All articles tagged with #industrial automation
Physical AI blends autonomous hardware with AI to enable learning, adaptation and collaboration in varied environments, expanding robotics from assembly lines to healthcare, logistics and beyond. Success depends on high-quality data (often synthetic), advanced simulation and models, and redesigned workflows, with pilots from Amazon, Siemens, Foxconn and others signaling a broad shift toward flexible, human–robot collaboration.
Researchers unveiled a detachable, six‑fingered robotic hand that can detach from its arm, crawl to retrieve several objects, grasp from multiple directions, and reattach, enabling independent operation in tight spaces with potential industrial uses in inspection, retrieval, and tool handling.
Siemens and NVIDIA are expanding their partnership to develop an Industrial AI operating system, aiming to revolutionize the entire industrial value chain with AI-driven solutions, including AI-native design, simulation, and adaptive manufacturing, starting with the goal of creating fully AI-driven factories by 2026.
Rockwell Automation's stock is plummeting due to ongoing supply chain challenges and subdued demand, leading to a 15% drop in share value after the company reported disappointing results and reduced its guidance. The company's earnings and margins were impacted by lingering supply chain disruptions, prompting a lowered outlook for diluted earnings per share. While Rockwell Automation is positioned for long-term growth, investors should be prepared for slow progress in the near future, as the timing of its expansion hinges on the industrial sector's economic sentiment.
Siemens reported a 10% increase in revenue growth for its fiscal fourth quarter, surpassing expectations with a record high of €21.4 billion ($23.2 billion). However, the German industrial conglomerate anticipates a slowdown in sales growth for 2024, projecting a 4-8% increase compared to the 11% recorded for the 2023 fiscal year. The muted outlook is primarily attributed to the industrial automation division. Despite this, Siemens achieved record quarterly and full-year results, with industrial profit reaching €3.4 billion in Q4 and a historic high of €11.4 billion for the year. The company also proposed an increase in dividend and expressed confidence in its strategy and the digital and sustainability transformations of its customers.
An industrial robot at a distribution center in South Korea crushed a man to death after mistaking him for a box of vegetables. The incident occurred while the man was inspecting the robot's sensors, and the machine lifted him and pushed him against a conveyor belt, resulting in fatal injuries. The robot, which is used for lifting and moving boxes of produce, was not an advanced AI-powered robot but a simple machine. Authorities are investigating whether the robot had any defects or safety issues, while the plant owner called for a more precise and safe system to be established.
3M, the American manufacturing company, will lay off 6,000 employees, or around 10% of its workforce, due to slowing global demand for goods. The layoffs will reduce costs by up to $900 million annually. The company plans to invest in industrial automation and focus on high-growth markets such as electric vehicles, personal safety, home improvement, microchips, and healthcare. The decline in demand for respirators and the company's withdrawal from Russia also impacted its finances. The U.S. economy is slowing, and the shift in consumer spending towards services has led to a rapid slowdown in manufacturing.