AI & AUTOMATION
ADVANCED ROBOTICS 101
Manufacturing Global deep dives into the application of advanced robotics in the manufacturing industry
WRITTEN BY : GEORGIA WILSON
Compared to their counterparts - conventional robotics - the capabilities of ‘ advanced robotics ’ provide manufacturers with “ superior perception , integrability , adaptability , and mobility . These improvements permit faster setup , commissioning , and reconfiguration , as well as more efficient and stable operations ,” explains BCG .
As such , manufacturers that are implementing ‘ factory of the future ’ and ‘ industry 4.0 ’ strategies are deploying advanced robotics as an essential part of advanced automation . Those embracing advanced robotics are benefiting from enhanced plant structures and processes , increasing productivity and flexibility in the factory and along the supply chain . “ Analysis found that using advanced robots can reduce conversion costs by up to 15 %, and combining advanced robotics with other technologies , process enhancements , and structural layout changes can yield savings of up to 40 %,” notes BCG .
So What Makes Robotics Technology ‘ Advanced ’? BCG defines advanced automation as “ decentralised intelligence that allows devices and equipment to make decisions and take actions autonomously , without human intervention .” BCG adds that the technology consists of four core elements : 1 | Holistic data models ( digital twins ): providing a digital representation of products and the production system . “ Production equipment ( such as advanced robots ) can access the models to , for instance , plan the required path on the fly .”
2 | Cloud-edge infrastructure : to shift computational power and storage to the production network ’ s edges , bridging IT and operations technology . “ It allows producers to collect data and transfer it to cloud services for processing . In addition , it enables processes on the shop floor to adjust autonomously to environmental changes .”
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