As part of the ForNeRo research project, Professor Dirk Wilhelm (right) and researcher Luca Wegener (left) are working together. Image courtesy of Astrid Eckert / TUM

How can robots and humans work together as effectively as possible in the operating room of the future? Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and TUM University Hospital investigated this question as part of the ForNeRo research project. Using a sensor-equipped system, they analysed surgeons’ movements during procedures and collected data from simulated robot-assisted operations.

Five depth cameras mounted on the ceiling of the experimental operating theatre at TUM University Hospital in Munich generate a three-dimensional digital image of the room 15 times per second –a digital twin of the surgical environment. At the operating table stands Prof. Dirk Wilhelm, Head of the Chair of Medical Robotics at TUM and a surgeon and senior physician at TUM University Hospital. He is wearing a suit fitted with motion markers on the joints and head, tracked by an infrared system with ten cameras. Microphones record and spatially locate conversations within the surgical team, while additional physiological data is collected to measure stress levels among staff.

The aim of this sensor data and the digital twin is to improve surgical workflows, integrate robotic assistance systems into clinical workflows as efficiently and ergonomically as possible, and ultimately reduce the workload of medical staff. The sensor system developed by Prof. Wilhelm’s research group for minimally invasive interdisciplinary therapeutic intervention (MITI) is now being used for the first time in Germany to collect data from a real operating room environment. “In the next step, this data could help improve the use of robots in surgery,” says Prof. Wilhelm. All data collection in the operating room requires the consent of patients and all parties involved.

Testing robotic systems in routine surgical procedures

For robotic systems to assist in future operating rooms, researchers will need more than sensor data alone. The experimental operating theatre therefore serves not only as a data collection platform, but also as a test environment for robot-assisted procedures on anatomical models – in other words, testing collaboration with robotic assistants.

As part of the ForNeRo research project, the researchers investigated three common minimally invasive procedures: gallbladder surgery, inguinal hernia repair, and sigmoid resection, the partial removal of the large intestine. Two robotic systems were used in each procedure. The first, Solo Assist II, held and positioned the endoscope. The second was MIRO, a modular surgical robot developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) that surgeons can control using a joystick and other interfaces. During a simulated procedure, the surgeons used MIRO to manipulate a miniature gripper, position a plastic mesh during hernia repair and assist with suturing.

A robot can carry out simple tasks

The simulated operations are designed to help configure robotic systems that can assist surgeons during minimally invasive procedures. To evaluate their potential, Max Bergholz from the Chair of Ergonomics at TUM records surgeons’ postures and movements in a sensor-equipped operating room while performing procedures on anatomical models. Participants are also asked to assess the physical and mental strain experienced during the different phases of the operation.

“Surgeons often report back pain caused by maintaining rigid postures for long periods,” says Bergholz. “Earlier systems also required them to operate as though looking into a mirror, forcing them to constantly adapt their spatial orientation.” His goal is to make surgical work as ergonomic and intuitive as possible.

Robotic systems eliminate much of this need for readjustment. They allow surgeons to operate with greater precision, since larger hand movements with the joystick translate into movements of only a few millimetres inside the body. Unlike established systems like the da Vinci Surgical System, the new system also allows the surgeon to remain physically closer to the patient.

The research showed that robotic assistants can already take over simple tasks in an operating room – such as holding an endoscope – without increasing surgeons’ workload. “This allows us to explore how robotic assistants can be seamlessly integrated into clinical workflows,” says Bergholz.

AI is expected to better understand surgical procedures

Looking ahead, TUM Professor Dirk Wilhelm sees potential for using the complex data from the operating theatre for artificial intelligence applications. “Data are a fundamental building block for AI systems in the operating room,” says Wilhelm. “Such systems could automatically recognize which surgical instruments are being used and identify the organs being operated on.”

The initial goal is to improve surgical workflows and planning processes. In the longer term, AI could help decide when a robotic assistant would be beneficial.

Companies operating factories and warehouses can now choose from a wide variety of robots, ranging from familiar industrial types like cartesian and SCARA robots, cobots in various sizes and industrial grades, and humanoid robots are expected to begin trials in some factories soon.

