Teradyne Robotics brands Universal Robots (UR) and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) play a central role in the partnership. Flex manufactures key components for UR while deploying its collaborative industrial robots (cobots) and MiR autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in Flex production environments. The combination of manufacturing and real-world deployment provides continuous operational feedback, validating robotics technologies at scale and enabling faster replication of successful automation workflows.

“For more than 20 years, Flex and Teradyne have partnered to deliver semiconductor equipment at global scale,” said Dennis Kirkpatrick, President of Lifestyle, Consumer Devices, and Core Industrial, Flex. “Expanding our relationship into robotics and intelligent automation builds on a strong foundation, combining Teradyne Robotics’ industry-leading technologies with Flex’s advanced manufacturing capabilities, global footprint and execution expertise.”

Flex supports Teradyne with advanced manufacturing, systems integration and global supply chain execution for semiconductor test platforms used across electronics and semiconductor production environments. Extending the partnership into manufacturing automation solutions reflects a natural evolution, leveraging shared expertise to address rising complexity, scale requirements, and the need for greater flexibility across modern production operations.

“Working closely with Teradyne Robotics as an automation partner allows us to scale intelligent automation while supporting increasingly complex manufacturing environments for customers in electronics, industrial equipment, data center infrastructure and other critical sectors,” said Rodrigo DallOglio, President of Operational Excellence & Transformation, Flex.

Teradyne Robotics and Flex deliver next-generation intelligent automation applications that incorporate physical AI technologies designed to enable more adaptive, flexible solutions within increasingly complex production environments.

“Flex’s experience in manufacturing complex products across industries, combined with its global scale and resilient supply chain, makes it an ideal partner for advancing intelligent automation,” said Jean-Pierre Hathout, President of the Teradyne Robotics Group. “Together, we’re accelerating the adoption of robotics technologies that improve productivity, flexibility and operational resilience across manufacturing environments worldwide.”

As part of its ongoing work to advance next generation automation, Teradyne Robotics is integrating emerging physical AI technologies into its collaborative industrial robots and AMRs to help manufacturers address growing operational complexity. By combining these capabilities with Flex’s manufacturing expertise and real-world deployment environments, the two companies are accelerating the validation and scaling of more adaptive, intelligent automation solutions that can respond to dynamic production needs and improve consistency, throughput, and efficiency across applications and global facilities.

“Our customers, ranging from large enterprises to AI research labs, are no longer just asking for AI features,” said Anders Beck, VP of AI Robotics Products at Universal Robots. “They need a way to collect high-fidelity, 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 lab-to-factory solution for AI model training.”

Alongside the new AI Trainer, Universal Robots’ GTC booth showcased a state-of-the-art robotic foundation model from Generalist AI, a UR preferred model partner. Leveraging this model, two UR robots completed a complex smartphone packaging task, previously impossible without recent advances in the field of Physical AI.

Enabling AI-ready data capture

AI robotics training is often hindered by fragmented hardware and low-fidelity data capture.  Much of today’s training data is collected on research robots not suited for production environments, and many systems rely only on visual feedback, making delicate or contact-rich tasks difficult.

“The AI Trainer directly addresses these barriers,” said Beck. “By utilising 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.”

A flywheel of integrated robotics data

The AI Trainer allows human operators to guide UR robots through tasks in a leader-follower setup while automatically capturing high-quality multimodal data for robotics AI development. Operators physically guide a “leader” robot through a task while a synchronised “follower” robot mirrors the motion in real time. During each demonstration, the system records synchronised motion, force and visual data, producing the structured datasets required to train Vision-Language-Action (VLA).

Deploying on UR’s AI Accelerator platform, the UR AI Trainer combines UR robots with Scale AI software to enable data capture on UR robots in production and at scale creating continuous feedback that drives ongoing optimisation of physical AI systems.

“Universal Robots is a leader in industrial robotics, and its global footprint offers the ideal foundation for data capture and AI deployment foundation modelling at scale,” said Ben Levin, General Manager, 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.” As part of this collaboration, UR and Scale AI will release a large-scale industrial task dataset collected on UR robots later this year.

First-hand encounters with AI Trainer at  GTC

With GTC as the official launch pad, attendees were able to experience the system first-hand at UR’s booth as they guided two UR3e ‘leader’ robots providing haptic input to control two UR7e ‘follower’ robots. The setup enabled visitors to perform an advanced smartphone packaging task with haptic feedback for imitation learning and VLA training, with demonstration data recorded in real time on Scale’s stack and replayable directly on the AI Trainer.

The process of capturing robot training data for AI models was further showcased through a demo that illustrates the same smartphone packaging task - just trained virtually: Built-in NVIDIA Omniverse and leveraging Isaac Sim, the simulated setup allowed attendees to control a virtual bi-manual UR3e system with real-time haptic feedback using two Haply Inverse3 devices as ‘leaders’, providing a physics-accurate simulation.

Universal Robots is also exploring the use of the NVIDIA Physical AI Data Factory Blueprint to automate and scale its synthetic data generation, transforming world-scale compute into a production engine for high-quality robotic training data.

