Bengaluru robotics conference highlights advances in ‘physical AI’ applications for automation in varied fields

He added that “physical AI” working with robots could have a large impact on the manufacturing sector.

Teradyne representatives also noted that robots like those present at the conference did not need to be in their own enclosure or fence to function, unlike many other industrial robots, instead being made to work alongside employees with increased safety.

Responding to a query on potential job losses from these robots, Tang recalled an incident at a production company in Thailand where the workers had struck several of the robots with hammers at night, fearing replacement. He said, “Operators were initially sceptical….six months later they went to management and asked for more robots. They were removing the tasks they were doing, which were mundane and laborious, so they could do more high-value work. That company did not reduce its workforce.”

Several classes of robots, including cobots or cooperative robots, were on display at the conference. There were also models designed to work on palletisation and other such industrial applications. Companies represented at the conference panels included Tech Mahindra, Tata Skills, Toyoda Gosei, and others.