Among this diversity, the cobots segment has seen sustained and growing interest from businesses keen to combine the strengths of robots with human workers, acting collaboratively, to optimise productivity. The typical cobot form factor, as a multi-articulated robot arm, has quickly become widely accepted and adopted. These robots are well adapted for picking, placing, and packing tasks. The sizes available range from compact desktop units with a reach of less than half a metre and carrying capacity of around 1kg to floor-standing sizes capable of handling larger, heavier items.

The 6-axis cobot is a popular design that can closely mimic the movement of the human arm. The 6-axis cobot comes very close to matching the dexterity of the human arm. Standardised flanges for end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) provide a practical mounting option for end-effectors whilst also simplifying interoperability and interchangeability.

While all this comes impressively close to replicating the movement of the human arm, six axes cannot capture the full range allowed by human joints. By introducing an extra 360-degree swivelling joint in the cobot’s lower limb, between the second and third axes, a 7-axis machine can more closely emulate the human arm’s abilities.

Importantly, a 7-axis machine can reach locations within the overall movement envelope that a 6-axis robot cannot touch. A critical skill is to reach around obstacles or to work on both sides of a large assembly without repositioning the workpiece. This can allow production planners and programmers extra flexibility to optimise the workspace layout and the sequence of actions for the cobot to complete the desired task.

Extending torque control

While designing this extra axis into the lower limb for greater movement flexibility, Yamaha Robotics has also integrated miniaturised joints built with a hollow shaft to further enhance the flexibility of its 7-axis cobot.

In the cobot, the hollow joints make it possible to integrate a torque sensor in each of the machine’s axes. This contrasts with typical cobot design approaches, which tend to include torque sensing only in the upper part of the machine. The extra sensors enhance overall control, permitting increased movement precision that lets the cobot address a wider range of applications.

Some examples of the diverse types of processes these cobots can handle, leveraging the extra motion data extracted from all-axis torque sensing, include mating electrical connectors, building delicate assemblies, buffing, polishing, and deburring.

Connector mating demands fine motor skills when performed by human operators in conventional production lines. With the ability to handle this complex and delicate task, the cobot can bring greater automation to assembly areas and elevate productivity in ways that have been difficult or impossible to achieve before now.

In addition, the cobot can handle processes like deburring mechanical components after machining or drilling. Also, where buffing and polishing call for delicacy as well as precision, the extra torque sensors on-board Yamaha’s 7-axis cobot let the machine polish either curved or flat surfaces with care. It is thus suitable for use in final assembly of products such as optical equipment or for handling and packing decorative items, or cleaning and drying items to restore surface finish after washing.

Cobots with torque sensing on each axis can also enhance safety by reliably and instantly detecting contact with an obstruction of any kind, such as a human worker or other obstacles in the industrial environment.

Verified safety, flexible operation

The Cobot meets functional safety standards and is certified by the independent authority TUV SUD. Prior to its official launch, Yamaha Robotics introduced the system in its primary outboard motor production site at the Fukuroi South Factory in Japan. The production teams at Fukuroi helped to validate the cobot’s operation and functionality under real production conditions.

The 7-axis machines were integrated in accordance with the applicable safety standards, ISO 10218 that specifies limits such as force, pressure, and speed in processes that allow contact between cobots and human workers. ISO 10218 contains recent updates that apply specifically to robots’ collaborative modes.

If cobots are used for processes that involve no contact with humans, in guarded areas that are separated and protected with safety interlocks, the standards allow operation up to full industrial speeds. The Yamaha 7-axis cobot provides high-speed operating modes for use where conditions allow, enhancing flexibility for owners to address a wide range of applications.

Incorporating a seventh axis delivers a significant advantage for collaborative robots, permitting improved functionality and safety. As demands for automation continue to grow worldwide, as industries seek ever greater productivity, cobots that offer a seventh axis opportunities can provide greater flexibility to address demanding applications and even address unexplored opportunities. With the enhanced motion control made possible by extending torque sensing, these can include processes previously considered too difficult for typical models.

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By integrating OLO’s ROS2-native platform with quadrupeds and mobile robots, these partners are positioning robots as part of the existing software stack rather than separate, bespoke projects.

