Vention’s new controller, embedded with NVIDIA accelerated computing technologies, brings advancements to small and medium-sized robotics manufacturers.
Vention, the company behind the cloud-based Manufacturing Automation Platform (MAP), is launching an AI-enabled motion controller, MachineMotion AI, in Chicago. This 3rd-generation controller, built on NVIDIA accelerated computing, is designed to significantly simplify the development and deployment of robotics applications for manufacturers of all sizes.
The announcement will take place during Vention’s annual product launch event, Demo Day 2024. The event will include a fireside chat featuring Etienne Lacroix, Vention’s CEO and Founder, and Deepu Talla, NVIDIA’s Vice President of Robotics and Edge Computing. The conversation will be moderated by Rob Pegoraro, a contributor to Fast Company, and will focus on the theme of “Artificial Intelligence, Real Manufacturing Use Cases.”
This announcement signifies a major advancement in entering the post-PLC (programmable logic controller) era. Automated equipment—including robots, conveyors, and computer vision systems—can now be orchestrated by a single controller powering the entire machine, making it truly plug-and-play. By eliminating the traditional divide between robots and PLC programming, this architecture makes programming simpler and speeds up the deployment cycle, leading to improved ROI for manufacturers.
MachineMotion AI is compatible with leading robot brands, including Universal Robots, FANUC, and ABB. It delivers up to 3,000W of power and drives up to 30 servo motors via EtherCAT.
Powered by the NVIDIA Jetson platform for edge AI and robotics, MachineMotion AI advances AI-enabled robots with NVIDIA GPU-accelerated path planning and the ability to run 2D/3D perception models trained in synthetic and physical environments.
As the centerpiece of Vention’s hardware and software ecosystem, key MachineMotion AI features include:
- Plug-and-play: Integrates easily with hundreds of motion devices and sensors—from robot arms, conveyors, and actuators to safety devices, computer vision systems, telepresence cameras, and more.
- Compact and robust design: Housed in an award-winning IP54-rated enclosure with passive cooling and a 360° beacon light for status communication.
- Intuitive programming: Supports both code-free and Python programming, either in the cloud with digital twin simulation, or on the edge with the physical twin machine.
- Powerful performance: Delivers up to 3,000W of power and drives up to 30 distributed and daisy-chainable servo motors via EtherCAT.
- Compatibility: Integrates with leading robot brands, including Universal Robots, FANUC, and ABB; supports leading industrial protocols, such as Ethernet/IP, IO-Link, and MQTT.
- Secured and connected: Supports pull-based, over-the-air upgrades with Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, with an ISO27001- and NIST-800-certified cloud platform.
- Comprehensive software suite: Powered by the Vention Manufacturing Automation Platform, which includes MachineLogic, MachineCloud, MachineAnalytics, RemoteView, and Remote Support.
MachineMotion AI is available for pre-order and will be delivered in early 2025.
At Demo Day 2024, Vention also previewed an automated sanding application—powered by NVIDIA AI—that uses vision AI and is planned to be productized in 2025. In addition, Vention plans to integrate NVIDIA Isaac Sim, a reference application built on the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, and the NVIDIA Isaac Manipulator reference workflow to release tools that enable customers to easily deploy AI in their robotics applications.
Quote from Vention
“MachineMotion AI brings Vention’s hallmark simplicity to AI-based robotics applications. This democratized access to AI-motion-controlled technology will help benefit all manufacturers, from small to large,” says Francois Giguere, Chief Technology Officer, Vention.
Details on Demo Day 2024
Join Vention today on September 10, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago, at 5PM. Demo Day is Vention’s annual event connecting small- and medium-sized manufacturers across North America with clients, partners, and suppliers. It showcases innovative projects, product updates, and advancements in the Manufacturing Automation Platform. Lacroix will be in conversation with Talla on “Artificial Intelligence, Real Manufacturing Use Cases”.
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