Revolutionizing Safety: Groundbreaking Collaboration Brings Smart Robots to Hazardous Work Environments

ADLINK Technology and Under Control Robotics Join Forces to Develop Next-Generation Robots

ADLINK Technology has recently entered into a strategic alliance and joint development agreement with Under Control Robotics, the company responsible for the robotics startup Noble Machines. This collaboration aims to combine ADLINK’s cutting-edge edge AI platforms with Noble Machines’ pioneering autonomy software to revolutionize the field of robotics in modern manufactories and engineering plants. The primary focus of their work will be on creating bi-pedal, bi-manual machines, essentially human-like robots, tailored to excel in challenging industrial environments.

The partnership between ADLINK and Noble Machines will integrate ADLINK’s DLAP edge AI platform with Noble Machines’ autonomy and whole-body control software. This integrated system is designed to offer advanced reasoning, sensing, and motion control capabilities for robots tasked with handling heavy loads. Initially, the target industries for these revolutionary robots include manufacturing, mining, construction, energy, petrochemicals, and public utilities, sectors that often face labor shortages and involve hazardous working conditions for human workers.

ADLINK’s hardware is based on the NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform and offers a host of features such as multi-voltage feeds, high-bandwidth sensor interfaces, multiple GMSL camera connections, Ethernet ports, and 5G or Wi-Fi modules. These systems are built to withstand a wide temperature range and comply with IEC 60068 standards for shock and vibration.

The hardware from ADLINK will be seamlessly integrated with Noble Machines’ autonomy software, which oversees perception, reasoning, and coordinated whole-body motion in robots. The goal is to equip robots operating in harsh conditions with the mobility and manipulation skills akin to human workers, allowing them to replace at-risk individuals without the need for extensive retooling or modifications to existing work environments.

Ethan Chen, the general manager of ADLINK’s Edge Computing Platforms business unit, expressed excitement about the agreement, stating that it will expand the company’s edge computing hardware into emerging general-purpose robotic systems. The transition involves moving from supporting the current DLAP platform to jointly developing a computing platform based on Jetson Thor.

Wei Ding, the chief executive of Under Control Robotics, emphasized that ADLINK’s expertise in industrial hardware complements Noble Machines’ software, particularly its whole-body control systems. This collaboration addresses issues related to hardware durability and supply chain integration that can impact the deployment of industrial robots. Initially, the partners will explore potential deployments in the construction and energy sectors, where workers often face challenging conditions like dust, heat, heavy loads, and vibration.

By leveraging each other’s strengths, the companies aim to offer a comprehensive solution for customers who are hesitant to invest in experimental technology and hardware deployments. The emphasis on real-time decision-making underscores the importance of AI in providing the necessary responsiveness that humans working in demanding conditions would typically offer. Traditional software, as opposed to AI-based algorithms, would require extensive coding to account for every possible scenario in control systems.

Ultimately, the success of the systems resulting from this partnership hinges on the ability of highly sophisticated robots to respond effectively in unforeseen situations without endangering themselves, human colleagues, or disrupting broader workflows on-site.

(Image source: “Robot” by 1lenore is licensed under CC BY 2.0.)

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