OLO provides an accessibility layer on top of ROS2, bringing the full robotics development environment into the browser, including cloud simulation, AI-assisted coding, visualisation and sim-to-real deployment. This enables organisations to build and deploy robotic systems without requiring in-house ROS2 expertise, making it easy for the user to instantly access the ROS2 ecosystem of robots. The platform supports JavaScript and Python, requires no local installation, and connects directly to existing ROS2 robots and drivers.

“The industry has spent a decade talking about a skills shortage as if the only answer is to train more roboticists,” said Nick Thompson, co-founder and CEO of OLO Robotics. “What we see is a different picture: the expertise is already inside warehouses, factories and labs, but the infrastructure was never built for those teams.”

Poland-based Fiction Lab’s LEO Rover, a modular platform used by universities and engineering teams, can now be ordered with OLO as an optional bundle. Customers can start programming against a simulated LEO Rover in OLO’s cloud environment before hardware ships, using the same browser-based tools they will later use on the physical robot.

“Fiction Lab and OLO share a vision that robotics should be accessible to anyone with something worth building,” said Piotr Szlachcic, CEO of Fiction Lab. “Teams can start in simulation straight away, and when the hardware arrives, they can move directly into deployment without additional setup or specialist onboarding.”

China’s Deep Robotics and Germany’s inMotion Robotic have also worked with OLO to ensure their robots operate on the platform from first use, removing the need for separate integration projects. For manufacturers, this approach enables ROS2-compatible systems to be deployed without custom driver development, opening their platforms to software teams and integrators who already have the capability to build on them.

“Our hardware is capable of operating in some of the most demanding environments in the world,” said Yatao Zhang, director of Europe and Africa at Deep Robotics. “Because OLO is built on ROS2, our robots work with the platform from day one, without additional integration work.”

Kai Leuze, CEO of inMotion Robotic, said: “At inMotion Robotic we work with customers who want to build on our solutions, not just around them. ROS2 support removes the need for custom driver development or SDKs, making our robots immediately usable for research teams, integrators and developers across Europe.”

Eleanor Tang-Smith, co-founder and COO of OLO Robotics, said: “When you sit with customers, they rarely talk about a ‘skills crisis’. They talk about ideas they can’t get to, projects that stall, and teams who give up because the tools get in the way. Our focus is removing that friction so the people closest to the problem can build and deploy the systems they’ve been imagining.”

Cyan Tec, Cyber-Weld and Expert Technologies will join FANUC on stand F40 at the NEC on 3-4 June for the UK’s most comprehensive gathering of manufacturing and engineering technology, services and solutions. Visitors to the FANUC stand can enjoy automation demonstrations featuring collaborative augmented reality welding, advanced sensing and vision systems, transfer and handling solutions, and a modular automation platform dubbed ‘a factory in a box’.

Live robotic technology showcase

Renowned for designing and building complex, precision engineered systems for demanding production environments, Cyan Tec works across a range of sectors including advanced manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, defence and medical devices. At this year’s show, its live ‘Technology Showcase’ demo cell on the FANUC stand will prove in real time how best in class automation building blocks can be seamlessly integrated into a single, compact and highly capable system.

Bringing together a selection of technologies that commonly feature across many of Cyan Tec’s real world applications, the demo cell features robotic automation from FANUC alongside advanced sensing and vision systems, transfer and handling solutions, high speed drives, gripper technologies, industrial communication protocols, air gapped security concepts, and high end PLC and HMI interfaces.

Augmented reality welding

Specialising in bespoke robotic welding systems, Cyber-Weld’s solutions help UK manufacturers increase production efficiency and remain competitive on the global stage. The FANUC system integrator partner will showcase its flagship Soldamatic Augmented Reality Welding cell – featuring a FANUC CRX10-iA collaborative robot – which aims to strengthen manufacturers’ welding capabilities.

Offering multiple virtual welding environments that replicate real world scenarios, Soldamatic enables the rapid upskilling of employees by significantly accelerating learning for practical applications. Visitors to the FANUC stand can see for themselves how combining immersive augmented reality with collaborative robotics enables faster skills development while reducing material wastage and consumable costs throughout the training process – all within a safe, flexible and future ready welding environment.

