The collaboration brings Viam’s capabilities in machine interoperability, code deployment, and data analytics to KUKA’s equipment. PHOTO courtesy KUKA.
Viam, an open source platform for smart machines, is partnering with KUKA, a global supplier of intelligent robot-based solutions.
The partnership enables streamlined deployment and integration of the Viam software platform with KUKA robotics arms through a flexible and powerful public driver, now available in the Viam Modular Registry. The collaboration brings Viam’s capabilities in machine interoperability, code deployment, and data analytics to KUKA’s equipment, giving automation experts and systems integrators a powerful new way to help their customers build a competitive advantage.
Automation and digital transformation are top of mind for executives and developers in industrial sectors. The shift to Industry 4.0 has heralded a new era of “smart manufacturing,” bringing Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, data analytics, and machine learning capabilities to sensors, embedded software, and robotics, leading to accelerated engineering velocity, operational efficiency, and increased yield returns. McKinsey & Co estimates that smart automation initiatives drive up to a 30% increase in throughput, 30% increase in labor productivity, 50% reduction in machine downtime, and 85% improvement in forecasting accuracy.
Viam is a fully modular, interoperable, and open source software solution that works seamlessly across all hardware and any fleet of machines. Its open architecture removes costly barriers to automation and the need for complex integrations, and instead simplifies human-machine interaction through a cloud-based portal.
Once Viam is interacting with a machine, Viam enables it to be universally compatible with any hardware, share data, and take action in coordination with any other machine’s hardware or software. Additionally, Viam allows for the integration of modern features such as machine learning and analytics, facilitating remote diagnostics, operational efficiencies, and data-driven decision making. It’s an intuitive and flexible modern software solution, now made even more accessible through a seamless integration with KUKA equipment.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Viam and bring our customers even more powerful, adaptable, and efficient ways to extend the power of their KUKA equipment,” said Pjeter Lulgjuraj, Sales & Marketing Operations Manager, USA at KUKA. “With Viam, engineers can now easily add smart functionality to our robotic arms, and then seamlessly update and evolve them to their unique needs.”
There are no upfront per-device or deployment costs to use Viam. Customers only pay for data they consume to run Viam’s cloud services on machines, and all on-machine features are open source and free.
“With KUKA’s robotic arms and Viam’s modern software architecture, customers now have a powerful arsenal for advancing smart automation,” said Eliot Horowitz, founder and CEO of Viam. “This partnership helps fuel our mission to give industry leaders intuitive and flexible tools that transform the way software powers hardware, so we can help developers, teams, and enterprises move quickly and build with ease.”
