SoftBank and Yaskawa Showcase AI Platform for Training Industrial Robots

What happened:

A new AI-powered platform by SoftBank Corp. and Japanese industrial robotics firm Yaskawa Electric was successfully showcased to ease the development and deployment of industrial robots.

The focus of the demonstration was deformable object manipulation, a manipulation task that is challenging for robots since the object to be manipulated, like cables, fabrics and flexible objects, can deform during manipulation. 

The platform will integrate and leverage AI Data Center GPU Cloud infrastructure from SoftBank, along with Nvidia technology, to enable an AI development lifecycle that spans from data collection and model training to testing and deployment on physical robots.

Why it matters:

One of the most difficult tasks in industrial robotics is for the robot to execute operations that are variable and unpredictable. Robots are very good at doing repetitive tasks, but dealing with flexible or irregular objects can be more challenging and require more intelligence and adaptability.

SoftBank and Yaskawa hope that by providing a platform that simplifies the process of training and deploying AI, the complexity of developing robotic applications for these more challenging tasks will be lowered. The methodology can be useful to manufacturers in advancing the use of AI-driven robotics in manufacturing.

Industry context:

As the industry evolves, more and more manufacturers are referring to “physical AI:” the use of AI to improve the ability of industrial robots to understand, adapt and interact with the real world. Physical AI systems are not programmed like conventional robot control systems, but rather learn and adapt through data and machine learning to enhance their operation in dynamic environments. 

This is especially relevant for applications that involve material handling, assembly, logistics and other applications that can range from one operation to another. This partnership between SoftBank and Yaskawa is indicative of a trend in the industry to intertwine cloud computing, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and robotics capabilities to create more intelligent automation solutions. 

The need for greater flexibility in the factory floor is on the rise as manufacturers seek to add flexibility, and platforms that make it easier to create applications with AI-powered robots are likely to become more prominent in the next generation of industrial automation.