Michelin to pioneer ABB smart-robotics technology

Zurich, Switzerland – Michelin will be among the first manufacturers to try out a new AI robotics technology for smart factory applications, supplier ABB has announced.

The technology has been developed by Sevensense, which was fully acquired by the Swiss technology and automation major earlier this year.

Sevensense’s navigation technology combines AI and 3D vision, enabling autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to make intelligent decisions in dynamic factory environments.

Employing 'visual simultaneous localisation and mapping' technology, the mobile robots create maps that support capabilities to operate independently.

This, said ABB, reduces commissioning time from weeks to days and enable the AMRs to navigate in highly complex, dynamic environments alongside people.

According to the Swiss technology group, the AI-enabled navigation technology is already in use across a number of automotive industry manufacturers, including Ford.

Michelin will employ the technology for intralogistics at a factory in Spain, said ABB, noting also adoption plans at other automotive players in the UK, Finland and Germany.

“Intelligent AMRs autonomously navigate to production cells, tracking stock-inventory as they go and sharing this information with other robots,” explained Marc Segura of president of ABB’s robotics division.

The smart robots also “safely” collaborate with humans, Segura added in a statement following ABB's acquisition of Swiss start-up Sevensense on 11 Jan.

Sevensense was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from Swiss technical university ETH Zurich.