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Simulation’s Transformative Role in Manufacturing’s Evolution

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The evolving manufacturing landscape is seeing a significant shift towards improving supply chains, partly in response to recent global disruptions. Manufacturers are diversifying suppliers, leveraging technology for better visibility and responsiveness, and sometimes reshoring or near-shoring operations to build more resilient and adaptable supply chains. Central to the success of this transformation is the role of robotics simulation.

Robot simulations are revolutionizing manufacturing by optimizing production processes, reducing waste, and improving product quality. These simulations, powered by advances in robotics automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), are not just substitutes for human labor; they enhance human capabilities, fostering the creation of new, technologically advanced roles. As a result, the manufacturing workforce is evolving into one that is more skilled and tech-savvy.

Robot simulation stands at the forefront of this change. Lowering implementation costs and allowing for the testing and refinement of robotic systems in a virtual environment, simulation enables more efficient and effective integration of intelligent robotics into manufacturing processes. This evolution marks a significant step in creating a more dynamic, innovative, and resilient manufacturing sector.

Simulation is Key to Reducing Risk

The key to making these changes happen in the manufacturing sector is reducing risk and costs before making large CAPEX investments. This is where the power of simulation comes into play. By adopting simulation, manufacturers can dramatically increase their development speed, boost reliability, and tangibly demonstrate ROI prior to large spending. This post explores how RIOS implements automation leveraging the NVIDIA Isaac Sim platform.

NVIDIA Isaac Sim is an extensible robotics simulator that gives users a faster, better way to design, test, and train AI-enabled robots. It’s powered by NVIDIA Omniverse to deliver scalable, photorealistic, and physically accurate virtual environments for building high-fidelity simulations. This tool is a game-changer for manufacturers. It lets us virtually prototype and test complex robotic systems in a simulated environment. This means faster delivery times and significantly reduced costs for manufacturers. The Isaac Sim environment reduces the need for physical prototyping, allowing us to iterate and refine systems rapidly and efficiently before they ever set foot on the manufacturing floor.

By leveraging NVIDIA Isaac Sim on Omniverse, we’re able to create smarter, more efficient, and cost-effective robotic solutions.

Coupling Simulation to the Real World

RIOS has developed a generic connector to NVIDIA Omniverse that allows CAD data to be quickly and efficiently transferred to Isaac Sim. This transfer maintains all CAD joints, constraints, and motion limits, meaning that the virtual model mimics the motion of the real-world physical system exactly, making RIOS simulations true virtual twins. Additionally, RIOS has interfaced our runtime software stack in Isaac Sim, which realistically encompasses functionalities like actuation and perception.
The RIOS simulation implementation also serves as a virtual control stack. This capability allows users to rapidly iterate and develop new use cases and conduct comprehensive simulations to investigate rare, unanticipated events (edge cases) that could potentially disrupt the system. These edge cases are typically overlooked in initial system designs due to their rarity but can significantly impact the system. Once approved, the process moves from simulation to control of actual hardware in the real world – providing manufacturers with a more effective and time-efficient approach to robotics and automation development.
Another cornerstone of this approach is the use of synthetic data generation. This method is instrumental in training advanced machine learning algorithms. These algorithms are the brains behind robotics, guiding their actions and decisions. We can train these systems to be ready from day one of the projects by utilizing synthetic data. This approach ensures that the robotics are not just functional but also highly efficient and adaptable to the specific needs of each manufacturing environment. 
Simulation is Benefiting Underserved Industries

One underserved industry that will benefit from robotic automation is wood products. Finding reliable wood product labor has become increasingly challenging, significantly impacting overall costs. This issue is particularly pronounced in areas where manual tasks are predominant, and the work is physically difficult.
 
By implementing automation strategies, some manufacturers have reported a staggering 90% savings in overhead costs. This substantial decrease is attributed to eliminating repetitive manual labor, leading to a more efficient workflow. Moreover, these automated systems require minimal maintenance or upkeep. An enhanced support model accompanies this, featuring 24/7 monitoring, ensuring continuous and uninterrupted operation.
One underserved industry that will benefit from robotic automation is wood products. Finding reliable wood product labor has become increasingly challenging, significantly impacting overall costs. This issue is particularly pronounced in areas where manual tasks are predominant, and the work is physically difficult.

By implementing automation strategies, some manufacturers have reported a staggering 90% savings in overhead costs. This substantial decrease is attributed to eliminating repetitive manual labor, leading to a more efficient workflow. Moreover, these automated systems require minimal maintenance or upkeep. An enhanced support model accompanies this, featuring 24/7 monitoring, ensuring continuous and uninterrupted operation.

All of these advancements are made possible by simulating environments before deployment.

These solutions significantly improve overhead reduction, increase output, and maintain high-quality standards – transforming wood product manufacturers’ operations.

Learn More

Interested in discovering more about RIOS and our innovative solutions for manufacturers? We invite you to explore our website for comprehensive insights into our technology and services. Additionally, we’re excited to announce that we will showcase a live demonstration for the upcoming GTC event in March. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to see our technology in action.

To stay informed and receive notifications about our demonstration and other updates, complete the form below. We look forward to connecting with you and sharing our latest advancements in the world of AI and robotics.

About RIOS

RIOS provides AI-powered automation to help manufacturers reduce operating expenses and increase production line revenue.  We accomplish this through reliable AI-powered robotics that can seamlessly adapt to production requirement changes and AI-powered vision for monitoring operations and Quality Assurance.

Complete the form to get more information or to speak with a RIOS robotics automation expert.

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