Teradyne Robotics today announced that it is developing a robotics showcase at the MxD (Manufacturing x Digital) innovation center in Chicago with Siemens AG. A founding member of MxD, Siemens is adding a focus to its industry-specific Digital Threads on robotics use cases driven by artificial intelligence.
"Our collaboration with Teradyne Robotics comes to life at MxD, where we provide our customers with a view into the future of automation, based on new, AI-driven technologies," stated Rainer Brehm, CEO of factory automation at Siemens Digital Industries. "This will enable a frictionless journey between robotics and automation for our customers."
MxD is a nonprofit organization intended to serve as a hub for digital manufacturing and cybersecurity in the U.S. It said its innovation center features some of the world's most advanced manufacturing equipment
Siemens and Teradyne continue collaborating
The companies said their MxD activities build on previous collaborations announced earlier this year. They said the showcase positions Teradyne Robotics as a key partner of Siemens for advanced robotics and automation in North America.
"The groundbreaking automation innovations of the future won't come from one single company but from close cross-technology ecosystem collaborations," said Ujjwal Kumar, group president of Teradyne Robotics. "I am thrilled to deepen our strategic partnership with Siemens and to continue our joint efforts to shape and accelerate the future of industrial automation."
Kumar spoke at the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston this past May. Teradyne Robotics is a division of North Reading, Mass.-based Teradyne Inc. It also has offices in Odense, Denmark, home to collaborative robot unit Universal Robots (UR) and autonomous mobile robot (AMR) provider Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR).
In collaboration with Siemens, Universal Robots and MiR will display systems including the compact UR5e cobot, the next-generation UR20 and UR30, a MiR 250 AMR, and a mobile cobot. The demonstrations will replicate the setup of a real factory line, displaying automation for consumer packaged goods (CPG), aerospace, cleanroom environments, semiconductor factories, and more.
Siemens, a global leader in industrial automation hardware and software, said it and Teradyne will offer visitors to MxD firsthand insights into robotics applications. The companies also plan to show how these technologies can significantly benefit their business.
Partners work to expand interoperability
In April, Universal Robots said it had integrated PI's Standard Robot Command Interface (SRCI) into its software, enhancing the connectivity of its cobots and providing smooth integration with SIMATIC Automation system, which are supporting the PROFINET SRCI standard.
Similarly, MiR is currently working with SIMOVE, the Siemens standardized platform for automated guided vehicle (AGV) and AMR applications, to define a VDA 5050 adapter. It said this collaboration will enhance interoperability at Siemens' own and customer sites, as well as ensure streamlined integration among MiR robots, other mobile equipment, and the SIMOVE system.
Also in April this year, UR and Siemens introduced joint customer references for advances in AI-enabled robotics. It created them to address intralogistics fulfillment and the the challenges posed by a shrinking labor pool and rising operational costs.
By combining Siemens' advanced AI vision technology, SIMATIC Robot Pick AI, and UR's cobots, the companies said they can enable "effortless robotic picking of any item."