Scalable manufacturing with ‘factory in a box’

Also on stand F40 will be Expert Technologies, another longstanding FANUC system integrator partner. Delivering advanced automation and robotic solutions, its systems are designed to optimise processes, improve productivity and ensure quality at every stage of production. Live on the stand will be Flexcell, a modular automation platform from Expert Technologies dubbed a factory in a box, that scales seamlessly from early-stage prototyping through to full production – without requiring costly redesigns or rebuilds. Highly versatile, it can be deployed across virtually any operational use case, from manufacturing and assembly to inspection, testing, and material handling, with its phased approach reducing waste and time-to-value by up to 20%.

Cost-effective robot integration

“FANUC’s integrator network brings together industry expertise from a wide range of sectors, with each valued partner providing tailored automation solutions,” says Oliver Selby, FANUC UK’s Head of Sales. “We’re proud to be able to showcase the solutions of three of these partners at Smart Factory Expo, demonstrating live on our stand how they successfully integrate FANUC robots to drive cost efficiency, optimise production and deliver real value to UK manufacturers.”

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The closing of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions regarding transactions of this type, including necessary regulatory approvals, and is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2026. Under the terms of the agreement Comau will acquire 100% of Invent shares.

After the acquisition of Automha, the binding agreement to acquire Invent represents a further step in Comau’s international expansion strategy and growth plan, which focuses on expanding competencies through the integration of complementary technologies and expertise.

The planned acquisition will complement the existing Comau-Automha ecosystem, reinforcing the companies’ fully integrated 360° automated warehouse and logistics offering. Combining Automha’s storage technologies with Invent’s intelligent orchestration software will allow Comau to further deliver fully integrated, AI-driven material handling solutions that span storage and order fulfilment to execution and intelligent flow management, thus accelerating implementation timelines while increasing system responsiveness and efficiency.

In parallel, Invent will be able to scale-up and further develop its business by leveraging a broader geographical footprint and in-house technology competencies. Moreover, given that Comau and Invent are fully complementary, the relationship will strengthen the mutual portfolio of projects.

The acquisition will extend Comau’s global operations, with an enhanced presence in Latin America and in the U.S. mid-market intralogistics segment, both of which are characterized by strong demand for automation and potential CAGR of 13% over the next three to five years.

To ensure business continuity, Invent will continue to operate with the same structure, management and strategic vision.

“Expanding Comau’s capabilities through innovative companies such as Invent is a central pillar of our international growth strategy aimed at diversifying our competencies and technologies in different markets,” said Pietro Gorlier, CEO of Comau. “After the full integration of Automha, a leading Italian solutions provider in the fast-evolving Intralogistics market, the acquisition of Brazil-based Invent will generate further synergies, adding yet another element to our ability to connect storage and material handling with production. This is another concrete step in strengthening Comau’s position as a global automation hub.”

“By joining Comau, Invent will gain the opportunity to accelerate its growth while expanding the reach of its intralogistics solutions within a broader, global automation ecosystem,” said Leonardo Araki, CEO of Invent. “This agreement also allows us to combine our expertise with Comau’s advanced automation capabilities, creating new possibilities to enhance innovation, broaden our scale and deliver increasingly efficient and integrated logistics solutions to customers worldwide.”

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Annual shipments are projected to approach 1.8 million units by 2036, driven primarily by automotive manufacturing, with logistics following and home-use remaining a longer-term opportunity with limited penetration within the forecast period.

This growth is supported by the accelerating push toward Industry 5.0, rapid progress in embodied AI, continuous improvements in materials and component supply chains, and sustained strategic backing from investors and OEMs. Compared with open or highly unstructured environments, industrial settings such as automotive manufacturing offer more standardized workflows, clearer task boundaries, and stronger labour-cost pressure. These conditions make them more likely to become the first scalable deployment markets for humanoid robots.

At the same time, declining hardware costs are reshaping the economic baseline. IDTechEx analysis indicates that the average selling price of humanoid robots is expected to fall from approximately US$114,700 in 2024 to around US$37,000 by 2030, with further reductions expected into the mid-2030s. As capital costs decline, the cost per productive hour falls accordingly, with the most significant reductions occurring during the early stages of commercialization. However, while cost reduction is a necessary condition for adoption, this alone is not a sufficient reason to adopt. The IDTechEx report,”Humanoid Robots: Market, Technologies, and Opportunities 2026-2036″, provides a detailed analysis of humanoid robot market forecasts, cost evolution, ROI scenarios, technology readiness, and key application opportunities.

