Robots learn to see without AI experts: ABB launches "AI Robot Trainer"

Technology group ABB is presenting an extension of its AI vision system OmniCore EyeMotion at the China International Industry Fair (CIIF) in Shanghai, which runs until Friday. The "AI Robot Trainer" is designed to let system integrators without AI expertise train, deploy and continuously improve camera applications for robots themselves. Images from the factory floor are combined with synthetic data, and a guided workflow and an AI chatbot walk users through each step.

According to ABB, the software works with cameras and sensors from any manufacturer and is intended for tasks such as bin picking, quality inspection, sorting and assembly. Commissioning time is said to drop by up to 90 per cent, and cycle time by up to 50 per cent when combined with automatic collision-free path planning. "Physical AI fundamentally changes what robots can do, where they can operate and the value they can create," said ABB Robotics president Marc Segura.

Alongside it, ABB is presenting the IRB 1700 and IRB 1700ID industrial robots with payloads of 6 to 12 kilograms. They are said to achieve cycle times up to 20 per cent shorter than comparable models, use up to 15 per cent less power than their predecessor, the IRB 1600, and need half its footprint. ABB gave no prices or launch date for the AI Robot Trainer.