New partnership to offer smart robots for dangerous environments

Manufacturing & Engineering AI

A new partnership between ADLINK Technology and Under Control Robotics aims to create a new generation of general-purpose robots for modern manufactories and engineering plants. The collaboration will integrate ADLINK's DLAP edge AI platform with Noble Machines' autonomy and whole-body control software to provide reasoning, sensing, and motion control for robots handling heavy loads.

The initial target sectors for the partnership include manufacturing, mining, construction, energy, petrochemicals, and public utilities, which often involve risky environments for human workers. ADLINK's hardware is built on the NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform and offers multi-voltage feeds, high-bandwidth sensor interfaces, and a wide temperature range.

The partnership addresses hardware durability and supply chain integration issues that can affect industrial robot deployment. The companies will pursue possible deployments in the construction and energy industries initially, where tasks often involve workers tolerating dust, heat, heavy loads, and vibration.

The emphasis on real-time reactions and decision-making means that the AI element would provide the necessary real-time decision-making that humans working in difficult conditions would otherwise provide. The success of any systems emanating from the partnership would hinge on whether highly-costly robotics could be able to react correctly in unforeseen situations without compromising itself or human co-workers, or negatively affecting wider workflows on site.