for manufacturing and cybersecurity for critical infrastructure from the Dept of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has expanded its collaboration with the nonprofit MITRE Corporation as part of its efforts to ensure U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). Through this award, NIST is investing $20 million to establish two centers to advance the delivery of AI-based technology solutions to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and cybersecurity for critical infrastructure.

“This investment will help accelerate the application of AI in American manufacturing and help drive the American manufacturing renaissance,” said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Paul Dabbar. “We can harness AI to increase the competitiveness of our manufacturers and attract investment in America.”

The award is an important step in implementing NIST’s Strategy for American Technology Leadership in the 21st Century to accelerate the progress of critical and emerging technologies from development to adoption, in close partnership with U.S. industry.

“Our goal is to remove barriers to American AI innovation and accelerate the application of our AI technologies around the world,” said Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Acting NIST Director Craig Burkhardt. “This new agreement with MITRE will focus on enhancing the ability of U.S. companies to make high-value products more efficiently, meet market demands domestically and internationally, and catalyze discovery and commercialization of new technologies and devices.”

The AI Economic Security Center for U.S. Manufacturing Productivity and the AI Economic Security Center to Secure U.S. Critical Infrastructure from Cyberthreats will drive the development and adoption of AI-driven tools, or “agents,” in these two national priority areas. The centers will develop the technology evaluations and advancements that are necessary to effectively protect U.S. dominance in AI innovation, address threats from adversaries’ use of AI, and reduce risks from reliance on insecure AI.

NIST will rely on existing resources to build on its expertise and carry forward recommendations in the White House’s July 2025 America’s AI Action Plan, including Pillar I: Accelerate AI Innovation and Pillar II: Build American AI Infrastructure. 

These are important first steps in NIST’s programmatic plan to coordinate innovation-based research efforts for accelerating the development and deployment of critical technologies in areas of national priority. Building on its long history of public-private collaboration, NIST plans to use adaptive and flexible partnerships to develop, pilot and implement new advances to establish U.S. leadership and innovation in critical and emerging technologies such as AI, quantum information science and technology, and biotechnology.

The partnership will leverage MITRE’s long-standing mission to operate federally funded research and development centers. NIST expects the AI centers to enable breakthroughs in applied science and advanced technology and deliver disruptive innovative solutions to tackle the most pressing challenges facing the nation.

This agreement expands NIST’s portfolio of AI-focused programs and builds on the private-public partnerships leveraged by the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), which leads evaluations of U.S. and adversary systems and contributes to NIST’s efforts to develop best practices. CAISI has established voluntary agreements with multiple developers of leading-edge or “frontier” AI models to enable collaborative research and voluntary testing of industry models for priority national security capabilities.

In the coming months, NIST plans to announce its award for the AI for Resilient Manufacturing Institute, through the Manufacturing USA program. With up to $70 million in investment over a five-year period from NIST and at least that much in nonfederal funding, the institute will bring together expertise in AI, manufacturing and supply chain networks to promote manufacturing resilience.

Combined, these efforts will enhance NIST’s core research, standards and technology mission to tackle barriers preventing U.S. innovation and leadership in AI. 

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