Many manufacturers prioritize digital transformation. Therefore, an automation company offers a range of AI-driven strategies to streamline workflows, reduce costs, and enhance quality. The portfolio includes software for vision-guided robotics, AMR-assisted-picking solutions, as well as 3D profile sensors.

The Zebra 2024 Manufacturing Vision Study revealed 92 % of manufacturers have prioritized digital transformation. The study also showed that 61 % of manufacturers expect AI to drive growth by 2029, up from 41 % in 2024. Plus, according to its Warehouse Vision Study, seven in 10 leaders plan on accelerating timelines of modernization project and automating workflows. The adoption of AI-driven strategies and solutions such as machine vision, RFID and AMRs to automate essential business-critical workflows will lead to significant improvements in visibility and data integration across applications, optimizing quality and enhancing frontline performance.

“The adoption of AI and intelligent automation enables manufacturers and warehouse leaders to leverage data more effectively to identify, react, and prioritize problems and projects, delivering new efficiencies for maximum impact,” says Andy Zosel, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Intelligent Automation, Zebra Technologies.

Simplifying Vision-Guided Robotics Integration

One of these solution is the Aurora VGR Assistant, a software add-on tool for Zebra´s Aurora Design Assistant software. It simplifies the configuration and deployment of vision-guided robotics (VGR) tasks. This software targets common VGR applications such as machine tending, packaging, and guiding assembly tools. It leverages machine vision software to simplify the integration of 2D robot guidance and machine vision inspection tasks in a single software platform.

Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment is the latest AMR-assisted-picking solution utilizing Zebra Connect Fulfillment AMRs, wearable technologies, software, and analytics designed to increase productivity and reduce costs in warehouse operations. This AI-powered solution combines the functions of a warehouse execution system (WES) with robot fleet management and analytics. It enables workers to load and unload orders to and from carts without requiring the AMR to remain permanently attached to each cart, increasing utilization and reducing by up to 30 % the number of AMRs needed versus legacy systems.

Zebra also offers the Altiz 4200 3D profilers which are built to deliver tight fields of view in a compact form factor along with high resolution. It features more data points per profile and faster capture speeds to address challenging inspection tasks in electronics and automotive manufacturing applications.

In addition, Photoneo, now part of Zebra Technologies, features the Motioncam-3D (Blue). The 3D VGR solution delivers improvements in key 3D sensing capabilities, leveraging Photoneo‘s bin picking software for robot guidance to enable precise picking of metal parts at various depths in a more efficient and accurate way. Mounted on a robotic arm in hand-eye position, the Motioncam-3D provides high scanning performance through multi-angle scans. As the arm moves, the sensor captures a continuous 3D data stream to build complete scene models in real time.