Neve Ilan-based 634AI’s approach allows “people and machines to effectively work side by side in a much safer environment.”
By Brian Blum, Israel21c
Can artificially intelligent autonomous robots make factories safer and more efficient? Global automotive parts manufacturer Musashi Seimitsu thinks so.
The Tokyo-based multinational has inked a deal with Israeli startup 634AI to deploy 200 autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) across the company’s 35 manufacturing facilities worldwide over the next four years.
634AI’s robots are powered by the company’s Maestro software, an AI-enhanced centralized “control tower” that 634AI says “harmonizes indoor operations [by] providing a constant visual mapping of the entire production floor.”
That, in turn, ensures that hazards and obstacles – whether by human or robot “workers” – are recognized and prevented.
Maestro can track raw material movements, provide productivity and utilization data from autonomous forklifts (along with generating safety alerts for forklift drivers), and navigate the movement of AMR fleets.
“We have been heavily investing in automation and AI capabilities over the past few years, with a vision to create a more humane workplace where people no longer carry out tedious, repetitive, unrewarding tasks,” says Isaku Takeshi, managing executive officer of Musashi.
“We believe 634AI’s distinct approach for industrial floor management and control allows, for the first time, people and machines to effectively work side by side in a much safer environment.”
Oren Levy, CEO of 634AI, calls the new partnership “a mark of trust and confidence in our ability to deliver an effective logistic automation solution in a real, busy industrial environment.”
Musashi Seimitsu has manufacturing sites in 14 countries including Japan, Germany, the U.S., Canada, India, China, Brazil, Mexico, Hungary, Spain, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
634AI is part of the SixAI group, established by Israeli serial entrepreneur Ran Poliakine. The company’s located in the tech incubator established by Poliakine in Neve Ilan, outside Jerusalem.
In addition to the agreement with Musashi, SixAI has a partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries to create a joint corporation that will convert military technologies to civilian use startups.