Universal Robots has introduced the UR AI Accelerator, a hardware and software toolkit designed to enhance the development of AI-powered collaborative robot (cobot) applications. Unveiled at ROSCon 2024 in Odense, Denmark, the toolkit is aimed at enabling developers to build and deploy AI solutions more efficiently, reducing time to market and increasing accessibility in robotics innovation.
The AI Accelerator is powered by Universal Robots’ new software platform, PolyScope X, and integrates NVIDIA Isaac accelerated libraries, leveraging the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin system-on-module for advanced performance. It features tools such as NVIDIA Isaac Manipulator for optimized robotics performance and Orbbec’s Gemini 335Lg 3D camera, which supports applications such as object detection, pose estimation, tracking, and quality inspection.
According to Kim Povlsen, CEO of Universal Robots, the toolkit aims to push the boundaries of AI in robotics by providing a ready-to-use, extensible platform for both commercial and research purposes. The system is designed to be flexible, allowing developers to choose programming languages and libraries suited to their needs, and comes with integrated demo programs for ease of use.
James Davidson, Chief AI Officer of Teradyne Robotics, emphasized that the AI Accelerator significantly reduces deployment time while mitigating the risks associated with AI-based development, marking the beginning of a series of AI-powered innovations from Universal Robots. A demo featuring a CNC machine tending application with a UR5e cobot is being showcased at the ROSCon exhibition as part of the launch.
Universal Robots’ PolyScope X platform is globally available and supports automation applications across a range of industries. Its capabilities will be further highlighted at the upcoming PolyScope X Festival in November, where developers will demonstrate various AI solutions built using the platform.
