n TECHNOLOGY July/August 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com 28 A CANADIAN SOFTWARE developer has released an AI tool that reviews 2D drawings and 3D models automatically, thus ensuring quality, boosting productivity, and reducing errors and costs. CoLab says that its AutoReview tool can automate repetitive design checks, allowing engineers to focus on value-added work. Currently, engineering teams currently spend thousands of hours every year reviewing drawings. The new tool uses AI to automate common checks, thus saving time. CoLab surveyed 250 engineering leaders and found that they spend an average of 23% of their time on non-value-added work. “Even if AutoReview only replaces that portion, teams could reclaim nearly a quarter of their time,” points out the company’s co-founder and CEO, Adam Keating. AutoReview works by scanning documents and identifying common issues, such as errors in drawings and DfM (design for manufacturing) optimisations. For example, it will flag if there are missing or incorrect countersinks in drawings. It can also check moulding measurements to ensure that wall thicknesss will work and that moulds are easy to remove. The software can also learn from earlier designs using similar geometries or parts, helping to avoid costly mistakes being repeated in new designs. CoLab says this can deliver significant savings by reducing scrap rates and warranty claims. “If a sharp internal corner previously caused fatigue failures and warranty claims, AutoReview can flag similar geometry in a new design and surface that past feedback for the current design team to use,” Keating explains. “As product complexity increases, it’s easy for these types of errors to slip through the cracks. But ultimately these are preventable costs.” Beta versions of the software are already being used by global manufacturers including Techtronic Industries (the $14bn parent of Ryobi), and the wind turbine blade manufacturer, TPI Composites. “AI won’t replace engineering teams. But it will take on the repetitive decisions that slow engineers down, so they can spend more time solving hard problems and pushing the product forward,”Keating concludes. “It will also protect engineering organisations from the wave of retirements and the threat of losing institutional knowledge. “Fast-forward a few years, and engineering companies that don’t leverage AI to automate administrative tasks, prevent errors and reduce costs, won’t stand a chance.” www.colabsoftware.com AI tool checks 2D drawings and 3D models automatically CoLab’s AutoReview tool carries out checks automatically for engineering designers SIEMENS HAS ANNOUNCED a development of its industrial AI offering that, it says, represents a shift away from AI assistants that respond to queries, towards truly autonomous agents that execute entire processes without human intervention. The new AI agent architecture includes an “orchestrator” that deploys a toolbox of specialised agents to solve complex tasks across the entire industrial chain. These agents work intelligently and autonomously – understanding intent, improving performance through continuous learning, and accessing external tools and other agents as needed. Users retain control, selecting which tasks they wish to delegate to the agents. “With our Industrial AI agents, we're moving beyond the question-answer paradigm to create systems that can independently execute complete industrial workflows,” explains Rainer Brehm, CEO of Factory Automation at Siemens Digital Industries. “By automating automation itself, we envision productivity increases of up to 50% for our customers – fundamentally changing what's possible in industrial operations. “We envision a future where Industrial AI agents work seamlessly alongside human workers, handling routine processes independently while enabling humans to focus on innovation, creativity, and complex problem-solving.” Siemens' approach distinguishes between Industrial Copilots – the interfaces that users interact with – and the AI agents that power them behind the scenes. Furthermore, the company is developing digital agents, and integrating physical agents, including mobile robots. This way, Siemens says it is creating a comprehensive multi-AI-agent system where agents are highly connected and work collaboratively. What sets this approach apart is the orchestration of these agents. They work not only with other Siemens’ agents, but also integrate with third-party agents, enabling unprecedented levels of interoperability. To accelerate adoption and innovation, Siemens plans to create a marketplace for industrial AI agents on its Xcelerator Marketplace platform. This will allow customers to access not only Siemens' own AI agents, but also those developed by third parties. Orchestrated AI agents will help to automate automation
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=