n TECHNOLOGY April 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com 16 THE DANISH COBOT (collaborative robot) manufacturer Universal Robots (UR) has teamed up with Scale AI – a US company that supplies data for AI models – to develop a robot teaching system that uses data collected from robots working in real applications. They say that their AI Trainer technology marks “a tectonic shift”, allowing robots to move from preprogrammed applications to fully AIdriven tasks, bridging the current gap between laboratories and factories. “Our customers, ranging from large enterprises to AI research labs, are no longer just asking for AI features,” says Anders Beck, vice-president of AI robotics products at Universal Robots. “They need a way to collect highfidelity, synchronised robot and vision data to train AI models on the same robots they intend to deploy. Our AI Trainer is the industry's first direct labto-factory solution for AI model training.” Most of the data used to train robotics AI today is collected from research robots not intended for production settings, and many systems rely only on visual feedback, making delicate or contact-rich tasks difficult. Although these systems are effective for training physical AI models, they lack the power and reliability for long-term real-world deployment, according to UR. “The AI Trainer directly addresses these barriers,” says Beck. “By using our unique Direct Torque Control and force feedback features, we give developers direct influence over how the robot physically interacts with the world, training on the same robust hardware used in over 100,000 industrial deployments.” The AI Trainer lets human operators guide UR robots through tasks using a leader-follower set-up, automatically capturing high-quality data for robotics AI development. The operators guide a “leader” robot through a task, while a synchronised “follower” robot mirrors the motion in real time. The system records synchronised motion, force and visual data, producing the data needed to train VLA (vision-language-action) models “Universal Robots is a leader in industrial robotics, and its global footprint offers the ideal foundation for data capture and AI deployment,” says Ben Levin, general manager of physical AI at Scale AI. “Together, we’ve created an integrated robotics data flywheel, allowing customers to train, deploy, and improve their AI models faster than ever before.” “Scale shares our belief that the future of robotics AI will be shaped as much by data quality as by model architecture,” adds James Davidson, chief AI officer at Teradyne Robotics, which owns UR and MiR. “Together, we’re creating a foundation where imitation learning can move beyond isolated research projects and become a scalable, industrial capability. That’s an important step for customers who want AI systems they can actually deploy and rely on.” The AI Trainer technology had its first public demonstration at Nvidia’s recent GTC 2026 AI showcase and conference in California. Attendees were shown two UR3e “leader” robots providing haptic input to control two UR7e “follower” robots. Later this year, Scale and UR plan to release a large industrial robotics dataset that captures economically useful work across a wide range of industrial and commercial environments. This will act as robust pretraining data for customers who will train on UR’s robots. Scale’s software will be embedded into the UR AI Trainer for on-the-edge capture of fine-tuning data and realworld rollout data to improve models over time. www.universal-robots.com www.scale.com UR uses real-world data to train robots, marking ‘a tectonic shift’ SIEMENS SMART INFRASTRUCTURE has announced a refurbished soft–starter – its first product designed with the circular economy in mind – which, it claims will cut CO2 emissions and carbon footprints by up to 50% compared to new devices. The refurbished Sirius 3RW5 -Z R11 soft-starters are said to be technically equivalent to new ones, and compatible in terms of installation, parameterisation and functions. During the refurbishment process, used devices are tested, critical components are replaced, and all functions are tested to meet new device standards. The process is documented with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and the refurbished devices have CE certification, with CCC, UL/CSA and Atex certifications pending. “The new offering underscores Siemens' commitment to innovation, sustainability, and resource efficiency in industrial applications,” says Andreas Matthé, CEO of the electrical products business in Siemens Smart Infrastructure. “With our Sirius 3RW5 -Z R11 refurbished softstarter, customers get a refurbished product that performs as well as a new one, providing a dependable and environmentally-friendly option.” The soft-starters’ modular design allows easy dismantling and repair. As smart devices, they provide usage and condition data from their first lifecycles. A unique QR code, called the ID Link, ensures traceability for both first- and second-life products. This code, and a data architecture currently being developed, will pave the way for a Digital Product Passport (DPP) in line with the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), ensuring transparency and audit-proof lifecycle information. Refurbished soft-starters halve emissions UR and Scale AI demonstrated their AI Trainer technology at Nvidia’s GTC 2026 event
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=