AUTOMATE INNOVATION STAGE

Editor-in-Chief Linda Wilson recognizes the 2024 Vision Systems Design Innovators Awards honorees.

The optimized way of picking cannot be achieved by humans. There are simply too many decision points and too much data.

Applying AI-driven software brings nearly real-time optimization for things like batching, pick paths and slotting to drive game-changing enhancements in productivity and accuracy.

In this session, we’ll share insights from over 400 warehouse deployments that uncover how smart software is a better alternative to solving your operational and labor challenges than traditional, complicated, and expensive automation solutions.

Participants in this session will learn:

• How to reduce worker travel in the warehouse by 30-50%
• How intelligent batching, path optimization, and dynamic prioritization techniques can be a game changer for your DC workforce
• How software-based solutions can double productivity and reduce picking errors by 50% in a non-disruptive, efficient way that shortens time to value

OnLogic hardware is deployed in some of the most challenging environments on, below and even above, earth. By working with innovators all over the world to overcome their most complex technology challenges, OnLogic has continued to expand and optimize their line of highly-configurable industrial computers to meet the needs of automation and robotics across industry. Join this session to be among the first to learn more about their new all-in-one panel PC, purpose built for tough environments. This presentation will also touch on the AI capabilities of the company's powerful Axial Edge Servers, as well as their line of NVIDIA Jetson units that are helping bring new machine vision and machine learning capabilities to industrial and rugged environments.

This talk will delve into the revolutionary capabilities of Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) technology, offering a deep dive into its versatility in industrial applications. Attendees will be presented with a series of compelling case studies, demonstrating how HSI has been applied to solve complex visual inspection challenges across diverse sectors. We will also introduce SpecimONE, illustrating how it empowers users to seamlessly integrate real-time HSI into their machine vision projects.

Driven by fluctuating demand, increasing quality expectations, and the need for greater efficiency, manufacturers need scalable, easy-to-deploy solutions for the core tasks in operations. Human labor continues to be the most adaptive, capable, and quick-to-deploy solution. Lack of skilled labor is an incessant challenge yet humanoid robots that directly replace all the capabilities of people are not viable. In this presentation, we will divide the challenge into 3 key opportunities - inspecting, handling, and walking - and discuss the latest technology advances enabling these tasks to be augmented or automated through easier-to-deploy solutions.

TWS has developed one set of unified software running on a few hardware to form the tiered intelligent platforms covering all applications. With the platform as a core and as a foundation, TWS can build solutions to address many customers’ specific projects, under various application categories in timely manners and maximized reuse. With the reuse of proven software and hardware design for BMS, TWS’s pre-developed and pre-verified platform can not only save engineering resources, but ensure stability and reliability. At the end, we can ensure the delivery of a high-quality product while shorten the development circle and shorten the time to market. In the meanwhile, we allocated more engineering resources to focus on optimizing and enriching the BMS platform with more intelligence and developed more advanced Kalman algorithms and data-driven diagnosis capabilities to better track the state of health, predict cell aging, and prevent the failure in advance.

TBA

How good is the human eye at detecting inefficiencies and errors? Even in today’s world, it’s well known that there are some things that technology can do with much better accuracy and timeliness than we can ourselves. Vision AI is at the forefront of people-centered industry transformation, as we empower our workforce to gain new skills and create a work experience that focuses on streamlining time-consuming and low-accuracy tasks with automation that not only improves confidence but increases workplace satisfaction, as a result. Hear from Sony Electronics on how Vision AI stands to become a manufacturer’s necessity as we head into 2024 and beyond.

Please join ECM CEO Brian Casey for a presentation and demonstration on PrintStator Motor CAD.  

PrintStator is an advanced electric motor design-to-manufacture platform -- that integrates patented PCB Stator technology -- to offer critical benefits to automation. 
 
In this presentation, Mr. Casey will illustrate these advantages, including:  

• Using PrintStator to design electric motors to precise system performance and form-factor specifications.  
• Optimizing PCB Stator machines for lower noise, higher torque density, and IE5 efficiency ratings, while reducing weight and raw material requirements by up to 70%; and  
• Achieving faster electric motor production cycles in a cost-effective manner.
   

Presented by OPC Foundation, learn how leading industrial facilities – from renewable energy to cosmetics, to automakers – are employing secure, digital interoperability from the shop floor to the top floor. See how wind, solar, robotics, and cybersecurity all are masterfully served under the International IEC62541 Standard of OPC Unified Architecture. Deployments include Client/Server and Pub/Sub frameworks utilizing all transports, including TCP, UDP, MQTT, and more. With the world’s largest ecosystem of end-users, manufacturers, and partner associations, The OPC Foundation is the gravity center for secure industrial interoperability.