Comparison with human labour remains scenario-dependent

Based on IDTechEx interviews with major industry participants and amortization calculations across representative commercial deployment scenarios over the next decade, the operating cost of humanoid robots is expected to remain highly dependent on deployment efficiency. Unlike fixed automation systems, humanoid robot utilization can vary significantly by task type, workflow structure, environmental complexity, and system integration level. IDTechEx therefore incorporates multiple utilization scenarios in its modelling to reflect a range of real-world deployment conditions, including high-, medium-, and low-efficiency cases.

IDTechEx’s scenario-based modelling suggests that humanoid robot operating costs could vary significantly depending on deployment efficiency. At the current early-commercialization stage, costs remain highly sensitive to utilization, task continuity, and integration quality. However, as enterprise procurement prices decline and deployment experience improves, high-utilisation industrial scenarios could bring operating costs below US$5/hour by around 2030, with further reductions possible toward 2036.

At face value, this cost level is increasingly attractive when compared with human labour costs. In high-labour-cost markets such as the US, total employer cost is expected to continue rising steadily. In China, labour cost starts from a lower base but grows at a faster rate, reinforcing the long-term economic rationale for automation. However, this comparison needs to be interpreted carefully. A robot’s cost per hour is not directly equivalent to a human labour cost per hour, as it depends on sufficient utilisation, task continuity, and operational stability, all of which remain variable in current deployments.

As a result, humanoid robots are beginning to show cost competitiveness, particularly in high-utilisation industrial scenarios. However, in medium- or low-utilisation settings, the cost advantage can be significantly reduced even as hardware prices fall. In other words, the cost curve is improving, but whether the cost advantage can be realized depends strongly on the deployment environment.

Profitability depends on effective output

From an ROI perspective, IDTechEx calculations suggest that humanoid robots are beginning to show a clear payback pathway under favourable deployment conditions. By 2026, payback periods can be reduced to around 6 months under high-utilisation scenarios, compared with approximately 15 months under medium utilization. As hardware prices continue to decline and deployment experience improves, ROI feasibility is expected to strengthen across a broader range of industrial applications.

However, a shorter payback period should not be interpreted as guaranteed profitability. The core variable in humanoid robot economics is not only equipment cost, but the effective value of the work delivered by the robot. In practical terms, this means whether the robot can perform economically valuable tasks consistently, reliably, and at a sufficient level of productivity across different environments.

This remains the main bottleneck for large-scale adoption. Humanoid robots are becoming increasingly feasible in selected structured industrial environments, but capability limitations remain clear in complex, variable, or safety-critical tasks. In the near term, more realistic deployment pathways are likely to prioritize high-labour-intensity, repetitive, standardized, or hazardous tasks where the economic case is easier to validate.

Overall, IDTechEx believes that the cost advantage of humanoid robots is becoming increasingly visible, and ROI can already be demonstrated in selected deployment scenarios. However, large-scale commercialisation will depend on continued improvements in software capability, task generalisation, system integration, and deployment efficiency, rather than hardware cost decline alone.

The collaboration will focus on high-growth sectors including electronics, semiconductors, medical manufacturing and light industrial intralogistics – markets that continue to see strong demand for flexible, easily deployable automation.

The partnership responds to rising customer needs for scalable and adaptable automation solutions that integrate seamlessly into both existing production lines and next-generation manufacturing environments. By leveraging the complementary portfolios, technological capabilities, and business models of both companies, the agreement enables a broader and more accessible offering for global customers.

Looking ahead, COMAU and Omron view this partnership as a platform for future joint initiatives. Together, the companies aim to unlock new levels of operational efficiency, flexibility, and performance for their customers by integrating robotics hardware, advanced control technologies, and software-driven automation tailored to diverse manufacturing environments around the world.

