ODENSE, Denmark - The future of robotics is getting a major boost thanks to a powerful alliance between tech giants NVIDIA, Siemens, and Teradyne Robotics. Senior executives from the three companies gathered this week in the "city of robotics" Odense to mark the grand opening of Teradyne Robotics' new headquarters and discuss the game-changing impact of advanced AI robotics.

The new state-of-the-art facility in Odense will serve as a hub for collaborative robotics leader Universal Robots and autonomous mobile robot company Mobile Industrial Robots, both owned by Teradyne. The companies aim to maximize employee collaboration, foster innovation, and revolutionize advanced robotics and autonomous machines.

At the grand opening event, the companies showcased the latest AI robotic applications and hosted a panel discussing the future trajectory of robotics. Panelists included Ujjwal Kumar (Group President, Teradyne Robotics), Rainer Brehm (CEO, Siemens Factory Automation), and Deepu Talla (VP of Robotics and Edge Computing, NVIDIA).

"The advent of generative AI, coupled with simulation and digital twins technology, is at a tipping point right now, and that combination is going to change the trajectory of robotics," Talla commented, highlighting the transformative potential of these converging technologies.

The Power of Partnership 

As the global robotics market continues rapid growth – the cobot market in Europe alone is projected to reach $6.7 billion by 2032 – the panelists emphasized the critical importance of collaboration and partnership for driving innovation. They discussed how the alliance between NVIDIA, Teradyne Robotics, and Siemens showcases the strength of an AI-robotics ecosystem working together.

"NVIDIA provides all the core AI capabilities that get integrated into the hundreds and thousands of companies building robotic platforms and robots, so our approach is 100% collaboration," Talla explained. Kumar added, "No one company has all the technologies needed to address these problems, so we must work together to understand and solve them at a very fast pace."

AI Fueling Robotics Innovation 

Artificial intelligence is already enhancing robotics across industries by providing cognitive capabilities like machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. This allows robots to understand, learn, make decisions and operate with increased autonomy.

"For humans, we have our senses, but it's not that easy for a robot, so you have to build these AI capabilities for autonomous navigation," said Talla. He highlighted how NVIDIA's Isaac platform leverages technologies like simulation, generative AI and optimized edge computing to enable advanced autonomy for robotics.

NVIDIA is collaborating closely with Universal Robots to infuse UR's software with AI capabilities. For autonomous mobile robots navigating complex environments, AI is critical for perception and path planning.

Scaling AI for the Shopfloor 

Brehm of Siemens emphasized industrializing AI – enabling automated deployment, inference and monitoring of models to make AI more accessible on factory floors, even without deep AI expertise. "Our goal is to advance automation, moving towards a system that leverages skills-based automation in the future," he stated.

As a leading robotics company, Teradyne has identified numerous industry challenges that AI can solve. "I use the term 'physical AI' as opposed to 'digital AI' because we are taking AI to a whole new level by applying it in the physical world," Kumar explained. He sees AI enhancing robot capabilities, improving autonomy through advanced planning and navigation, while also bolstering safety and reliability of collaborative robots.

Real-World Robotic Impact 

The effects of advanced robotics and AI are already being realized across multiple sectors. In manufacturing, autonomous robots are boosting efficiency, accuracy and productivity as companies strive to produce goods closer to consumers in a sustainable manner, often in high-cost regions with aging workforces.

"Collaborative robots combined with AI offer solutions to the pain points that small and medium customers have lived with for years, and to the new challenges now faced by large manufacturers," said Kumar. Brehm added that without sufficient workforce and automation flexibility, "you won't have the flexibility to automate what you need in the future. And that's what drives our customers."

The consensus is clear – by joining forces, AI and robotic innovators like NVIDIA, Siemens and Teradyne are redefining the capabilities of robotics, transforming robots from basic tools into truly intelligent, autonomous partners that can adapt to ever-changing industrial needs.

As Talla summarized, "AI and computing technologies are set to redefine the robotics landscape, transforming robots from mere tools to intelligent partners capable of autonomy and adaptability across industries."