Through the monitoring of important assets and the elimination of repetitive and routine tasks, the integration of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) has helped companies to better regulate their operations. Traditionally, IT and OT have been created independently, making it impossible to use operations and production data for better workflow optimisation and well-planned production and maintenance processes.
By striking the right balance between operational costs and strategic technology investments, the convergence of IT and OT will enable people to do more and go further. Internet of Things (IoT) devices from the IT sector can interact with OT systems and collect operational and production data from the field. Without having to grow rapidly, this convergence will allow companies to optimise their current processes and accelerate their digital transformation.
Companies can evaluate data, gather deep insights and increase the visibility of their production sites through the use of automated processes. However, creating robots has historically been very difficult and complex. Demand for robotics is expected to grow rapidly and, with the right hardware and software, innovation can be accelerated.
With the rise of robots, new tasks have emerged that aim to improve worker safety, decrease physically demanding and dangerous tasks for humans, accelerate e-commerce fulfilment and delivery, and promote organisational flexibility and resilience. Robotic Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) can now create robots that can see and sense their environment thanks to important hardware developments such as: computer processors, sensor technologies, edge computing and connectivity.
Improvements in software and services are also very important such as: open source software, motion planning and navigation, cyber security and robotic operations.
These significant developments have made it possible for robots to work safely and reliably alongside humans. In addition to industrial robotic arms, new form factors have recently emerged, including collaborative robots (cobots), automated guided vehicles (AGVs), automated material retrieval (AMR) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (UAVs).
All these robots share the ability to sense and understand their environment as a common feature. The various robot models, including object detection and segmentation, localisation and collision avoidance, motion planning for navigation and manipulation, posture estimation and sensor integration, are what enable them to be autonomous.
For any information, we are always available to find solutions for your robotic projects. Don’t hesitate to contact us.