The cost and time to implement traditional automation solutions can be long, complicated, and expensive. Implementing smart software is a better alternative to solving your labor challenges.

This session will explore the unique benefits of utilizing optimization software to transform your operations, and attract and retain the next generation of warehouse workers. We’ll cover why a WMS alone won’t get you there, and how layering in optimization software can provide quick ROI, greater than 100% improvements in productivity and over 50 percent reduction in picking hours needed per shift.

In this session you’ll learn:

• How to solve the most critical worker travel challenges
• How optimization software can improving workflow and reduce on-floor travel time by 50%
• The limitations of typical WMS-directed batching and pick sequencing
• The potential benefits of “sharetasking,” integrating physical robotics alongside humans with optimization software

"What is Automation Software Engineering?" This is one of those ideas that feels totally obvious in retrospect. Automation and software technology are more entwined than many folks acknowledge today, and their convergence isn’t a theoretical exercise; it’s happening now at the cutting edge of automation.

Led by a new generation of engineers and platforms, automation engineering and software engineering are beginning to converge. And much like mechanics, electricity, and programmability revolutionized industry in earlier eras…unifying software and automation will revolutionize ours.

While there’s still lots to explore and many unknowns, we’re on the cusp of revolution — and a new breed of professionals is emerging at the forefront.

Depth perception is essential for a wide variety of applications from autonomous navigation to pick-and-place operations. Our latest innovation, the Bumblebee® X stereo camera, offers high resolution, exceptional accuracy, advanced onboard processing capability, and a robust industrial design. Join us as we explore Bumblebee X, real-world applications, and how our cutting-edge stereo camera technology addresses challenges across diverse automation applications.

Over half of fulfillment solution decision-makers rely on automation to increase worker efficiency and productivity. In this talk, we will discuss the integration of wearable computers, AMRs, software, and analytics to drive picking productivity in the warehouse and manufacturing environments. The session will cover industry-leading solutions that unify the path of pickers and robots in an optimized directed workflow all while enhancing operational visibility for decision makers.

LINAK lifting columns provide a 7th axis for cobots, extending the reach to new heights. The column features simultaneous run with cobots, lifts heavy payloads, and is easy to integrate. LINAK recently introduced a new 1100 mm stroke length option, offering even more range to cobots.

Due to increased automation, Vision Solutions are becoming more and more necessary for the customers within our industry. It can be very complicated for customers to know which type of system to use and how it can integrate with their manufacturing requirements and existing in-house systems and machines. At Atlas Copco, we believe in Integrated Vision Solutions, transforming a fragmented piece of the process into a single-source integrated solution with your joining and dispensing needs. Our process and expansive portfolio allow us to operate like no other company within our industry and many of our customers from Tesla and Rivian to Toyota and Volkswagen are experiencing the benefits of how an Integrated Vision Solution can help drive their business.

Mobile dimensioning challenges the outdated idea that dimensioning systems are only stationary units that reside in a designated space in the warehouse. A workflow that was once thought to be impossible – capturing dimensions at the product’s location, even from an order picking lift at the highest level of shelving – is now a reality. Harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, this portable system enables a more efficient, seamless, less-time consuming workflow with the ability to acquire all necessary item data including dimensions, weights and picture at the product location, rather than bringing items to-and-from stationary dimensioning systems.

For decades, prevailing business wisdom has been heavily influenced by manufacturing principles. So, it’s no surprise that many automation firms have been built around factory best practices — things like efficiency of employee time, risk mitigation, and process optimization. To be sure, if you’re in the business of producing widgets, these can be key levers for operational excellence…but not every business is a factory, nor should it operate like one. In fact, most automation firms are not manufacturers at all; they’re in the business of solving problems for customers. That requires a shift in thinking — in everything from how you build your team, to how you source referrals, to how you price your services. In this session, Kinesis CEO Shawn Busse will be joined by David Nichols of Loupe, an automation engineering firm.

We’ll explore:

• The “hidden” factory mindset and its presumed universal application
• Alternatives to the traditional manufacturing value model
• A new way to think about value creation, and what it could mean for your business
• How automation firms can reposition themselves to gain competitive advantage
• Real-world examples of the transformative power of this shift

There are many benefits to having a track mounted robot installation. Attaching a robot to the moveable carriage of a transfer unit significantly expands the working envelope or reach of the robot because it can dynamically move down a long track system. This allows a single robot to complete work tasks at several locations thereby reducing the total number of costly robots. Attend this session to learn about robot transfer units.

