Articles tagged with "smart-factory"
UBTECH Walker S2 humanoid robots automate tasks at wind turbine plant
UBTECH’s Walker S2 humanoid robots are actively transforming industrial automation at China’s first 5G-enabled wind turbine smart factory operated by SANY RE. These robots autonomously navigate the factory floor, performing human-like tasks such as precise component handling and adaptive assembly line work. Leveraging 5G connectivity, the Walker S2 demonstrates advanced mobility, dexterity, and stable balance, enabling it to safely and effectively operate alongside human workers. The robots use a proprietary binocular stereo vision system with deep learning for real-time spatial awareness and object recognition, enhancing their ability to interact dynamically within the production environment. Designed with a whole-body dynamic balance algorithm, the Walker S2 can perform physically demanding tasks including deep squatting, forward pitching, and lifting payloads up to 15 kilograms. It operates on UBTECH’s Co-Agent system within the BrainNet 2.0 AI framework, which facilitates adaptive, multi-step task execution and coordination with other robots. The robot’s autonomous power system supports continuous operation
robothumanoid-robotindustrial-automation5G-connectivitysmart-factorywind-energyclean-energy-manufacturingBuilding tomorrow’s factory: 5 digital upgrades every plant needs
The article emphasizes the critical role of digital transformation in modern manufacturing, highlighting that in 2022, manufacturing contributed 17.5% to global GDP and employed nearly 13 million people in the US. To meet evolving supply chain demands and efficiency goals, factories must adopt smart technologies such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and automation. These technologies offer tangible benefits including waste reduction through real-time data analytics, optimized maintenance to prevent downtime, increased productivity via automation, enhanced operational agility through predictive insights, and improved product quality with rapid defect detection. Data shows that smart technology adoption can boost productivity by nearly 50% and cut operating costs by over 40%. To build the factories of tomorrow, the article identifies five essential digital upgrades. The first two highlighted are Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) software. ERP systems unify multiple operational areas—production, maintenance, quality control, asset management, and HR—into a single digital platform, enabling smarter automation
IoTsmart-factorydigital-transformationmanufacturing-automationenergy-efficiencypredictive-maintenanceindustrial-roboticsKia Plans Huge Production Volumes of PBV Vehicles, Opens Production Hub - CleanTechnica
Kia is making a significant investment of KRW 4 trillion ($2.74 billion) to establish a large-scale production hub dedicated to purpose-built vehicles (PBVs), focusing on commercial electric vehicles. The new facility, named EVO Plant, spans approximately 297,000 square meters and will have an annual production capacity of 250,000 vehicles. EVO Plant East, recently completed, will produce 100,000 units of the mid-size PV5 model annually, including passenger, cargo, chassis cab, and wheelchair-accessible variants. EVO Plant West, currently under construction, will focus on larger PBV models like the PV7, with a capacity of 150,000 units per year. Together, these plants will serve as Kia’s global production center for PBVs, highlighting the company’s commitment to electrification and sustainable mobility. The EVO Plant incorporates advanced manufacturing technologies emphasizing automation, sustainability, and a human-centric work environment. Features include smart logistics with automated guided vehicles, low-carbon dry paint
energyelectric-vehiclessmart-factoryautomationsustainable-manufacturingproduction-hubautomotive-innovationHumanoids need orchestration to be useful in manufacturing, notes Flexxbotics CEO - The Robot Report
The article by Tyler Bouchard, CEO of Flexxbotics, emphasizes that humanoid robots in manufacturing require sophisticated orchestration and coordination to be truly effective. Rather than automating isolated tasks, humanoids must perform multiple operations autonomously and work seamlessly alongside other robots, machines, and human workers within smart factories. Achieving this level of integration demands that humanoids operate with contextual awareness, communicating bi-directionally with business IT systems and factory equipment to receive instructions, provide updates, and adjust actions in real time. Bouchard highlights that humanoids need robotic production software capable of secure, real-time read/write communication with diverse factory assets to enable fully autonomous operation. This closed-loop communication system allows humanoids to move beyond simple automation toward connected autonomy, where they can make contextual decisions and interact dynamically within production processes. Without such orchestration and interoperability, the potential of humanoid robots to drive scalable, efficient manufacturing will remain unrealized.
