Dive Brief:
- Rockwell Automation will soon use Nvidia’s artificial intelligence software in its autonomous mobile robots, the two companies announced last week.
- The automation company will integrate Nvidia's AI robot development platform, dubbed Isaac, into Rockwell's Otto autonomous mobile robots, meant for use in manufacturing facilities.
- The project is part of an ongoing collaboration between the two companies to expand the use of AI in manufacturing. In March, Nvidia and Rockwell announced they were working together to create digital twin software that incorporated the AI chipmaker's Omniverse cloud platform.
Dive Insight:
Rockwell is pushing to bring AI to more of its products as a way to better tap into customer needs.
The company is also working with Microsoft to offer new AI-powered data solutions as it seeks to further its AI portfolio. Rockwell expanded its partnership with Microsoft last fall to add the tech giant's OpenAI software to its industrial automation cloud platform.
“By combining Microsoft’s AI capabilities and trusted cloud platform with Rockwell’s industrial automation solutions, manufacturers will have the tools they need to speed up these objectives and create smart factories of the future,” Dominik Wee, corporate VP of manufacturing and mobility at Microsoft, said in an April statement.
The work with both Nvidia and Microsoft is part of Rockwell’s strategy to focus on “specific customer use cases, especially those that will benefit from simulation and simplification using artificial intelligence,” Chairman and CEO Blake Moret said on a May 7 earnings call.
“These partners recognize that machines and manufacturing processes represent an enormous largely untapped source of data,” Moret said. “They also know we have the manufacturing domain expertise to select the best use cases for their technology.”
Rockwell acquired the Otto bot as part of its acquisition of Clearpath Robotics in October 2023. The autonomous mobile robot is now part of Rockwell’s manufacturing portfolio, with customers including GE Aerospace, Cober Solutions and Mauser Packaging Solutions, according to its website.
Companies have been using autonomous mobile robots for several years to boost warehouse efficiency and lower labor needs — Amazon and DHL Supply Chain both deploy the tech in their facilities. Now, however, more companies are integrating AI into robotics technology to boost its abilities.
Nvidia, for example, boasts that more than a dozen robotics industry leaders are now using its Isaac platform, including BYD Electronics and Siemens. Siemens, which has multiple collaborations with Nvidia, is using the software to integrate vision AI into its industrial robotic ecosystem. Nvidia and Siemens plan to roll out new capabilities related to the tech later this year.
