A person stands in front of a robot-controlled production facility with a tablet on which statistics are displayed.

Industry and automation

How smart sensors and new thinking guide robots and machines

In "Industry 4.0" plants, the strategic use of artificial intelligence, edge computing and embedded vision ensures greater flexibility and productivity. Automated systems reliably perform tasks without loss of concentration, which leads to accelerated work processes and minimized sources of error. As the "eyes" of robots and machines, cameras play an important role in modern industrial applications - for example, for in-line quality inspections or the automated supply (intralogistics) of parts. Whether PC-supported or autonomous thanks to integrated data processing, they can also become the driving force for follow-up processes in connected systems. Sounds like the future? We can show you examples where this is already a reality today.

In modern factories, man and machine are working ever more closely together. Based on image processing, increasingly complex tasks can be realized. It is still one of the greatest challenges in industrial automation to let a robot understand its environment and act situationally - because normally it is a blind receiver of fixed programmed commands. The ability to adapt to new situations is therefore an essential prerequisite for it to become an efficient collaborating colleague. Image data and cameras with integrated data processing provide the necessary flexibility and enable applications with autonomous navigation, obstacle detection or collaborative work.

An IDS NXT camera and a robot arm in a smart picking application.
Screenshot from the DATAbility Spare AIdentifier, in which spare parts are recognised.
An IDS NXT camera and a robot arm in a smart picking application.
Illustration of the quality assurance of tires with the IDS NXT camera with AI.
Robot arm for automated depalletizing tasks.
Production employees are assisted in testing processes by artificial intelligence.
The different models of IDS industrial cameras side by side on a white background.