“This initiative is fully aligned with our strategy to expand Comau’s solution portfolio through high-impact partnerships,” said Pietro Gorlier, CEO of Comau. “Omron is an ideal partner, sharing our vision of open innovation and customer-centric value creation. By combining Comau’s robotics expertise with Omron’s complementary technologies and software capabilities, we enable the delivery of solutions that are easier to deploy, highly adaptable, and future-ready. This collaboration also strengthens Comau’s presence in high-growth sectors and new geographies, helping customers effectively manage increasing industrial complexity through reliable, safe, and scalable automation.”

“Through this collaboration, we are bringing together two complementary portfolios with a shared focus on customer success,” said Olivier Welker, CEO of Omron Robotics. “By aligning our expertise in robotics, applications, advanced control, and intelligent automation technologies, we can help manufacturers respond faster to changing market demands. Together, this new collaboration will allow us to deliver more flexible, connected, and sustainable production systems that support long-term growth for our customers.”

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Robotics is becoming a practical part of that answer. Robotics is no longer reserved for large-scale operations. It is now a viable route for SMEs to improve productivity, consistency and long-term competitiveness.

With the ability to support repetitive, high-precision and time-intensive tasks, robotics allows manufacturers to stabilise output, reduce manual dependency and improve process reliability. From assembly and inspection to picking, packing and sterile handling, automated systems can be integrated in a way that supports existing operations while enabling scalable growth.

Collaborative robotics is also lowering the barrier to entry, allowing systems to work alongside employees and support safer, more efficient production environments.

In its latest blog, Innomech explores how SMEs are adopting robotics in a measured way, and the operational benefits this can deliver across productivity, quality and cost control.

On Stand 5-N054 at Fiere di Parma, 26-28 May, Trio will also present its complete Motion-First Automation solution, including the PC-MCAT-2 combined PC and motion controller, high-performance EtherCAT servo drives and motors, I/O systems, HMI and SCARA robots.

Trio’s new Motion-PLC controller has been designed to reduce the complexity and cost of machine build for stand-alone machines in applications such as gantries, packaging, and glue laying. The controller combines EtherCAT motion control for up to eight axes alongside machine logic thanks to a multi-tasking operating system that performs both tasks in parallel.

With flexible I/O expansion for 16 I/O slices – plus additional I/O with Trio’s I/O coupler – Motion-PLC achieves extensive device integration with an EtherCAT port and up to two Ethernet ports. The controller also offers protocol support for Modbus TCP, PROFINET IO, and Ethernet/IP.

Application development and device integration is managed through Trio’s license-free MotionPerfect software, and motion programming is achieved with common IEC languages.

The new controller is the latest development from Trio’s Motion-First Automation design approach that focusses on optimising a machine’s motion cycle within a complete automation solution. Central to Trio’s Motion-First Automation approach is the Motion-iX ‘motion engine’, based on more than 30 years’ development, that includes pre-programmed motion features ranging from simple point-to-point moves through to complex kinematics and robot control.

At SPS Italia, Trio will also present PC-MCAT-2, a control solution that integrates Windows applications alongside advanced motion performance. The controller runs Microsoft Windows 10 with a choice of Intel processors, and achieves high-speed EtherCAT motion coordination for up to 64 servo and robot axes.

In addition to Trio’s range of all-in-one controllers with integrated I/O, the automation brand will also display its Flex-6X and Flex-7 flexible machine controllers. These pocket-sized devices give freedom over functionality with a wide range of ‘click-in’ I/O slices, alongside high-performance motion control over EtherCAT for up to 80 axes.

As part of the complete Motion-First Automation solution, Trio will also display its range of servo drives and motors. The servo drives feature EtherCAT update rates as fast as 125µs, plus integrated safety features, but to simplify machine design and reduce cost-per-axis, intelligence remains within the controller. The drives are matched with low inertia servo motors to create a plug-and-play servo solution for rapid commissioning and reliable operation by machine users.

Trio’s Motion-First Automation solution on display at SPS Italia will also include I/O systems, a range of HMI displays, plus a SCARA robot application demo. Trio’s SCARA solution enhances performance, reliability, and speed of development, as just a single controller is required to manage a machine, robots, and servo motion axes.