“The shift toward Physical AI requires a fundamental move from rigid, pre-programmed automation to generalist robots that can perceive, reason and learn through human-like interaction,” said Amit Goel, head of robotics and edge AI ecosystem at NVIDIA.

“By leveraging the NVIDIA Isaac simulation frameworks, Universal Robots is building a scalable engine for high-fidelity data capture and generation, providing the essential infrastructure to train the next generation of autonomous systems at scale.”

Real-world robotic foundation model performance

Complementing the two data-capture demonstrations, Generalist’s showcase highlighted how advances in data collection and AI models translate into real-world robotic performance. In the first public demonstration of Generalist’s embodied foundation models, two UR7e robots autonomously executed a complex smartphone packaging task, demonstrating dexterity, coordination and contact-rich manipulation in a real-world environment. The demonstration showed how scaled, high-quality training data combined with frontier model architectures can enable robust physical AI systems beyond the lab.

“Generalist is building embodied foundation models that deliver industry-leading dexterity and reliability,” said Pete Florence, co-founder and CEO of Generalist AI. “This demonstration on Universal Robots’ trusted industrial platform shows how physical common sense can be translated into real-world capability, paving the way for deployment across industries at scale.”

“The adoption of our technology by the pioneers of AI model training and data capture underscores why Universal Robots has become the preferred platform for physical AI,” said Beck.

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The UR20 that came out in 2022 is the company’s top-end model with the longest reach and robust payload capabilities, tailored for end-of-line packaging applications. The UR20 is built to support you in tasks where lifting heavy payloads over a long reach is a basic requirement.

Then there is the UR30. Building off the same architecture as the UR20, the UR30 offers extraordinary lift in a compact footprint. With the ability to handle higher torque, the UR30 opens the door for precise screw driving and the 30 kg payload brings productivity to everything from machine tending with multiple grippers to palletising heavy parts.

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The UR10 robot will demonstrate rapid tool change showcasing a variety of gripper types and how the system can be seamlessly linked to safety scanners to provide speed and separation on a typical machine tending application. The UR10e is re-deployable and fast to reprogram, giving you the flexibility to change set-up, when required.

Increase uptime and productivity, while eliminating mistakes by introducing automated, standardised procedures. Visit Universal Robots on stand 6 at MachineBuilding.Live.

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The background for building a new joint headquarters is the explosive growth of both MiR and Universal Robots. In 2021, both companies grew by more than 40 percent, and ambitions are high. Between them, Universal Robots and MiR expect to hire more than 200 new employees in 2022 alone, driving the need for larger premises.

However, the new headquarters is not just about the need for more space, as Kim Povlsen, president of Universal Robots, explains: “This is also about creating the optimum setting for our employees. We continuously work to innovate and move the limits of what is possible for cobots and automation, and with the new headquarters we will create a unique and inspiring work environment, where we will also benefit from increased cooperation with MiR and superb synergy between us.

“The building is designed with focus on the well-being of our employees and on increasing opportunities for informal collaboration during the working day.”

The new building will be constructed using natural building materials to reflect and integrate into the surroundings.

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Manufacturers across all industries are invited to meet with Universal Robots, UR+ partners, CNC manufacturers and installers all in one place. By investing a single day in their business, they can boost productivity with an actionable plan to introduce low maintenance, cost-effective collaborative automation in their existing production environments.

According to the Made Smarter Review the application of automation and robotics within UK industry could contribute £183.6bn by 2027. As businesses turn to cobots to help increase their capacity and fill labour gaps, machine tending is one of the simpler tasks to automate and offers a rapid return on investment. It is therefore the logical next step for most businesses seeking to improve margins and free up employees to focus on higher value activities.

The event will also introduce businesses to ‘lights out’ manufacturing, as a means of extracting additional value from existing investments in CNC machines. It will reveal how companies are using collaborative robots ‘out of hours’ to increase capacity and run a night shift that enables them to take on lower margin jobs on profitable terms.

Experts from Universal Robots and the AMRC will be joined by representatives from the following organisations:

• Sick – Offering valuable insight into our vision systems/safety
• OnRobot – Displaying how UR can bolster your grippers/ tooling function
• Schunk – Discussing their gripping and clamping technology
• Robotiq – Highlighting their automation solution with plug and play elements
• EasyRobotics – Find out more about their industrial automation solutions for collaborative robots
• Measurement Solutions – Integrator offering insight into their tools and software to help create integrated systems for your business
• Haas – Hear all about their CNC tools
• MaZaK – Talking you through their CNC insights

“We can’t wait to get to Sheffield and demonstrate the power of cobots for UK manufacturers wanting to build a smarter, more efficient and resilient business,” says Mark Gray, UK and Ireland country manager at Universal Robots. “Our aim is to demonstrate that automation really is for everyone, not just large corporations with expert robotic engineers

“Those who attend the event will experience how easily automation can slot into existing operations and empower existing employees, all with minimal training.”

The event is free to attend. Individuals can register here.

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Third Dimension has a long and reputable track record of supplying non-contact optical measurement equipment and services to the aerospace, automotive, energy and consumer goods sectors. It counts the likes of Airbus, Toyota and Whirlpool amongst its worldwide customer base.