roboticshumanoid-robotssmart-factoryindustrial-automationmanufacturing-technologyrobot-orchestrationautonomous-robotsRoboCup Logistics League: an interview with Alexander Ferrein, Till Hofmann and Wataru Uemura - Robohub
The RoboCup Logistics League, part of the Industrial League at RoboCup 2025 held in Salvador, Brazil, focuses on advancing intelligent robotics and AI in smart factory logistics. The league simulates an intra-production logistics scenario where teams of three robots manage the delivery and production of various products using six machines arranged on a playing field. Robots must navigate, avoid collisions, and handle simple manipulation tasks such as moving colored discs that represent product components. The primary challenge lies in production logistics and planning, requiring robots to collaboratively produce complex products within a limited timeframe. Unlike other RoboCup competitions, this league emphasizes long-horizon planning and real-time adaptation due to dynamic order arrivals and interactions with opponent teams. A key aspect highlighted by the league’s organizers is the necessity for online planning and execution monitoring. Since product orders are unpredictable and numerous, pre-planned sequences are ineffective. Robots must continuously replan and adjust their strategies during execution to respond to changing conditions on the field, including the actions of competing teams. This
roboticssmart-factoryindustrial-automationRoboCuplogistics-robotsAI-in-manufacturingproduction-logisticsData-driven maintenance is changing factory economics
The article highlights how data-driven predictive maintenance is revolutionizing factory economics by significantly reducing unplanned downtime, which can cost factories millions of dollars annually. Traditional reactive “break-and-fix” approaches are being replaced by smart strategies that leverage IoT sensors and AI to detect equipment faults weeks before failures occur. Studies from the US Department of Energy and industry surveys show that mature predictive maintenance programs can yield a 10× return on investment and reduce downtime by 35–45 percent. Additionally, companies adopting these technologies report substantial cost savings, fewer breakdowns, and extended equipment life, with Deloitte and IBM data supporting reductions of up to 70 percent in breakdowns and 25–30 percent in maintenance costs. The article explains the anatomy of a smart factory’s sensor system, where multiple IoT sensors continuously monitor parameters such as vibration, temperature, and fluid levels. These sensors feed data into edge computing nodes and cloud platforms, where AI algorithms analyze deviations from normal operating baselines to identify early signs of wear
IoTpredictive-maintenancesmart-factoryAIindustrial-sensorsedge-computingenergy-efficiencyGuozi Robotics provides a range of automation for TZ Group greenfield factory - The Robot Report
Guozi Robotics has implemented an advanced intelligent production and logistics automation system at TZ Group’s new greenfield factory, deploying nearly 200 diverse robots to automate the entire excavator manufacturing process and logistics network. This comprehensive automation addresses TZ Group’s challenges related to high-mix, low-volume production and limited operational flexibility, streamlining every step from production to final shipment. The system includes heavy-duty ANTS robots, picking robots, mobile robot swarms with dynamic path planning, gantry robots, collaborative robots, turnover units, and custom devices, all integrated to perform complex operations without retooling delays. The automation project runs on Guozi’s proprietary Line-Side Control System (LCS) and manufacturing execution system (MES), facilitating seamless data integration between shop-floor devices and plant management. Guozi’s AI-driven robot control system (RCS) coordinates hundreds of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) with centimeter-level precision, enabling multiple call-for-parts modes and dynamic storage combined with smart picking
roboticsautomationmobile-robotsAGVsmanufacturing-execution-systemcollaborative-robotssmart-factoryHyundai, Kia, Genesis Meta Factory Visit Shows They Are Prepared For The Future - CleanTechnica
robotIoTenergyautomationelectric-vehiclesmanufacturingsmart-factory