“We’re excited to launch Motion-PLC at SPS Italia 2026 and show machine builders how the new controller can make development faster and simpler, while retaining Trio’s motion control performance, from a typical PLC environment,” says Trio Italy Manager, Mauro Lavatelli. “Presenting Trio’s complete Motion-First Automation solution, we will show machine builders how we can support their full automation requirements while optimising the motion performance of their machines.”

Tom Alexander, Trio Motion Technology’s President, says: “The Italy market is crucial to Trio as Italy is home to many of the world’s leading machine building OEMs, particularly in our core markets such as packaging and printing. Trio is at SPS Italia to show OEMs how we can support their ambitions with our Motion-First Automation solutions.”

For example, MERLIC enables seamless integration into various process environments and improves workflow stability through its own built-in features. In addition to new machine vision methods, MERLIC 26.03 also introduces a feature that supports the compliant execution of audit trails.

MERLIC 26.03 addresses the current requirements of the manufacturing industry as a machine vision software solution: the continuously increasing number of product variants, rapidly rising quality demands, and the shortage of skilled workers driven by demographic change all call for automated solutions such as industrial machine vision.

“We see that many companies are engaging with machine vision for the first time or much more intensively. It is crucial that the setup of such an industrial image processing system can be easily integrated into existing installations,” explains Ulf Schulmeyer, Product Manager MERLIC at MVTec. MERLIC addresses exactly these needs: the current release offers not only powerful machine vision algorithms, but also a high degree of application flexibility, performance, and scalability.

Expanding the range of machine vision applications

MERLIC has been systematically enhanced in recent years. On the one hand, MERLIC remains a standard software solution for industrial machine vision. “MERLIC provides numerous powerful machine vision algorithms that can be used to realise virtually all tasks, such as code and text reading, various quality inspections, and collaboration with robots. In addition to rule-based methods, methods based on artificial intelligence (AI) are also available,” explains Schulmeyer.

In addition, MERLIC is designed so that even beginners in industrial machine vision can quickly benefit from its advantages. This is made possible by the graphical user interface, which allows complete machine vision applications to be created via drag-and-drop. Instead of implementing or programming algorithms step by step, applications are built by combining and configuring standardized tools.

Furthermore, MERLIC follows the approach of unifying image acquisition, image processing and analysis, integrated communication interfaces, and result visualisation within a single environment. Thanks to support for common industry standards and various hardware types, applications can be developed, deployed, and operated without switching between different systems.

Connectivity, process stability, traceability

On the other hand, MERLIC goes one step further by offering functionalities that extend beyond pure image processing and support users with regard to the entire application. First and foremost is its integration capability. Thanks to various plug-ins, users benefit from simple, fast, and seamless integration of the machine vision software into existing or new production environments.

A key advantage is that no in-house programming or machine vision expertise is required. Specifically, plug-ins are available for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) from well-known manufacturers such as Siemens, Mitsubishi, Beckhoff, and Schneider Electric, as well as many other companies.

In addition, MERLIC provides features to increase the reliability of the entire machine vision application. For example, if the cycle rate on a production line is too high, errors in image acquisition may occur. Enhanced error detection in the Image Source Manager (ISM) documents missed trigger signals and detects discarded images as well as connection interruptions to devices. The software notifies users and helps them take measures to improve the stability of image acquisition.

“We are very pleased that the ‘Frontend Observability’ feature is available starting with MERLIC 26.03. It supports the compliant execution of audit trails,” says Schulmeyer. This feature is an important tool in industrial quality assurance, as it enables complete traceability of user interactions. For this purpose, MERLIC 26.03 provides an open interface through which activities such as parameter changes or user logins can be automatically transmitted to existing observability or audit systems. In this way, even strict compliance and quality requirements in highly regulated production environments can easily be met.

Another current topic in automation is the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), which will come into force gradually starting in September 2026. MVTec is already developing its software products in compliance with the CRA and supports its customers with questions related to the regulation.

Software framework as a foundation

MVTec is responding to the wide range of requirements and challenges by further developing MERLIC into a software framework. Such a structured programming framework enables rapid development cycles, short time to market, and high stability. A framework paves the way for scalable standard solutions that grow with requirements. It reduces maintenance effort and training requirements, thereby lowering operating costs.