Insider Brief
- Hitachi is partnering with Agile Robots to develop physical AI systems for complex factory work, combining Hitachi’s AI, manufacturing and edge-computing technology with Agile Robots’ robotics platform.
- The agreement comes alongside Hitachi’s separate partnership with Fanuc, reinforcing its broader push to build an HMAX Industry ecosystem for more autonomous manufacturing.
- Agile Robots contributes robot arms, mobile robots, AgileCore software, data infrastructure and its Agile One humanoid, while Hitachi plans to commercialize resulting systems globally through HMAX Industry.
Hitachi is partnering with Germany’s Agile Robots to develop physical AI systems for automating complex factory work that still depends on human judgment and adaptability.
The strategic co-creation agreement will combine Hitachi’s physical AI technology, manufacturing expertise and edge AI semiconductors with Agile Robots’ AI-powered robotics platform, according to Hitachi. The company said it plans to offer resulting systems globally through its HMAX Industry portfolio.
The Agile Robots agreement coincides with Hitachi’s announcement of a separate partnership with Fanuc built around many of the same goals, including HMAX Industry, edge AI semiconductors and the automation of complex factory work.
The companies said their longer-term objective is to enable factories in which robots and other machines can recognize changing conditions, make decisions and carry out more production processes autonomously.
Agile Robots brings a portfolio that includes robotic arms, mobile robots and its Agile One humanoid robot. The Munich-based company also develops AgileCore, an AI-driven software platform, along with infrastructure for collecting and using data from real-world robot operations.
The work is focusing on jobs such as parts handling, machine loading, machining, assembly, production changeovers and moving materials between processes often require human judgements due to differences in parts, equipments and operating equipment, Hitachi pointed out.
“By integrating Agile Robots’ advanced robotics technologies with Hitachi’s capabilities, we will deploy Physical AI that enables not only intelligent robots but also the autonomous operation of entire factories,” Yoshimitsu Takagi, vice Ppresident and executive officer, CEO of Industrial Solutions Business Unit, Connective Industries Sector, Hitachi. “Through real-world implementation, we will further enhance our Physical AI solutions by leveraging the operational data and knowhow accumulated in the field, contributing to greater competitiveness and sustainable growth across the global manufacturing industry.”
Hitachi noted that Agile Robots’ systems are already used in automotive manufacturing, healthcare and data centers and through the partnership could expand to other areas and tasks.
“Together, we want to bring physical intelligence into production environments around the world and make flexible, autonomous manufacturing a reality for our customers,” Agile founder and CEO Zhaopeng Chen said in the announcement.
Also part of the partnership is that Hitachi will pair its edge AI semiconductor technology with Agile Robots’ robotics systems. According to Hitachi, the chips are designed to process information comparable to robot vision and touch at high speed while using relatively little power.
Hitachi said its Connective Industries Sector and Strategic Social Innovation Business unit will jointly handle technology development and customer projects tied to the partnership.
Hitachi plans to commercialize technologies developed through the partnership as part of HMAX Industry, its portfolio of industrial systems that combines equipment and operational data with manufacturing knowledge and AI.