Third Dimension’s flagship automated product is Vectro2, a proven tool for fast, accurate, and traceable measurement and inspection of 2D profiles such as gap, flush, radius, edge break, burr, weld, seal angle, and more, when paired with the companies proven ‘T-Series’ non-contact laser sensor heads.

Certification through the UR+ scheme means Vectro2 can be seamlessly integrated with Universal Robots’ full range of cobots within minutes, opening up new opportunities for efficient and accurate measuring on the production line.

The compact size and low mass of Third Dimension’s products makes them a perfect application for a cobot. Taking measurements and gathering data for QC and process control can now be fully automated. The cobot can run unattended, with a level of consistency unattainable by the human hand, freeing up time for the human workforce to focus on other areas of the business, adding value with intuition, decision-making and other essential skills that a cobot cannot provide.

Clive Warren, senior product manager at Third Dimension, says: “Third Dimension and Universal Robots share a mission to democratise access to automation. Now that Third Dimension are partnered, SMEs can explore new options to automate non-contact inspection and measurement applications in their production process. It’s an exciting opportunity to introduce manufacturers to new ways of improving productivity and quality, reducing waste, and driving down costs.”

Mark Gray, Universal Robots country manager for the UK Ireland, says: ‘We are thrilled to have Third Dimension as a UR+ Partner. Automation gives SMEs the freedom to take their human workforce away from dull, dirty or dangerous jobs. Taking laborious measuring tasks away from the engineer means that they can add value elsewhere. Human skill is the most valuable asset to any organisation, it’s essential that it is used in the right places.”

Universal Robots and Third Dimension’s products also support Industry 4.0 initiatives, providing real-time data from the manufacturing process, facilitating automated process control and providing the foresight to anticipate fluctuations in the production line. Fully traceable measurements can be made reliably and consistently at speeds well in excess of manual techniques, reducing cycle times and ensuring quality.

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“In a company like ours, which manufactures sophisticated hardware to high quality standards, this sort of growth requires tremendous commitment from all involved. Our production team in Denmark has broken internal records for the number of cobots built, producing 400 cobots in a single week in Q4. Our supply chain experts have worked hard to keep our business running smoothly despite global supply challenges.”

Quarter 4 revenue also broke records, up 22% on Q4 2020 and 28% up on Q4 2019. Povlsen continued: “Our growth is driven by several long-term trends, including workforce shortages and growing awareness of the contribution automation can make to productivity. As well as reaching new consumers, we see repeat business from manufacturers extending their use of cobots after seeing the impact of the technology.”

The company expects strong growth to continue in 2022, as Povlsen explained: “Demand for collaborative robots is set to grow and our unique ecosystem is growing with it. Working with more than 1,000 independent companies – including component, kit and application manufacturers, certified integrators and distributors – collaborative innovation is what sets our growth journey apart.”

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The new scheme ensures businesses can deploy collaborative robots now and spread the cost across a 36-month period to address labour shortages, improve output and make their operations more competitive. Companies can benefit from automation now and start repayments in 2022, in many cases funding the monthly payments from already realised productivity gains.

The leasing scheme is part of a number of initiatives the company is rolling out during SME automation month including; a dedicated webinar to address any queries or concerns UK SMEs may have about introducing automation to their organisations, as well as a series of face-to-face road shows across the country.

Mark Gray, Universal Robots country manager for the UK and Ireland, said: “We’re on a mission to ensure companies of all sizes can reach their full potential and this kind of leasing scheme will bring the benefits of automation and cobots to many more organisations.  I believe that improving the productivity of the UK SME manufacturing sector will have a major impact on the overfall UK economy.”

At the end of the leasing agreement, it will be possible for the company to either buy the cobot outright at a reduced cost, upgrade to more recent technology, renew the agreement or simply return the rented cobot.

The scheme is backed by DLL, a 100% subsidiary of Rabobank. For more than 50 years, DLL has been providing asset financing solutions to manufacturers, dealers and distributors of hardware in more than 30 countries. It boasts more than 30 billion euros in assets.

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The productivity roadshows are suitable for businesses with limited or no experience with collaborative automation, or for those wanting to take the next step in their automation journey. Attendees can test drive cobot applications, receive advice on automating tasks within their own business and get to know the people driving automation innovations in their city.

“After an almost two-year hiatus we’re delighted to get back to our face-to-face events, demonstrating the power of cobots for UK manufacturers wanting to build a smarter, more efficient and resilient business,” says Mark Gray, Universal Robots country manager for the UK and Ireland. “We’re on a mission to ensure companies of all sizes can reach their full potential and there’s no substitute for seeing the technology in-person to truly grasp the possibilities.”

The local Universal Robots team will be demonstrating the full range of collaborative robots, ranging from the table-top sized UR3e all the way up to the UR16e for heavy duty tasks. They will also be showcasing UR+ approved partners and applications, including:

• OnRobot – grippers and other end-of-arm tooling
• Sick – vision systems and safety
• Ewelix – slide and lift kit
• Igus – cable management kit

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