Industrial Humanoid Robots: The New Focus in Smart Manufacturing

With continuous technological advancements and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, the momentum behind humanoid robots is growing stronger. They have become a new focal point in the industrial sector, gradually entering production lines and bringing new vitality to smart manufacturing. Industrial humanoid robots are crucial for improving production efficiency, ensuring work safety, addressing labor shortages, driving technological innovation, and enhancing quality of life. As technology progresses and application fields expand, industrial humanoid robots will play an even more significant role in the future.

For industrial humanoid robots, the controller is their core brain, the foundation of industry development, and it plays a crucial role in the robot’s performance. Based on continuous research and application experience, we believe industrial humanoid robots need to meet the following functional and performance adjustments:

1.As the core brain of humanoid robots, the edge computing central processor needs to support multiple sensors such as multi-cameras, radars, and other devices.

2.They must have the capability to process and make real-time decisions with large amounts of data. Industrial AI edge computers can process sensor and image data in real-time, making decisions to guide precise operations and navigation.

3.They need AI learning and high real-time inference capabilities, which are vital for autonomous operation in dynamic environments.

After years of industry accumulation, we have developed the highest standard robot central processor system. It boasts powerful hardware performance, rich interfaces, and robust software functions, providing multi-dimensional stability.

E-Smart IPC

As a service provider focused on industrial AI edge computing, we have developed complementary IPC Assistant and IPC Manager software products based on traditional IPC hardware, forming the industry’s first E-Smart IPC. These are widely used in vision, robotics, motion control, and digital fields. The AK series and TAC series are key intelligent industry controllers equipped with IPC Assistant and IPC Manager, serving as the stable, reliable “core brain” for industrial humanoid robots.

As the flagship E-Smart IPC product launched in 2024, the AK series adopts a 1+1+1 model—main host with primary, secondary, and software modules. It meets the needs of various applications like vision, motion control, robotics, and digitalization. It supports Intel CPUs from 6th to 13th gen, with default dual Intel Gigabit networks expandable to ten. It also supports 4G/WiFi, M.2 (PCIe x4/SATA) storage, and features a high-strength aluminum body adaptable to various industrial scenarios. It supports desktop, wall, and rail installations, as well as modular isolated GPIO, isolated serial ports, and light control expansion.

The TAC series is a compact computer with a high-performance GPU, designed to be integrated into various devices, providing intelligent capabilities. It offers powerful computing and inference capabilities for real-time AI applications in industrial humanoid robots. The TAC series supports platforms like NVIDIA, Rockchip, and Intel, with maximum computing power up to 100 TOPs (INT8). It features Intel Gigabit network support, M.2 (PCIe x4/SATA) storage, and MXM/aDoor module expansion, housed in a high-strength aluminum body. Its quasi-rail and anti-loosening, anti-vibration design ensure controller stability and reliability during robot operation. The TAC series provides a stable, reliable “core brain” for many well-known industry enterprises.

IPC Assistant + IPC Manager

To address the operational challenges industrial humanoid robots face, we developed IPC Assistant and IPC Manager for autonomous operation and centralized maintenance, ensuring stable operation and efficient management. IPC Assistant remotely manages individual devices for safety, monitoring, warning, and automated operations, visualizing operational and health statuses, providing timely warnings for anomalies, and ensuring stable operation to enhance factory efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. IPC Manager manages multiple connected devices on the production line, supporting adaptation, transmission, coordination, and automated operation using standard IoT frameworks. It offers massive device management, secure data transmission, and efficient data processing.

As Industry 4.0 progresses, high-tech devices like robots are poised for significant growth. Industrial humanoid robots enhance flexible manufacturing processes and are highly regarded in the smart manufacturing industry. Our mature application cases and comprehensive solutions, including the innovative E-Smart IPC, will continue to provide stable, reliable, intelligent, and secure “core brains” for industrial humanoid robots, empowering the digital transformation of industrial applications.

Intelligent Manufacturing refers to the integration of manufacturing technology with digital, intelligent, and new-generation information technology. It is a manufacturing system that covers the entire product lifecycle, featuring information perception, optimized decision-making, and execution control functions. The aim is to produce products efficiently, with high quality, flexibility, cleanliness, safety, and agility.

This includes the intelligence of manufacturing equipment, the intelligence of the design process, the optimization of processing techniques, the informatization of management, and the agility/remote nature of services. Among these, the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is a production control system directly related to digitalization, automation, and networked production, occupying a crucial position and role in the core system of intelligent manufacturing.