Alex Lee (General Manager of Doosan Robotics Americas) will share how through Doosan Robotics’ technologies and vision, the company is aiming to become the world’s first “Solutions Platform Company” by leveraging their innovations like their new Dart-Suite platform to provide all the motions and functionality that customers expect and require at the click of a button. The Dart-Suite is an innovative ecosystem that allows robot owners access to an unlimited number of pre-programmed tasks for Doosan Robotics’ line of AI cobots (collaborative robots). Dart-Suite offers an environment where each component works in harmony, enabling users to develop, sell, download, and trigger actions through various interfaces, ultimately leading to the robots' transition from static tools to flexible partners. Through its innovations and one-of-a-kind developer/user experience, Dart-Suite is helping usher in a new and transformative era in robotics. 

Join us for a technical presentation on integrating advanced automation systems in custom manufacturing. We'll discuss the latest advancements in high-resolution vision cameras and dispensing technologies that are setting new benchmarks for precision and affordability in automation. Our focus will be on the practical aspects of designing tailored automation systems, emphasizing the integration of diverse technologies to create cohesive and efficient solutions. We'll cover the challenges associated with picoliter dispensing and incorporating complex, multi-dimensional features using coordinated robotics and motion control systems.

This seminar presents an in-depth case study of how Lane Automotive dramatically cut its order processing time by 85% (from 100 to 15 minutes). Lane Automotive's CIO, David Meadow, will walk you through the specific challenges that his company had faced and how they were able to address them using best-in-class warehouse automation. The discussion will also provide guidance on assessing the optimal automation solutions, best practices for change management, and lessons learned during the process.

The RV-12CRL joins Mitsubishi Electric’s top-selling robot, the RV-8CRL, as a member of the RV-CRL series. With a 12kg payload and 1,504mm reach, the RV-12CRL is a cost effective solution for many applications including Machine Tending , Assembly, and Case Packing. Come learn more about this exciting new robot.

AI Enabled AMR Navigation Technology explores the evolution of navigation technologies for Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). This talk will delve into the current landscape of navigation systems, including SLAM and traditional mapping methods while addressing their limitations. By integrating AI-driven navigation solutions, we can revolutionize AMR capabilities, mitigating challenges such as dynamically changing environments, localization errors, and scalability issues. Through advancements in vision and sensor fusion technologies, AI-enabled navigation promises to optimize efficiency, adaptability, and reliability, unlocking unprecedented potential for AMR applications across various industries.

In this session, we will explore how to rapidly connect your devices to the cloud to accelerate your business and unlock the full value of your data. A special focus will be provided on the real-world applications of ChatGPT/LLM (Large Language Models) within the realm of automation, and shed light on how to rapidly deploy these latest technologies.

DOBOT SafeSkin:The SafeSkin is a silicone wearable wrap made for the DOBOT CRA series collaborative robots to enable pre-collision detection functionality. It is characterized by extensive surface coverage, long sensing distance, quick response time, and strong interference resistance. Unlike the standard collision detection solutions for collaborative robots, the SafeSkin is designed to prevent collision before it happens, rather than stopping the robot after collision has occurred. The SafeSkin further improves the safety level of collaborative robots while ensuring performance efficiency as it can intelligently work around obstacles and continue operation without stopping.

In this session FRAMOS will share some of the common challenges encountered during the process of designing and manufacturing embedded vision systems. Topics covered will include the impact of electrical design on imaging performance, how to implement image processing pipelines on popular platforms, and maintaining quality while scaling into mass production. Based on FRAMOS' experience from over 40 years in imaging, attendees can be better informed when considering whether to build or buy an optical sensor module.

In this presentation, attendees will explore the benefits of 3D vision and a scalable AI software platform to flexibly automate their production. This allows for the automation of previously manual processes in a cost-effective way. Drawing on best practices from a variety of industries and showcasing several customer success stories, we will explore the transformative impact of scalable AI software platforms like the rc_visard NG in improving the efficiency, productivity and adaptability of robotic automation. Join us as we uncover strategies for leveraging these platforms to meet the evolving demands of robots in modern industrial environments.

TBA

ESTAT’s electroadhesive technology is 1000 times more efficient, 100 times lighter, and 100 times more compact than conventional linear braking options. That means it can fit anywhere and everywhere. Retrofit brakes to your existing linear motion system with little to no redesign, enhancing control and unlocking new applications without weeks of design time. Join us to hear how we can help your company tackle long-standing constraints of linear motion, outpace the competition, and save money.