FANUC Corp. in Rochester Hills, the world’s leading supplier of industrial robots and factory automation, has announced a strategic collaboration with Google to advance Physical AI in its robot systems.
As part of the initiative, FANUC is advancing its open platforms and Physical AI capabilities to accelerate automation by applying the latest development in artificial intelligence across its robotics product lineup.
Physical AI — the integration of cognitive intelligence with physical action — combines recent advancements in AI, particularly large language models (LLMs).
It also includes robots that perceive their environment through sensors, make autonomous decisions, and execute defined tasks. All told, it represents a leading application of Physical AI in automated machines.
FANUC supports ROS (Robot Operating System), the industry standard open platform for robot control, through the manufacturer’s open source ROS drivers.
It also offers broad compatibility with widely used technologies, including the Python programming language for AI development, high-speed communication interfaces for external robot control, and interfaces that enable easy operation from PLCs (Programable Logic Controllers).
Google, meanwhile, is a prominent contributor and maintainer of ROS through their Intrinsic robotics AI group.
The open platform capabilities allow manufacturers to deploy Physical AI robot systems, combining FANUC’s small robots with 3 kg payload to large robots 2.3-ton payload including the CRX collaborative series, with the latest Physical AI technologies for actual factories.
Since the release of FANUC’s Physical AI system at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo last December, the company reports it has shipped more than 1,000 robots for Physical AI related applications, and demand continues to accelerate.
“Manufacturers are moving beyond the question of whether to use AI and focusing on how to apply it where it matters most — on the factory floor,” says Mike Cicco, president and CEO of FANUC America.
“By combining FANUC’s industrial-grade robotics with Google’s advanced AI, we’re enabling customers to take on more complex, variable production while maintaining the reliability and performance that production environments demand.”
FANUC America Corp. is a subsidiary of FANUC Corp. in Japan, and provides advanced CNC systems, robotics, and ROBOMACHINEs.
For more information, visit fanucamerica.com.
To read a DBusiness feature story about FANUC by Bill Dow, visit here.