Trends in MES Development

The concept of MES was first proposed in the 1980s and has a history of over 30 years. Early MES systems were primarily used for simple data collection and production monitoring, with relatively single functions. Since 2010, with the advent of intelligent manufacturing concepts ,and the development of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, MES has shown new development in real-time monitoring, intelligent decision-making, and predictive maintenance:

1. Automation of business process management and implementation of automation ,in both software and hardware.
2. Integration of software and hardware, such as issuing execution commands directly from MES to AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and other logistic devices.
3. Data collection and decision-making functions, where MES directly reads status, process parameters, and workpiece precision from hardware devices ,to support subsequent decision-making and reasoning.

As a crucial edge-side hardware device in industrial scenarios, a stable and reliable industrial touch all-in-one machine is an important carrier for MES systems to help enterprises achieve intelligent, automated, and informationized management of production processes. The role of industrial touch all-in-one machines in application scenarios includes the following points:

1. Real-time collection and processing of various data during the production process.
2. Displaying production plans and their adjustment status visually and conveniently through a visual interface.
3. Enabling information sharing and circulation between different systems.
4. Achieving real-time monitoring and remote management of the production site.

Requirements for Industrial All-in-One Machines in MES System Applications

To ensure the stable operation of production line equipment and the accurate transmission of data, the application of MES systems imposes stringent requirements on industrial all-in-one machines:

Hardware Interface Requirements:

1. Requires a rich set of interfaces, supporting multiple USB ports, network ports, and serial ports to ensure reliable data transmission, security, and backup functions.
2. support for WIFI wireless data transmission to meet the access needs of various on-site devices.

Durability and Environmental Adaptability:

1. Must be robust and durable, capable of working in a wide temperature range, and have waterproof, shock-resistant characteristics to adapt to complex and changing industrial environments.
2. Sometimes, the on-site environment requires the industrial touch all-in-one machine to support glove-touch operation, with oil contamination not affecting its normal use.

Software and System Integration:

1. Needs to achieve seamless integration with MES systems, for real-time data transmission and sharing.
2. MES applications on the device ,should support multiple management modules, including manufacturing data management, scheduling management, production dispatch management, inventory management, and quality management.

Data Collection and Processing:

1. Needs to connect with various sensors ,and devices on the production line to collect key data such as temperature, humidity, and pressure in real-time and transmit this data to the MES system for monitoring and analysis.
2. Requires efficient data processing capabilities to support real-time analysis of production data, providing strong support for production decision-making.

Ease of Operation:

1. Should have an intuitive and user-friendly interface, allowing operators to easily schedule and monitor production tasks.
2. Should provide clear data display, and report generation functions, enabling operators to view production progress, material usage, and other information conveniently.

Real-Time Communication and Collaboration:

1. Needs to support real-time communication, and collaboration functions, enabling operators to communicate and share information quickly and effectively with other team members.
2. Should be able to receive real-time notifications ,and alarms sent by the MES system to ensure operators can promptly understand the situation on the production site.

Maintenance and Upkeep:

1. Should have features that make it easy to maintain ,and upkeep, such as easily replaceable components and easy-to-clean surfaces.
2. Should provide remote maintenance, and upgrade functions to quickly resolve equipment faults or perform software updates when needed.

In summary, MES systems have stringent requirements for industrial ,all-in-one machines regarding multi-interface, stability, scalability, and timeliness. As a leading industrial AI edge computing service provider in China, our independently developed backpack-style, industrial all-in-one machines meet the usage needs of MES systems from various aspects, including performance stability, interface richness, and size compatibility.

Solution Advantages:

Industrial All-in-One Machine in MES System

 Hardware Interface and Expandability:

1. Rich I/O Interfaces:Provides multiple USB ports, network ports, and serial ports, ensuring reliable data transmission and secure backup. The interfaces are compatible with various existing equipment of client cases, simplifying the system integration process and enhancing overall production efficiency.
2. Wireless Communication: The device supports WiFi and 4G wireless expansion, meeting the access needs of different equipment on the production site, ensuring real-time and stable data transmission.

Stability and Durability:

1. Robust and Durable:Capable of wide temperature operation, waterproof, dustproof, and vibration-resistant, meeting IP65 protection standards, adapting to complex industrial environments. Its robust design ensures reliable operation in harsh environments such as high temperature, high humidity, and high vibration.
2. Fanless Design: The device adopts a fanless design, reducing failure rates, while also reducing dust accumulation and extending the device’s service life. This design enhances device stability while reducing maintenance costs.
3. Self-Operation of Equipment:IPC assistant provides risk self-perception and anomaly monitoring, significantly improving the reliability and self-operation capability of individual equipment.

Embedded Industrial PCs (E5,E6,E7,E8 series)