An interactive AI adviser uses application databases to help users find relevant components for building robot systems.

The AI chatbot from German manufacturer igus has been added to the online platform RBTX.com. The interactive consultant is designed to enable companies with little experience and technological expertise to put together low-cost automation (LCA) solutions aimed at making them more competitive.

Igus VP and head of business unit low-cost automation Alexander Mühlens says that many companies are aware of the potential of automation but do not know how to implement it.

“RBTX provides the answer: there are over 500 robot solutions on the online marketplace. Even companies with no prior knowledge of robotics can put together cost-effective LCA solutions according to the plug-and-program principle,” says Mühlens, adding that interoperability of all the components is a decisive factor.

The new AI adviser interacts with interested parties to reduce the time spent searching for components in a rapidly growing range. It supports multiple languages and can be used with igus South Africa’s robotics buying pages, where users can match suitable LCA components through written interaction.

The AI draws on empirical data from hundreds of projects that companies have already successfully automated with the help of RBTX, and answers are targeted correspondingly.

For example, if a small workshop would like to automate the loading of its computer numerical control (CNC) machine with blanks, the company's technical manager could ask the AI chatbot a question such as: "Which robot is suitable for loading my CNC machine?" The AI would quickly provide an answer such as: "The robolink robot arm from igus would be a suitable solution here. The arm moves along five axes, has a reach of 790 mm, a speed of seven picks per minute and can detect the position of the components using a 3D camera.”
The user could continue to ask relevant follow-up questions and the chatbot would supply answers in a dialogue format, allowing users to compile their own individual LCA solution.