BMW has touted a revolutionary innovation: modular production cells that can be easily transported to anywhere in the world, comprising a compact, robot-driven factory featuring multiple industrial robots, or cobots, that can be quickly deployed at will.
Conceived in Sweden in 2007, Industry 4.0 was a response to the need for “cell and reconfigurable manufacturing capability on demand.” Its core features included mobility, flexibility, and velocity as three essential components.
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In 2020, the company launched its “model manufacturing facility” concept, a cutting-edge training program that combined on-site and cell manufacturing to create an immersive and effective learning experience for staff, allowing them to develop skills in new and innovative manufacturing procedures. With a significant reduction in staff travel to the production site, the company decided to bring the production site to them. The results were striking, demonstrating a notable enhancement in member recall, as well as enhanced learning outcomes, as participants develop both the how and the why of applying novel tools and techniques, rather than merely memorizing procedures.
Recently, we successfully applied our innovative concept to create the world’s first-ever mobile manufacturing facility, revolutionizing the production process of door meetings. As showcased in our video, this groundbreaking project has already taken shape and is ready to be put into action.
The carmaker claims: “Manufacturing unit in a Field, the world’s first modular plug & play course of gear for door sealing functions. Collaboratively developed with , this system enables our crops to spring to life quickly.
Collaborative robots, or cobots, have successfully integrated themselves into numerous laboratories, showcasing promising breakthroughs across various software platforms. At a leading research institution in Chicago, scientists are working with federal authorities to tackle a critical challenge: optimizing the production of medical radioisotopes while ensuring maximum security, speed, and efficiency through the integration of cobots, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
Medical radioisotopes are a type of radioactive material utilized extensively in imaging, diagnosing, and treating various medical conditions. Despite producing hundreds of thousands of radioisotope remedies annually, conventional manufacturing methods have historically been hindered by sluggish, costly, and often hazardous procedures. Some radioisotopes are still produced using technologies developed in the 1940s.
During application, the iodine travels throughout the body and localizes within the thyroid gland. As a result of its radioactivity, its presence can be detected. This radioactive tracer detects irregular developments of the thyroid gland, specifically a goiter.
As a result, there are frequently more requests for these increasing isotopes than there is available supply. This limitation hampers the pace of advancement in developing cutting-edge cancer treatments. The convergence of cobots and synthetic intelligence in radioisotope production appears to be a highly promising endeavour.
According to Jerry Nolen’s perspective as an Argonne physicist, “Manipulating patterns throughout the room enables us to handle samples up to ten times more radioactive safely.” “This development will significantly enhance our capacity to supply these essential and valuable isotopes.”
Cobots designed for subsea exploration are taking shape, including those developed by the relatively newly established (2016) Australian firm. 
The , for instance, is a watertight, 6-axis, underwater manipulator with 3D imaginative and prescient that may dive to 1,000 ft and has end-effector gripping accuracy of 0.39 of an inch (<1cm). Its dexterous grippers can swiftly unzippers a duffle bag on the ocean floor.
With approximately three-quarters of the Earth’s surface covered in water, it’s reasonable to assume that Australian robotic technologies designed for underwater exploration could find significant commercial success. The corporation has experienced a remarkable surge in growth. Since its inception in 2016 by two founders and current growth to 50 staff by 2024, Attain Robotics has built a diverse customer base comprising personal businesses, government entities, and higher education institutions across more than a dozen distinct vertical industries.
A Attain’s specialty lies in its cobot arms, specifically designed to achieve “ultra-subsea dexterity,” enabling them to perform tasks typically assigned to human divers with unparalleled precision and finesse. Consistent with its founding principles, the company’s mission remains unchanged: to push the boundaries of human exploration by developing innovative, high-performance manipulation and perception technologies capable of thriving in extreme conditions.
Unpredictably, a phenomenal autonomous mobile robot (AMR) has emerged. Since 2018. In the span of just one week, this innovation has remarkably surged ahead twice, solidifying its position at the forefront of next-generation autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in the “good” category of mobility management. Well timed plan brilliantly executed.
With the acquisition of AMRs, ABB is poised to gain an additional advantage: it can now leverage this deal to establish a comprehensive cell platform for its collaborative robots (cobots).
Last week, we covered ABB’s triple acquisition coup, highlighting its acquisitions of Intrion in 2018 and ASTI in 2021, which propelled ABB to prominence in the Automated Materials Handling (AMR) sector; followed by the January addition that further solidified its position within “good” AMRs.
Now comes this week’s acquisition of software program developer for construct out a brand new R&D hub for revolutionary automation. These two will likely be joined by Austrian-based Bernecker & Rainer Industrie-Elektronik (B&R), acquired by ABB in 2017 that produces industrial PCs and manufacturing facility automation gadgets designed to extend productiveness.
Development via acquisition for ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation enterprise is how the corporate intends to catapult itself into management place in what ABB calls “subsequent era versatile automation”.
Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation Enterprise, exclaimed enthusiastically, “The potential of AI-powered robotics and automation to revolutionize industries is undeniable, offering businesses greater flexibility and intelligence as they navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing global landscape and evolving workforce.”
Since taking the helm at ABB in 2020, CEO Björn Rosengren has vowed to drive growth through strategic acquisitions, with a target of five to ten per annum, primarily focusing on smaller to medium-sized firms that can bolster the company’s divisions and enhance their market standing.
ABB’s automation managers’ roles have consistently attracted significant interest. Expected to grow by around 20% annually until 2026, according to ABB projections, which would escalate the market value from $5.5 billion in 2023 to an anticipated $9.5 billion by 2026.
The fee structure proves to be more expeditious than anticipated for conventional robotic systems, with ABB projecting an annual growth rate of 8% for this innovation.
Japan’s industrial automation efforts have been steadily advancing with impressive results. Japanese manufacturers, such as those producing robots at top firms, have effectively harnessed automation, with “manufacturing at a few of Japan’s main robotics firms already being almost entirely automated,” notes Graeme McDonald at Citigroup.
As synthetic intelligence and machine learning increasingly intersect with robotics, Japan’s constraints are becoming starkly apparent.
asserts Minoru Asada, a renowned emeritus roboticist from Osaka University. Massive modifications took place, leaving us struggling to keep pace.
Japan’s consensus on robotics, AI, and automation suggests a need for refreshed analysis. To this end, Mujin Robotics and Accenture have collaborated on a strategy to establish a “new paradigm” in Japanese automation. Mujin Robotics stands out as Japan’s most prominent AI-powered robotics provider, while Accenture, a Dublin-based leader in data technology and consulting, serves the global Fortune 500 companies, boasting revenues of $64.1 billion in 2023. The statement made by the article is straightforward and unequivocal.
Accenture’s latest venture, Accenture Alpha Automation, is poised to revolutionize the administration landscape for Japanese companies by harnessing data-driven solutions that harmoniously integrate operational insights from manufacturing and logistics with administrative expertise. The joint venture is jointly owned by Accenture (70%) and Mujin (30%).
The innovative robotics platform enables companies to implement industrial robotics solutions seamlessly, eliminating the need for complex setup and integration, including motion settings and peripheral equipment, typically necessary for other robotics systems.
As East Asia’s AI landscape evolves, with China and South Korea already forging ahead of Japan, Accenture Alpha Automation faces an uphill battle to reposition Japan as a major player.
